Application information

We are no longer accepting applications for this course. If you are interested in applying for the next course, please register here for our Interested List. We would be happy to contact you when applications open for the next offering of this course. We look forward to welcoming you to study with the Diploma Centre.

Solicitors and Trainees

To pay online click on the 'Book Now' button. For all other methods of payment including, draft, cheque and EFT please see our methods of payment .

Other Professionals

We welcome applications for this course from suitably qualified professionals. Your application must be approved before you can formally register on the course. To apply please email the following documents to diplomateam@lawsociety.ie :

1. A completed application form (see below)
2. Your Curriculum Vitae
3. A short cover letter setting out your relevant experience

Please note, for non-members this course is subject to a supplemental fee of €200 bringing the total course fee to €3,000. No fees are required prior to approval.

Download

• Application form (word - for PC use)
• Application form (pdf - for handwritten use)
• Timetable
• Faculty booklet
• Course brochure

Further information on this course including course structure, module scheme, faculty and workshop dates are set out below. Clicking on the links will bring you directly to that section or simply scroll through to read all the content.

• Programme structure
• Modules
• Workshops
• Assessments
• Who should attend?
• Faculty
• CPD

Programme objectives

On completion of this training programme, participants will have:

• Strengthened their case-management and leadership skills,
• Attained an understanding of the skills needed to preside over various fora, including adjudicatory, tribunal, and board roles,
• Developed their awareness of the complexities of the decision-making process,
• Practiced and honed their skills with respect to drafting written judgments, and
• Increased their knowledge regarding an array of issues that have a daily impact on adjudicatory forums in Ireland, including social diversity, equality, and vulnerable witnesses. 

Programme structure and approach to learning

This diploma will provide participants with case-management leadership skills and practical training on how to run a case in any forum. It will also prepare participants for adjudicatory, tribunal, and board roles, and will explore the skills needed to preside over various forums. Practical workshops on arriving at a determination and drafting judgments will be facilitated by means of case studies and role-play sessions. A module on mediation will discuss how the Mediation Act 2017 affects traditional court-based proceedings, with a particular focus on mediation in the commercial context and in family law. The diploma also features a distinct module on awareness and sensitivity training and dealing with vulnerable witnesses and clients.

Modules

The programme is based on the following module scheme and covers key themes as listed below:

Module 1: The exercise of judicial skills and decision-making

• Ethical considerations; types of judicial roles/quasi-judicial bodies,
• The application and recruitment process,
• Understanding and managing the trial process,
• Rules of evidence from the decision-maker’s perspective.

Module 2: Mediation, managing proceedings, and administering justice

• Mediation overview from a judicial perspective,
• The effect of the Mediation Act 2017,
• Functions and duties of chairpersons of a board.

Module 3: Written judgments and decision-making skills

• Drafting written judgments,
• Proceedings involving litigants-in-person,
• Assessing credibility; assessing expert evidence.

Module 4: The social context of law

• Examination of cultural diversity in Ireland,
• Independence and accountability,
• Equality legislation and inclusion,
• Consistency in sentencing,
• Dealing with vulnerable clients or witnesses.

Workshops

Workshops are a key feature of this course. These are designed to be interactive and involve working in groups on selected case-study problems and analysis, with an emphasis on the application of the law to common scenarios encountered in practice. 

*Selected workshops will form part of the continuous assessment for the course, and students are asked to make sure that they are available to attend on-site on these dates. 

Who should attend?

This course is suitable for: 

• Solicitors, barristers, and other relevant professionals who wish to develop the skill-set necessary for adjudicatory, tribunal, and board roles, or the skills necessary preside over various forums,
• Directors or other relevant professionals seeking to gain necessary training with regard to overseeing decision making processes in a corporate environment.
  

We welcome applications from others who are suitably qualified. Please explain your interest and set out any relevant experience in a cover letter and a brief CV. Such applications are subject to a supplemental fee of €200. 

Assessments

One written assignment (60%) and continuous assessment (40%) based on participation and completion of workshop assignments. Final submission date: 04 March 2020.

Faculty

Lecturers are drawn from members of the judiciary in Ireland both past and present, leading barristers and solicitors, and members of independent public bodies. Tutors are drawn from experienced trainers in the relevant area, both from this jurisdiction and internationally, and from other legal practitioner experts. Past speakers have included:

• Justice Michael Peart, Court of Appeal, Ireland,
• Tina Bond, deputy district judge on the North East Circuit England and Wales,
• Judge Colin Daly, District Court, Ireland,
• Judge John O’Connor, District Court, Ireland,
• Geraldine Clark, partner, Gleeson McGrath Baldwin Solicitors,
• Paul Egan, chairman of corporate, Mason Hayes and Curran,
• Bob Semple, consultant,
• Dr Jennifer Carroll MacNeill BL,
• Paul Anthony McDermott SC,
• John Kennedy BL, and
• Stephen O’Hare, CEO, Transgender Equality Network Ireland.

CPD

Contact

Cian Monahan, Solicitor, Course Leader: C.Monahan@LawSociety.ie.

*Every effort has been made to ensure the information contained in these pages is accurate and up to date. However timetables and course content are subject to change and date and time changes may occur due to factors beyond our control.

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