Irish Arbitration Act 2010: A New Act for a Centuries Old Tradition

December 2010

Abstract

Over the centuries, Éire or Ireland has been described by historians in many different ways: ‘The Green Isle’, ‘The land of Saints and Scholars’, the ‘Land of a Thousand Welcomes’, to name but a few. Before common law, legal practitioners were called Brehons. They were neither judges nor lawyers although many consider them so. In reality, they were arbitrators whose responsibility was to settle disagreements. The Brehons had to study the laws for years before they were allowed to practice their art due in part to the size or volume of the laws that were enforced. It was an oral code to the greatest extent, and was only first written down around the 3rd Century. One example of such laws, which is quite apt considering our current economic climate: ''If a person who is of a higher rank than you refuses to pay his debt you may sit at his doorstep and fast until he submits to arbitration. If you die before he submits he shall be blamed for your death and shall suffer lifelong disgrace.''

Author

Rory O'Keeffe

Legal Counsel, Accenture, UK

Commercial/ IT lawyer (10 years + PQE). My current position involves working on an array of - external client facing - commercial and company matters affecting Accenture in United Kingdom and Ireland and, at times, within Europe, including: - management consulting - technology - outsourcing. My previous experience involved working in both in-house and private practice advising on all legal fields, especially construction, energy and commercial matters, including contracts, dispute resolution, client management (domestic and international) and training.

Company

Accenture

Accenture is one of the world’s leading organizations providing management consulting, technology and outsourcing services, with approximately 289,000 employees; offices and operations in more than 200 cities in 56 countries; and net revenues of $28.6 billion for fiscal 2013. Accenture's four growth platforms—Accenture Strategy, Accenture Digital, Accenture Technology, Accenture Operations—are the innovation engines through which Accenture builds world-class skills and capabilities; develop knowledge capital; and create, acquire and manage key assets central to the development of integrated services and solutions for their clients.

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