UCD Law students win National Negotiation Competition 2026

4 March 2026

Two final-year students from the UCD Sutherland School of Law have won this year’s National Negotiation Competition, held by the Law Society of Ireland.

Mark McDwyer and Ruth Morris were among eight law school teams from across the country gathered at the Law Society’s Blackhall Place headquarters for the competition.

They were coached by Kevin Barrett, a UCD Business and Law graduate who is now an associate at law firm McCann FitzGerald.

Each team of two was challenged to negotiate either a transaction or the resolution of a dispute, with judges observing the negotiation and post-consultation discussions.

Following two preliminary rounds, the final paired McDwyer and Morris with Maynooth University’s Izaak Reidy-Gilroy and Kellie O’Riordan, in a scenario concerning the renegotiation of a commercial contract.

The winning team was presented with the cup by Ms Justice Nuala Jackson, Judge of the High Court of Ireland.

As national champions, the UCD team will now represent Ireland at the International Negotiation Competition in Canada this summer.

“Mark and I were runners-up in the competition last year, so we were delighted to have the opportunity to return to the Law Society to represent UCD in our final year,” said Morris.

“I want to commend our coach Kevin Barrett – without his experience and dedication, we would not have had the skills and knowledge to win this tournament.”

"Winning the National Negotiation Competition is my proudest achievement in UCD to date,” added McDwyer. 

“I am excited to represent Ireland and UCD in the International Negotiation Competition in Canada this summer. We are eager to uphold the university’s reputation on the international stage.”

By: Rebecca Hastings, Digital Journalist, UCD University Relations

To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie