Initiative Lead
University College Cork

Primary Contact
Professor Mark Poustie
mark.poustie@ucc.ie

€40995

Enhancement in Collaboration with Professional Bodies and/or Industry Partners, Teaching and Learning within and across Disciplines

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) has become an integral part of national (Arbitration Act 2010; Mediation Act 2017; Labour Relations Commission) and international (UNCITRAL Model Law; ADR Directive 2013) legal practice.

There is a demand for ADR to be taught in law schools, with a heightened emphasis on developing core lawyering skills (e.g. negotiation), which are largely unaddressed in doctrinal legal education. The current absence of such offerings by the School of Law is a significant gap.

The core aims and objectives of this T&L initiative are to:

• Develop a skills-based ADR curriculum
• Develop professional networks with leading legal and ADR practitioners (nationally and internationally)
• Establish the School of Law as a leading provider of ADR teaching and learning
• Create a student-led ADR Clinic

Methods:

• Curriculum design consultancy with expert ADR practitioners; clinical education academics; and students
• Establishment of a masters (LLM) ADR module as a first-step, with the view to developing a suite of ADR offerings (undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive – including mediation training)
• Networking workshop to solicit feedback on design
• Benchmarking visit to Law Schools (University of Strathclyde; Columbia University) with established ADR curricula and leading clinics

Expected Outcomes:

This T&L initiative will enable a number of short (S), medium (M), and long-term (L) outcomes, including:

• The development of ADR offerings (S;M;L)
• The establishment of professional networks and partnerships (S;M;L)
• More sophisticated graduate attributes (S;M;L)
• The development of an LLM in ADR (M;L)
• Attracting PhD students (M;L)
• The establishment of a student-led ADR Clinic (M;L)