CIArb Accreditation

The University of Missouri School of Law has recently renewed its status as a Recognised Course Provider for the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). Two courses are currently eligible for CIArb approved status: Lawyering and International Commercial Arbitration. With this step, the School of Law joins a select group of universities from around the world who have been granted course provider status by CIArb. In fact, it is the first and thus far only U.S. law school to be named a Recognised Course Provider for courses offered during the regular academic year.

What is the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators?

The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) is an internationally renowned provider of training and professional services for arbitrators, practitioners, judges and other interested persons. Founded in 1915 and granted a Royal Charter in 1979, the organization has a global membership of approximately 12,000 persons who have professional training in private dispute resolution. CIArb not only promotes, facilitates and develops private forms of dispute resolution, including both arbitration and mediation, it also acts as an international center where practitioners, policy makers, academics and business people can come together to promote cost-effective and early settlement of disputes.

Recognised Course Provider Program

The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators is unique in the world of arbitration in that it offers a progressive ladder of educational opportunities leading to professional designations that indicate increasing levels of competence in arbitration and/or mediation. After receiving the appropriate training, individuals may be designated as Associates (ACIArb), Members (MCIArb), Fellows (FCIArb) or Chartered Members. CIArb designations are available in several different specialty areas, including mediation, arbitration and international arbitration.

For years, CIArb conducted all of its training itself, primarily out of its headquarters in London. Recently, however, the organization created the Recognised Course Provider program, which allows courses offered by certain authorized providers to count toward CIArb educational requirements. Among other things, this approach allows more geographic diversity in course offerings. Recognized providers offer programming to law students and/or practitioners that is on par with programs developed by CIArb itself.

The University of Missouri School of Law was first granted Recognised Course Provider status in 2010 for four courses in its juris doctor program. The first-year Lawyering course satisfied the requirements for introductory-level training for CIArb Associate status in Arbitration while International Commercial Arbitration satisfied requirements for introductory-level training for CIArb Associate status in International Commercial Arbitration. The School of Law continues to offer these two courses as a CIArb Recognised Course Provider.

Students who took two other courses at the School of Law — the Arbitration seminar and the Arbitration and Labor Problems seminar — between 2010 and 2013 also satisfied the requirements for Module 2 relating to CIArb Membership status in Arbitration, although this designation is no longer being offered.

Benefits to Alumni

Graduates of the School of Law who have taken the relevant courses can climb the CIArb accreditation ladder more quickly and more economically by using credits from the law school’s recognized courses to waive out of those particular educational requirements when seeking professional level qualifications through CIArb. At this point, everyone who took Lawyering at the law school from 2010 on should be eligible for at least one exemption.

Benefits to Students

Current law students are eligible for student affiliate status with CIArb. As such, students are entitled to a number of benefits, including

  • access to CIArb’s global professional standards, guidance and law updates;
  • access to CIArb’s alternative dispute resolution student online networking and discussion forum;
  • discounts on various CIArb courses, conferences and seminars;
  • News and information including The Resolver magazine, regular CIArb updates, CIArb’s members’ forum and a weekly Linex Legal alerter service;
  • Access to the latest thinking in alternative dispute resolution, including free subscription to CIArb’s leading quarterly journal, Arbitration, academic studies and research and access to CIArb’s library;
  • access to our online library of CIArb publications, including issues of The Journal dating back to 1915; and
  • Discounts on CIArb conferences, events, books and other services

Questions regarding the University of Missouri’s involvement in the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators’ Recognised Course Provider program can be referred to Prof. S.I. Strong. Prof. Strong, who holds FCIArb status, teaches two of the School of Law’s recognized courses (Lawyering and International Commercial Arbitration) and is a former member of the executive committee of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators’ North American Branch.