Courses at King’s Inns
Page last updated: Wednesday, May 22, 2024
King’s Inns is an independent educational institution renowned for professional legal education and training. The Honorable Society of King’s Inns is the Irish ‘Inn of Court’, training and admitting legal professionals who wish to be awarded the degree of Barrister–at–Law necessary to be called to the Bar by the Chief Justice of Ireland.
As well as educating future and qualified barristers, the School of Law at King’s Inns extends its reach to a diverse community of people from legal and non–legal backgrounds offering a range of accessible part–time courses in specialist areas of the law.
With courses taught by expert law practitioners, King’s Inns students include leaders, advocates, innovators and game–changers from industries across Ireland and abroad. The School is also a centre of excellence in promoting the use of the Irish language in the law.
Over 80% of the people that study at King’s Inns are mature students and come from a non–legal background. They work in a wide range of industries like IT, finance, healthcare, education, business, HR, communications and policy.
“King’s Inns is proud of its culture of educational innovation in terms of the range of courses on offer, course design and delivery methodology, our diverse teaching panel of industry practitioners and the use of eLearning software to allow students to participate in courses from a distance.”
Dr Eimear Brown, Dean
Courses on offer
King’s Inns offers a diverse range of accessible part–time courses in specialist areas of the law. As well as offering our renowned Diploma in Legal Studies and degree of Barrister–at–Law courses, King’s Inns has over 15 professional development advanced diploma courses on offer that are open to all with an interest in law.
All courses are accredited independently by The Honorable Society of King’s Inns. The skills and competence gained in studying in this institution are transferable, portable, and recognised internationally. It is a valuable professional qualification delivered by distinguished lawyers, members of the judiciary and legal practitioners specialising in legal education.
Advanced Diploma Courses
As Irish and EU law is constantly evolving, our professional development advanced diploma courses provide a comprehensive and practical grounding across specialist areas of the law. Delivered at postgraduate level, courses benefit legal practitioners, employees and professionals wishing to upskill or fill gaps key to their organisation’s goals.
With over 15 advanced diplomas currently available, we provide key professional development to participants from a wide range of industries, both nationally and internationally. Increased understanding, knowledge and skills gained assists participants in becoming a more strategic and meaningful contributor in their workplace.
Diploma in Legal Studies
The Diploma in Legal Studies is a two–year law course leading to a qualification in law and being eligible to sit the Entrance Examination for the degree of Barrister–at–Law. Open to mature students and people with no formal education, many Diploma graduates have found the qualification to be of benefit in their current career or have gone on to use the qualification to open new career opportunities for them in the public service, private sector, or in the provision of legal services. Some Diploma graduates have progressed to further study of law by doing the degree of Barrister–at–Law at King’s Inns, taught or research masters or PhDs. Others chose to do the course simply because they were interested in learning the law.
Every year, a diverse group of individuals with different backgrounds do this course such as nurses, teachers, taxi drivers, civil servants, communication and HR professionals, and people who are retired or in the middle of changing careers.
Degree of Barrister–at–Law
The degree of Barrister–at–Law is a professional vocational course leading to a highly–skilled professional qualification that bridges the gap between the academic study of law and its practise. The degree of Barrister–at–Law is a course aimed at enabling students to acquire the skills, knowledge and values required in order to be fit to practise at the Bar.
Practising barristers play a key role in the administration of justice, a role that requires appropriate legal knowledge, legal skills, professional competencies, and personal attributes. Clients are entitled to expect newly qualified barristers to embody these attributes and to possess the relevant competencies. The degree of Barrister–at–Law course is structured to reflect that imperative.
While most graduates go on to practise as barristers in Ireland or other jurisdictions, it should be noted that many choose to follow other career paths outside legal practice. The skills acquired and honed during the professional course are not only relevant to practise as a barrister within The Bar of Ireland (also known as the Law Library) or in other legal roles. The skills are also transferrable to a range of sectors including communications, politics, the public sector, education, and policy.
Accessible Learning
Most courses at King’s Inns are suitable for those in full–time employment, with classes taking place early morning, evening, or the weekend. Many lectures are delivered live online as well as recorded for viewing at a later stage through our Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle), where lecture notes and supplemental reading are provided.
Online tutorials and IT support are available to help students navigate their way through our Library and legal resource databases.
All our courses are designed and coordinated by seasoned, highly experienced practitioners. Each course is delivered by visiting speakers from the legal, business and communication industries, including senior members of the judiciary. They are all willing to share their vast knowledge and experience with students.
News & Events
Throughout the year, King’s Inns hosts a range of workshops, conferences and events for students, members, and the wider public. We also report on a range of job opportunities and relevant news through our website, e–newsletter, and social media channels.
View our news feed and event calendar here >
Alumni Community
Graduates of our courses work in many areas: law, business, HR, politics, communications, designing and governing policy, the public sector, and teaching the next generation of lawyers.
King’s Inns is very proud of our diverse network of graduates and have a dedicated member community in place to help them with their career and also organise social and networking events. More details here >
We also have an online shop that sells a range of merchandise, books and limited edition prints. View here >