Yes, you can view the full course information sheet by clicking here.

The virtual diploma is an immersive course taught over 4 weeks, and looks at the legal and practical framework of international commercial arbitration.

It will be hosted on Ciarb's online learning platform, LearnADR, from 2nd May 2025 to 25th May 2025.

The course is delivered by expert tutors and speakers, with a combination of lectures and discussion workshops on international arbitration law, practice and procedure.

After successfully passing all three parts of the Diploma assessments, candidates are eligible to apply for a Peer Interview for Fellowship (FCIArb).

The Diploma will prepare candidates to write an arbitral award that is compliant with the legal and procedural requirements for an enforceable award.

Upon successful completion of the Diploma, candidates will be able to:

List

• the elements required for an award to be enforceable;
• the advantages and possible disadvantages of international arbitration compared to other means of alternative dispute resolution.

Describe

• what is meant by ‘international arbitration’;
• the range and limitations of an arbitrator’s powers and jurisdiction;
• the rights, duties, and responsibilities of a party to an arbitration;
• the core notions of the law applicable to the arbitration agreement, law applicable to the arbitration procedure, and the law governing the merits of the dispute;
• the types of evidence used in international arbitration;
• the role of written and oral submissions in arbitration.

Identify

• issues that arise from the parties’ submissions;
• the parties’ costs and interest;
• the relevance of signature, date and place of arbitration.

Explain

• legal procedural principles, rules and agreements relevant to international arbitration;
• the nature of the appointment of an arbitrator, the duties, powers and jurisdiction of an arbitral tribunal;
• when evidence is admissible in an arbitration;
• the legal limitations on what disputes are arbitrable;
• the methods of initiating and conducting an international arbitration;
• the relevance of the national courts and institutions in all stages in an arbitration.

Apply

• the appropriate legal procedural principles, rules and agreements which may arise in an international arbitration, including with respect to evidence, costs, and interest;
• institutional award checklist to the drafting of an arbitral award.

Develop the skills

• to draft of the discursive and operative parts of the arbitral award;
• to draft of the dispositive part of the arbitral award;
• to use clear, precise language in the drafting of procedural orders, decisions and awards;
• to structure arbitral awards to convey factual and legal analysis;
• to manage matters in the dispute logically and in accordance with the law;
• to manage and deal with all issues that arise throughout an arbitral process.

ADR processes and arbitration

• Arbitration distinguished from other forms of dispute resolution
• Nature and limits of arbitration

Law and the legal framework surrounding arbitration

• Types of arbitration: including ad-hoc, institutional and expedited
• Characteristics of institutional arbitration as presented by leading arbitration institutions
• Privacy, confidentiality and transparency in arbitration
• The New York Convention, UNCITRAL Model Law, UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, examples of National Arbitration Legislation
• Lex arbitri, seat of arbitration, choice of law; distinction from the venue of the
• hearing(s); lex causa
• The role of state courts in the arbitral process and post-award

The arbitration procedure

• Arbitration agreement: validity, interpretation, enforceability
• Law applicable to the arbitration agreement, to the proceedings and to the merits of the dispute
• Commencement of arbitration, request for arbitration and answer, terms of Reference
• The arbitrator’s terms and conditions of appointment, conflicts and challenges
• Duties and powers of the arbitral tribunal
• Role of arbitral tribunal secretaries
• Jurisdiction and admissibility in international arbitration
• Challenges to arbitral award
• Recognition and enforcement of arbitral award

The hearing

• Managing the arbitration process: communications, preliminary meetings, interlocutory matters
• Evidence in international arbitration; submission, admissibility and assessment of
  evidence
• Evidentiary hearing

Awards

• Form, content and structure of an arbitral award
• Remedies, costs, and interest, relevance of third-party funding in arbitration
• Dissenting and concurring opinions
• The Burden and Standard of Proof
• Types of evidence: documentary vs. non-documentary, witnesses, experts, site inspection, etc.
• Privilege and confidentiality in evidentiary matters
• Disclosure and document production
• Legal requirements for arbitral awards
• Identifying the issues for determination
• Deliberations and decision-making
• Reasoning of the arbitral award
• Drafting the dispositive of the award
• Time limits
• Dissenting and Concurring opinions
• Conflict of interest
• Compliance with institutional award checklists
• Publication of awards

Candidates will be assessed in three ways:

PART 1 Assessment: Law, Practice and Procedure of International Commercial Arbitration

Candidates will receive intensive training on the law, practice, and procedure of international commercial arbitration.

