COVID–19 Changes 

Course materials and lectures will be available via our accessible Virtual Learning Environment. Students will also have access to a range of online legal databases and resources. 

King’s Inns has the capacity to run all classes for the entire academic year using online learning systems if necessary and has invested in technology and training in order to ensure that the student learning experience during 2020–2021 will remain at the highest possible standard, whether teaching takes place online or in person.

In order to ensure the safety of students and staff, this course will be delivered fully online for all students until the end of December 2020, with all teaching taking place online in the form of recorded lectures and detailed papers, plus some live online sessions with the course coordinator. 

A decision as to whether the teaching for Hilary Term (starting January 2021) will take place in person or via online or blended learning will be made by the end of the previous term. 

We know that social interaction with fellow students and expert speakers is an integral part of the King’s Inns experience, and we hope to offer students the option to attend classes in person from January 2021 if they wish and if public health conditions at the time permit. From January, lectures will continue be recorded and students will have the option to either attend in person or to continue the course via distance learning. If it is not possible to permit in–person attendance from January, or at any point thereafter, teaching will continue online for all students. It may be necessary for King’s Inns to revise or amend its approach at any time during the academic year based on the prevailing public health advice, and in so doing the safety of students and staff will be a key consideration. This means that it is possible that we might re–commence in person teaching only to be obliged to revert to online teaching only, should public health considerations warrant such a change.

Introduction 

This is a time of unprecedented change and growing complexity in the area of employment law. Understanding these developments is of critical importance to those seeking to negotiate a surefooted pathway through the workplace environment. King’s Inns is delighted to bring together a team of leading experts, including some of the most prominent legal practitioners in the area, to deliver a course which will provide a thorough grounding in the key components and latest developments in this important and heavily regulated area.

Non–compliance with employment law or lack of harmony in a workplace can have very serious consequences for those directly involved as well as for society and the economy as a whole. This cutting–edge Diploma addresses both the procedural and the substantive law that applies to the employment relationship.

Programme Aims and Learning Outcomes

This Diploma provides participants with a comprehensive practical knowledge of employment law so that participants will be equipped to deal with the main employment law issues arising in a workplace. Participants will acquire a practical in–depth knowledge of the issues affecting the employment relationship from recruitment to termination.

WHO IS THE COURSE FOR?

The Diploma will appeal to those in both the public and private sectors: legal practitioners, employers, company directors, regulatory bodies, HR and IR professionals.

Lead Lecturer and Course Director

The coordinator of the course is Niamh McGowan BL.

Course Content and Delivery

Delivery is in part–time early morning mode through lectures presented by leading experts in various aspects of employment law. The course will take place over 20 weeks and lecture recordings will become available on Thursday each week during the academic term.

Course Start Date: Thursday 22 October 2020 

This course is available via blended online learning, with classes recorded using e–learning software and made available to students for streaming via our Virtual Learning Environment. The vast majority of lectures will be recorded so that students who are based outside Dublin or who are otherwise unable to attend can view the material by streaming their class at any time. Some sessions will not be recorded, i.e. some live online sessions with the coordinator, the judicial lecture, and a mock Labour Court hearing. 

All class notes are available online before lectures take place. Online tutorials and IT support are available to help students navigate their way through our Library and legal resource databases.

Course Content

• Live online course launch (8.30am, 22 October)
• The contract of employment
• Atypical employment
• Other statutory provisions to include protective leave, pay and pensions
• Regulated, Civil Service & Public Sector Employment
• Data Protection and Employment Law
• Health and Safety Law
• Equality 1
• Equality 2
• Grievance and Disciplinary Investigations
• Litigating Bullying & Harassment in the Workplace
• Privacy, Technology & Social Media
• Trade Union Law and Essentials for non–unionised Companies
• Termination of Employment – Unfair Dismissal/Redundancy
• Wrongful Dismissal and Injunctions
• Whistleblowing
• Transfer of Undertaking Regulations & Insolvency
• Restraint of Trade and Confidentiality Clauses
• Workplace Relations Commission Practice and Procedure and Statutory Appeals
• Judicial Review and the Employment Contract
• A View from the Bench (judicial lecture)
• Mock Labour Court hearing 

Past speakers on the course have included:

• Alex White SC
• Brendan Kirwan BL
• Cathy Maguire BL
• Claire Bruton BL
• Clíona Kimber SC 
• Feichín McDonagh SC
• Lorna Lynch BL
• Maireád McKenna BL
• Marguerite Bolger SC
• Mark Connaughton SC
• Niamh McGowan BL
• Oisín Quinn SC
• Peter Ward SC
• Roderick Maguire BL 
• Rosemary Mallon BL 
• Stephen O’Sullivan BL
• Tom Mallon BL

Assessment

To be awarded the Advanced Diploma in Applied Employment Law a participant will be required to successfully complete one written assignment.

Provisional assessment schedules: This assignment is released close to the end of term 2. 

Course Fee

Course fee: €2,350. View King’s Inns fee structure here. 

Barrister–at–Law graduates who are subscribing members to King’s Inns receive a 10% discount on this course. View more information here. 

How Do I Apply?

There are no admission requirements for this course. 

Application Deadline: Extended to midnight on Monday, 12 October 2020.

apply here 

Your place on the course will not be secured until payment is received in full. 

Payment can be made through the application portal using your credit / debit card. If your employer is paying for your studies, you will require a PO number, the name and email address for the person responsible for payment in your organisation. The invoice will issue directly to the person whose details you enter. You will also be able to download a copy of the invoice through the application portal.

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WHAT DO PREVIOUS STUDENTS SAY?