Personal background
My name is Lidia Casselman. I was born in Romania during mid Communism era. I come from a traditional family, the eldest of 4 children.
From a very young age I learned that good choices bring good consequences and moreover that high levels of education and hard work will make me feel accomplished, free and, in consequence, happier.
Training
I graduated The Police Academy Al. I. Cuza in Bucharest in 2000 with a major in Law.
In 2004 I moved to Ireland where I worked in the private sector for 12 years in business management both in Dublin and Cork.
Although my work fulfilled me and at that time, my devotion for Law stirred me to have my degree recognised in Ireland and in 2016 I managed to follow my dedication and started working as a Legal Executive in Cork, specialising in Irish Immigration and later, Probate.
I continued improving my thirst and passion for knowledge by attending professional courses at Kinsale College and Shaw Academy in Dublin. Soon I became a member of the Teaching Council of Ireland qualified as a Law teacher for the third level education.
Career
As a bi-lingual Romanian professionals in Ireland, I was often required to work as an interpreter. Starting in 2008, I was given the opportunity to collaborate with Access Translation in the Courts of Law, Garda Station (Irish Police) and other institutions.
In 2017 I was appointed as a Commissioner for Oaths by the Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Ireland. That is how I familiarised myself with the process of Mediation. It was just a matter of time until I started my own journey toward Professional Mediation.
To that end, I graduated The Griffith College Cork, Professional Law Faculty with a Certificate in Mediation in 2017. I became a full member of the Mediation Institute of Ireland in 2018 with qualification in all areas including Family Law.
From 2018 to present I am the only Mediator able to provide mediation services in both English and Romanian —Romanian speaking community being a significant immigration ratio in Ireland. All this conferred a lot of excitement, joy, a real privilege, an advantage, and, of course, created a great business opportunity.
Access mediation services USA
At the end of 2021 I moved to South Carolina, US, where I received my Law Degree and Mediation training equivalences established. In 2022 I established a private company, Access Mediation Services LLC, with the purpose of providing mediation support to clients in Myrtle Beach city and surrounding areas, while continuing serving remotely the Irish clients.
I also act as a volunteer for the Mediation and Meeting Center of Charleston. (MMCC) a non-profit directly serving low income families. For more details, visit:
www.mediationcentercharleston.org
Recently, I received the honour of being accepted and a member of the Global Law Experts international group.
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