Candidates will be asked to submit two assignments (500 words) during the Diploma and a final dissertation (4,000 words) approximately two months later.

Candidates need to obtain +55% in each assignment to pass.

• Assignment 1 will be released on 16 May 2025 at 12:00 (GMT) and is due by 18 May 2025 at 18:00 (GMT).
• Assignment 2 will be released on 23 May 2025 at 12:00 (GMT) and is due by 25 May 2025 at 18:00 (GMT).

Candidates will be asked to produce a general dissertation proposal (300 words maximum), on an international arbitration related topic, including the research question and potential literature list.

Candidates are assigned dissertation supervisors by 19 April 2025. Candidates will meet with their supervisors during the Diploma to discuss potential dissertation topics. and will provide feedback on the proposal. This proposal is due via the online learning platform, LearnADR on 30 May 2025.

The final dissertation (4,000 words) is due by 4 July 2025. Candidates need to obtain +55% in the dissertation in order to pass.

The dissertation is 80% of the overall mark and the assignments are weighted at 10% each. Candidates must achieve a minimum of 55% when all marks are added together to pass. Candidates who fail any assessment will be required to retake the assessment per the Candidates Regulations.

Failure to submit any of the Part 1 assessments by the given deadlines will result in a ‘fail’ for that assessment.

PART 2 Assessment: Law of Obligations

The Diploma aims at preparing candidates for Fellowship, which is a mark of proficiency in evidence, decision-making and the award writing of international commercial arbitration. As the law of obligations provides an essential framework for this, candidates are required to demonstrate expertise via an online exemption test on the common law and civil law of contract and tort.

Candidates must pass the online exemption test before commencing the final assessment.

Candidates will be sent a link to an online multiple-choice test on the common law and civil law of contract and tort on 18 April 2025. Candidates will also be given access to a reference workbook as well as a mock assessment.

The online multiple-choice test will consist of 30 questions which will need to be answered within 90 minutes, with a pass mark of +70%. This will need to be sat and passed by 30 July 2025.

Please note, current FCIArb members do not need to complete the Module 2 exemption test.

PART 3 Assessment: Evidence and Award Writing of International Arbitration

Candidates will receive training on award writing during the Diploma and must take and pass the award writing exam. Candidates will be asked to write their award at home and submit it via Ciarb’s online learning platform, LearnADR from 15 August 2025. Candidates will be given 48 consecutive hours within a 5-day window to submit their award online.

The assessment is split into two stages:

• Stage One: This consists of the papers in the case. They are sufficient to enable the candidate to review the nature of the case and the likely legal problems. Most of the documents are extracts only. Candidates should consider the recitals they intend to include and the relevant law. Stage One of the assessment is released via LearnADR 10 days before the assessment start date.

• Stage Two: This is the equivalent of the hearing stage. It includes an extract from the candidate’s (i.e. the arbitrator’s) notebook. This records the oral evidence and arguments the arbitrator has heard, as well as any other relevant documents. From the evidence candidates must make their findings of fact. Different candidates will no doubt make different findings. This is of no consequence, except that it means there are a great many possible answers to the question. When candidates have made their findings of fact, they will write the award. It must be a final award that reflects the issues that they decide. Stage Two is released at 12pm noon London Time on the assessment start date via LearnADR too. Stage 2 will be available for 5 days ONLY from the assessment start date and within those 5 days, candidates will have 48 consecutive hours from the time they access the stage 2 documents, to submit the award onto LearnADR. The length of the arbitral award is capped to 10,000 words.

