Business

New board and new direction for leading mediation provider

New DRS chair Brian Speers with Law Society president Eileen Ewing and DRS vice-chair Alva Brangam QC
New DRS chair Brian Speers with Law Society president Eileen Ewing and DRS vice-chair Alva Brangam QC New DRS chair Brian Speers with Law Society president Eileen Ewing and DRS vice-chair Alva Brangam QC

ONE of the north’s leading mediation providers, the Dispute Resolution Service (DRS), has elected a new chair, vice-chair and board to oversee its future direction.

Solicitor Brian Speers was elected chair at the annual general meeting of the DRS, which is the only mediation provider based in Northern Ireland to be accredited by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute as a certified provider for consumer disputes.

Alva Brangam QC will be vice-chair while a new DRS board will include Teresa Johnstone, James O'Brien, Gareth Jones, Michael Bready, Drusilla Hawthorne, Rosalind Dunlop and Kevin Neary.

The board will consider the future direction of the Dispute Resolution Service and the strategy required to promote its services to practitioners and clients in Northern Ireland and further afield.

Mr Speers said: “I look forward to working with colleagues to promote the DRS to practitioners and to ensure it is the preferred choice for consumers and businesses in Northern Ireland.”

Law Society president Eileen Ewing added: “The DRS and its membership continues to be drawn from both parts of the legal profession in Northern Ireland. I'm confident the new board and the strategy which will be put in place to promote the DRS to practitioners provides the right direction to take.”