How to apply for an LLM or PhD by Research

1. Identify a potential supervisor and discuss/develop your research proposal with your supervisor. You can find a list of faculty and their research interests below. Students may wish to consider any scholarship opportunities available (typically advertised in Spring). Alternatively, information on the schedule of fees for research postgraduate students is available from the Fees Office.

2. A three to four page research proposal should suffice, identifying a research question, providing a little background, setting out a structure, outlining your methodology, and explaining why the topic is original.

3. If you have not identified a potential supervisor, complete an Expression of Interest Form and return it with your research proposal and an up-to-date CV (including details of your academic record and any research completed) to Laura Cahillane, Director of Postgraduate Studies (laura.cahillane@ul.ie). This information will be circulated to Law School faculty with a view to identifying an appropriate supervisor.

4. Once your supervisor has approved your research proposal, submit a formal application. Please send your completed application form, your Research Proposal, two references (at least one academic), and transcripts to Laura Cahillane, Director of Postgraduate Studies. If English is not your first language please indicate the score you achieved if you have completed an English language proficiency test. For more information see the Graduate School English Language Requirements.

5. These documents are forwarded to the Postgraduate Admissions Graduate Office and your application will be considered at the next Postgraduate Research Committee meeting (First Tuesday of every month). If your application is approved, you will receive a letter from the Graduate School inviting you to register. Research students may register at any time of the year although, typically, students register in September/October or January.

Supervisor	Research Areas
Dr Lydia Bracken	Child & Family law European human rights Reproductive law
Dr Laura Cahillane	Constitutional law Legal history Judicial politics Comparative law
Dr Gerard Coffey	Criminal law, justice & procedure Codification of the criminal law History & development of criminal law The sentencing process International criminal law Judicial review The criminal process
Dr Alan Cusack	Criminal process Victimology Disability law Jurisprudence Penology Access to justice
Dr Laura Donnellan	Sport and the Law Animals and Sport Animal Welfare EU Law
Dr Sinead Eaton	Commercial Law Company Law Corporate Finance Competition Law
Dr Margaret Fitzgerald O’Reilly	Criminal justice Criminology Penology The treatment & management of offenders Social & legal exclusion Techniques of punishment Sentencing Crime control policies
Prof. Raymond Friel	Commercial law Contract law Antitrust/competition law EU Law Legal education
Eddie Keane	Employment law Commercial law Tort law
Prof. Shane Kilcommins	Penology Criminology Criminal justice history Criminal procedure Evidence law Legal philosophy Victimology
Dr Susan Leahy	Criminal justice with an emphasis on sexual violence & victims of crime Family law with a particular emphasis on domestic abuse & marriage
Dr John Lombard	Medical law Bioethics Intellectual property law
Prof. Paul McCutcheon	Criminal law, in particular principles of the general part, theories of criminal responsibility, & interdisciplinary approaches Legal theory, approaches to adjudication Sports Law
Dr Kathryn O’Sullivan	Family law Property law Succession law
Eoin Quill	Tort focusing on the methodology & structure in the analysis of the legal principles governing compensation claims. Civil obligations encompassing contract torts and restitution.
Prof. Sean Redmond	Youth crime & youth justice (with emphasis on serious crime and criminal networks) “Wicked” and complex policy problems Programme evaluation Research & evaluation methodologies Governance in public services Practical theory Evidence informed policy-making
Dr Andrea Ryan	Comparative criminal justice EU criminal justice Law of evidence Sentencing Criminal law
Jennifer Schweppe	Hate crime Reproductive justice Hate studies Hate crime Minoritised communities and the law Abortion and the law Medical consent Criminal procedure
Dr Eimear Spain	Health law Criminal law Constitutional law Intellectual property law Law & emotions Administrative law
Dr Una Woods	Property law The law of trusts Conveyancing law Succession law Matrimonial property law