Candidates will be marked on Technical and Judicial merit:

• Technical Merit: counts as 40% towards the overall mark.
• Judicial Merit: counts as 60% towards the overall mark.

Candidates must achieve 70% in both technical and judicial merit and 70% overall to pass this assessment. The detailed elements of each technical and judicial merits will be made available with Stage One.

Results are sent to candidates 12 weeks from the deadline date of the submission. Candidates will be informed of any delays.

To be considered for the Diploma you must meet both of the following minimum entry requirements:

• A minimum of five years’ professional workplace experience as, for example, a lawyer, surveyor, accountant, insurer, shipbroker or similar. This experience must involve communicating with others, problem-solving, managing workloads effectively, decision-making and the exercise of judgment, and

• You must be actively involved in and have experience of arbitration (domestic or international).

All candidates enrolling on any Ciarb course should ensure that their command of spoken and written English is adequate, to ensure that their academic progress is not hindered by language difficulties.

We issue this advice as a guideline and do not require any evidence of this standard prior to enrolment. It is recommended that candidates have achieved a standard that is, as a minimum, equivalent to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) level 7 or a score of 94-101 in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) system. However, candidates who do not have this standard of English may be disadvantaged.

Contact the British Council for further details on how to improve your English skills.

To apply, please send your full CV to globaldiploma@ciarb.org by 30 January 2025 to be considered. Successful candidates will be contacted regarding registration and payment.

The review process is thorough and can take six weeks. We appreciate your patience.

Apply now

Send your full CV to globaldiploma@ciarb.org by 30 January 2025 to be considered.

Apply now

The course fee is £5,600.00 inclusive of VAT. At least 50% of the course fee must be paid upon registration of the course. The 50% deposit is non-refundable. 

The full course fee is due no later than 30th March 2025.

The course fee for the Diploma includes:

• Access to Ciarb’s online platform, LearnADR;
• Study materials for the course;
• Dissertation Supervisor;
• Part 1: Assignment 1 and 2;
• Part 2: Module 2 exemption test;
• Part 3 assessment.

If a candidate fails any part of the Diploma, an additional re-sit fee will be charged for the relevant failed assessment(s).

Upon successful registration on the course, candidates will receive confirmation they are booked on the course.

*Candidates are encouraged to purchase the following book prior to the start of the course - Nigel Blackaby KC, Constantine Partasides KC, and Alan Redfern, Redfern and Hunter on International Arbitration, Oxford University Press, (7th or the latest edition).

Candidates will be provided with access to a virtual learning environment and electronic copies of material to assist them with the Diploma, together with a suggested reading list. We recommend candidates familiarise themselves with the UNCITRAL Model Law and Arbitration Rules and the substantive law in their respective jurisdiction together with the relevant Act(s) and Scheme(s) and important case decisions (where applicable).

Candidates should also refer to the recognised standard textbooks to supplement their study in their respective jurisdiction where these are available.

Ciarb reserves the right to cancel or change the date, venue or content of Diplomas and the names of speakers, lecturers and tutors. Candidates will be provided with adequate notice of any change. If Ciarb cancels a course, candidates will be provided with a full refund or the opportunity to transfer their registration to the next course. If a candidate wants to cancel/defer registration, they must email education@ciarb.org. Deferral charges apply.

Please note that the first 50% of the course fee is non-refundable.

On successful completion of the Diploma course and all the corresponding assessments, candidates will:

• Be awarded a Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration;
• Be able to progress onto the Peer Interview of the International Arbitration pathway and;
• Be eligible to apply for Fellowship and take advantage of a range of educational and professional benefits once they have been successful in the Peer Interview.

Please note that candidates are only eligible to apply for Fellowship for a maximum of two years after having successfully completed the Diploma and assessments.