A Year in Review 2024 - A Message from the Dean, Professor Mark Poustie

13 Jan 2025

As we kick off the new semester, the Dean, Professor Mark Poustie takes a quick look back on 2024’s highlights at the School of Law.  

UCC School of Law has enjoyed another very successful year.  

''Our key achievement in the year was the fantastic news in March that the School of Law continued to be ranked in the top 100 Law Schools in the World a position we’ve held now for 4 years running, being in the top 75 for the last 3 years running and top in Ireland for 2 out of the last 3 years.   The QS subject rankings identify the world’s leading schools in particular fields, taking into account academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact.  Our continued high ranking is a testament to the quality of research, legal education and public engagement taking place across the School and a real team effort.    We are honoured to be ranked among the world’s best Law Schools and cement our place as a world-leading institution for legal education.  

Research ambition and success has been a notable feature of 2024 with Dr Aisling Parkes and Dr Marie Aronsson-Storrier securing substantial awards (see Research Highlights) and a number of colleagues submitting applications for prestigious European Research Council funding.  This provides concrete evidence of our research ambition.  Our existing major research projects made significant progress through the year hosting notable events such as the Youth Climate Justice Project International Conference and winning awards with Prof Maria Cahill winning the UCC Research Collaborator of the Year Award and her Societas project team wining the College of Business and Law Research Team of the Year Award.   Prof Owen McIntyre was also awarded the College of Business and Law Advanced Researcher of the Year Award. 

Colleagues’ significant external engagement was also recognised with Prof Louise Crowley receiving the UCC Research Consultancy Project of the Year Award for her Bystander-related Sexual Ethics and Respectful Relationships training for the Defence Forces and Prof Áine Ryall’s hugely significant contribution to promoting environmental democracy through her role as Chair of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee through her receiving the College of Business & Law Exceptional Citizen Award. 

I am also delighted to announce that the new LLM in Alternative Dispute Resolution (the first such LLM in Ireland) has now commenced at the School. Offered on a 1 year full-time, or 2 years part-time capacity, this course will provide students with a theoretical and practical grounding in dispute resolution, including mediation.  Many thanks to the team who developed the course led by Dr Mary Tumelty and Dr Aisling Parkes.   We are also recruiting for 2025-26 to a revamped LLM in Law, Technology and Innovation (formerly the LLM in Intellectual Property and E-Law) under the leadership of the Matheson Lecturer in Law, Technology and Innovation, Dr Nessa Lynch. 

In addition to the notable research achievements and external engagement mentioned above, you will see in our 2024 Highlights there has been considerable additional impactful external engagement, a continued focus on global engagement and some great achievements by our students in a range of fields from mooting to participation in COP29.   I am very proud to lead such a vibrant, dynamic and successful School. 

In closing I hope you and yours enjoyed a very peaceful and relaxing festive season and I wish you all the best for 2025!''