Date: Thursday, 13 th March 2025
Venue: Gaffney Room, Bar of Ireland, Distillery Building, Dublin 7
Time: 4.30pm – 6pm. (Tea/coffee: 4.15pm)
About the Event:
Chairperson: The Hon. Ms Justice Sara Phelan, Judge of the High Court
Speakers:
ï‚· Fiona A McAuslan, Director of Family Mediation Services, Legal Aid Board
ï‚· Sari Eyres, Mediator, Legal Aid Board
This event is aimed at equipping attendees with a fundamental knowledge of conflict resolution, such that the differences between litigation advocacy and mediation advocacy are understood in a way that best facilitates practitioners in representing their clients’ interests at mediation. Whilst Fiona and Noreen practice primarily in the area of family law, their skills are fully transferable and apply across the continuum of dispute resolution from commercial disputes to workplace disputes, from family disputes to professional negligence claims, from probate disputes to property/land disputes and much more. Thus, the event is suitable for all legal practitioners, irrespective of area or level of expertise. The event is billed as ‘An Introduction to Mediation Advocacy’ with a view to hosting future seminars, and expanding on practitioners’ skill sets, depending upon interest level.
Fiona. A. McAuslan
Fiona. A. McAuslan is the Director of the Family Mediation Service at the Legal Aid Board. She has over 20 years experience as a mediator, including separation and divorce, child care, international child abduction, bullying and harassment workplace cases, church and inter-congregational disputes, multiparty workplace disputes in small and large organisations and mediation in schools. She served as the Ethics and Standards Chair of the Mediators Institute of Ireland (Mii), where she oversaw a review and update of the Mii Code of Ethics and Practice, under the Mediation Act 2017.  Legal Aid Board: https://www.legalaidboard.ie/en/
Sari Eyres
Sari is a mediator with the Legal Aid Board based in the district court Dolphin House, Dublin. While her main areas of practice focus on matters relating to Guardianship, access, custody and maintenance, she also is trained in the “all issues” model. She has a keen interest in promoting mediation and has provided online lunchtime seminars to various organizations including Lads to Dad’s, kinship Care and One Family. In her spare time she likes to read, sing in a choir and sea swim.
In the main picture of 3 persons, left to right: Fiona A McAuslan, Ms Justice Phelan, Sari Eyres.
