American and Irish Perspectives on Collaborative Practice

In their Report on Alternative Dispute Resolution,1 the Law Reform Commission (LRC) have recognised Collaborative Practice as “an emerging method of advisory dispute resolution”,2 where, “the negotiation becomes client centred”.3 They refer extensively throughout the report to the standards set by the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) and the Uniform Collaborative Law Act 2010 (UCLA) in the US, as models for the development of a code of practice for collaborative practitioners in Ireland. This article will examine the position in the US, the UCLA and the IACP standards as referred to by the LRC, and their impact on the development of collaborative practice here.