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Professional Diploma in Arbitration

Professional Diploma in Arbitration

Qualify as an Arbitrator - gain internationally recognised credentials and the skills to make a real difference in dispute resolution.

Arbitration is a widely used alternative to litigation before the Courts. The use of arbitration is on the increase, and new legislation, the Arbitration Act, 2010, was introduced in 2010 to make Ireland a world leader in the field of arbitration. The Diploma is the only one of its kind in Ireland and will equip you with the competence required to conduct or participate in arbitrations.

The focus of the Diploma in Arbitration is on domestic arbitration. It is designed to equip students with the level of competence in Irish law and procedure required to conduct or participate in arbitrations between Irish parties. The subjects covered by the programme also provide a valuable background knowledge which will be of assistance to those who may be qualified as experts in their own profession or trade and who are consulted for the purpose of giving evidence in court or at arbitrations.

Arbitration is a private means of dispute resolution whereby the parties agree to be bound by the decision of an arbitrator of their choice whose decision is final and whose award has the legal force of a High Court judgment or order.

Areas where arbitration has proved especially effective include building and civil engineering contracts; shipping; imports, exports and international trade; foreign investment agreements; commodities trading; partnership disputes; insurance contracts; intellectual property agreements; and rent review in commercial leases. This list is not exhaustive, however, for almost any dispute which can be resolved by litigation in the Courts can be settled by arbitration.

The principal advantages of arbitration over other forms of dispute resolution (litigation included) are privacy; flexibility of procedure; the ability to use arbitrators who are expert in the field of dispute; cost effectiveness; and enforceability of the award both domestically and internationally. There is a growth in the use of arbitration as a means of resolving disputes both at domestic level and at an international level.

As well as solicitors and barristers engaged in public and private practice, students on previous courses have included former presidents of the Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland and of the Law Society of Ireland; a City Architect; a County Manager; a Chairman of the Employment Appeals Tribunal; a number of Circuit Court Judges, a Statutory Property Arbitrator, as well as a number of architects, consulting engineers, chartered surveyors, property professionals, accountants, and executives engaged in personnel management, public administration, or planning.

Duration 1 academic year part-time
Starting January 
Fees See www.ucd.ie/fees  

Applications will be considered from

  • Practising barristers or solicitors
  • Barristers or solicitors actively engaged in legally connected employment,
  • Graduates holding an approved university degree or law-based interdisciplinary university degree,
  • Persons with other academic and/or professional qualifications and/or such experiences as would satisfy the School that they are able to participate on this course.

What is the Application Procedure?

Applicants should take careful note of the following:

  • The on-line Applications for the Diploma will open in September. Go to www.ucd.ie/apply to make an application. Remember to keep a note of your login and password as you will need to return to the application.
  • Official references must be submitted as proof of work experience by all applicants.
  • Official Transcripts must be submitted as proof of examination results, where relevant, except in the case of UCD students. Students of UCD applying for the Diploma do not need to supply Transcripts but should submit relevant professional references.
  • The personal statement is an important component of the application. It should contain information demonstrating your capability to undertake the course successfully. Thus, you should detail your relevant professional and practical experience.
  • Applicants must nominate two academic referees unless the applicant has been in employment for more than two years, in which case one of the named referees must be an employer. Applicants are required to submit the name, position held, postal address, email address and contact number for the two academic referees.
Further Information

Letter Of Recommendation

To obtain further information and application details please contact:

Justine McCann

Graduate Programme Administrator
T: +353 1 716 4109 
E: (opens in a new window)lawdiplomas@ucd.ie

A special feature of the course is the Award Writing component which gives a grounding in the construction and analysis of reasoned arbitral awards. The programme also provides a valuable background knowledge which will be of assistance to those who act as expert witnesses in their own professions or trade and who are consulted for the purpose of giving evidence in court or at arbitrations. Founded in 1997, the programme has been successfully completed by a wide and varied complement of professionals, many of whom are leaders in their fields.

The programme is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London, and students awarded the Diploma will be eligible for election to Membership of the Institute (M.C.I.Arb.) and exemption from the Institute’s Fellowship (F.C.I.Arb) and Chartered Arbitrator examinations - credentials which are recognised worldwide. Further details of the Institute's fellowship requirements may be obtained directly from the Institute's website at www.arbitrators.org. Local information may also be obtained from the institute's Irish Branch at Merchants House, 27-30 Merchant’s Quay, Dublin 8, Tel: 01-7079739, e-mail (opens in a new window)ciarb@iol.ie

The topics covered in the course will be of particular importance to all professionals coming in to contact with arbitration. Students will be expected to have either a legal qualification or a qualification or experience in a professional practice such as accountancy, architecture, engineering, etc. where arbitration is frequently encountered.

The Diploma in Arbitration is taught by means of lectures and seminars over the course of an academic year. Lectures are held once a week (in January-April) and are supplemented a number of seminars on Award Writing and Arbitration Skills (in June-July). Lectures in the Irish Law and Legal Procedure component for non-lawyers are held on one additional evening per week (January -April). The Programme Commences in January.

The syllabus is designed to provide students with a detailed knowledge of Irish Law and procedure relating to arbitrations. A special feature of the coures is the Award Writing component which gives a grounding in the construction and analysis of reasoned arbitral awards. A detailed syllabus is available upon request. In brief, the course comprises of two parts as follows:

Arbitration Law and Procedure

  • The Law of Arbitration
  • Arbitration Practice and Procedure
  • Duties of Witnesses of Opinion (Expert Witnesses)
Award Writing
  • Constructing and Drafting Orders
  • Legal Analysis of Matters Leading to the Publishing of an Award
  • Writing on Enforceable, Reasoned Award
Law Component for Non-Lawyers

An important feature of the Diploma in Arbitration coures for students who do not have a law degree or professional legal qualification is an additional component on Irish law and Legal Procedure. This law component for non-lawyers is designed to teach the necessary fundamentals of Irish law and procedure, and covers:

  • General Concepts and Principles of Law
  • Law of Tort
  • Law of Contract
  • Law of Evidence
Semester 1 (January - May)

Core Modules

  • Arbitration Law & Procedure

Option Modules

Students please note: for students who do not have a law degree or professional legal qualification you will need to choose an additional module on Irish Law and Legal Procedure

  • Irish Law & Legal Procedure
Semester 2 (June 4th-21st)

Core Modules

  • Arbitration Skills
  • Award Writing

The programme also provides a valuable background knowledge which will be of assistance to those who act as expert witnesses in their own professions or trade and who are consulted for the purpose of giving evidence in court or at arbitrations. Founded in 1997, the programme has been successfully completed by a wide and varied complement of professionals, many of whom are leaders in their fields.

The Programme is for Professionals coming in to contact with arbitration. You will be expected to have either a legal qualification or a qualification or experience in a professional practice such as accountancy, architecture, engineering, etc. where arbitration is frequently encountered, such as

  • Practising barristers or solicitors
  • Barristers or solicitors actively engaged in legally connected employment,
  • Graduates holding an approved university degree or law-based interdisciplinary university degree,
  • Persons with other academic and/or professional qualifications and/or such experiences as would satisfy the School that they are able to participate on this course.

We have an excellent Careers Development Centre here at UCD, designed to help you with information regarding future employment or studies. UCD hold a number of graduate events throughout the year including a dedicated law fair at which at which many of the big Law firms will be in attendance. The School of Law has a dedicated careers advisor on it’s Academic staff and a staff member from the careers office will be in attendance at the School of law on a number of occasions throughout the academic year. To see the full range of services offered by the careers office go to http://www.ucd.ie/careers/

UCD Sutherland School of Law

University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.