Faculty Development Programme in Award Writing

Faculty Development Programme in Award Writing (FDPAW) 

A Professional Specialized Skill Training Program by Indian Arbitration Institution (IAI)

• Eligibility: Any Basic Qualification or any Formal Education with Graduation and any teaching or work experience.

• Total Fees: Rs. 8000/-
  (Everything Included from Admission, Course Fees and Delivery of Certificate, no additional Fees Apart from it)

• Mode: Online

• Study Material:  Will be provided through Learning Dashboard/Portal

• Learning Type: Self Paced

• Duration:  3 Months (Preferably, but can be completed anytime as soon as you give the Exam)

• Enrollment:  Any Time, there is no Fixed Enrolment Date or Day. A candidate can choose any time and the enrolment will be processed real time.

• Exam: One Online Exam, MCQ and Subjective Type Questions of 100 Marks. Passing Marks 40%. If unsuccessful, you can give additional two attempts.

• Procedure: Fill the Apply Now Form →  Pay the Requisite Amount of Fees by Clicking Pay Now Button → Then Click on Payment Confirmation button and fill the form with all the Details → Then login to the Dashboard.

Course Overview

The integrity and enforceability of the entire arbitration ecosystem ultimately rest upon a single instrument: the arbitral award. An arbitral tribunal may conduct proceedings with impeccable fairness, yet a poorly reasoned, structurally defective, or procedurally ambiguous award can lead to prolonged judicial challenges, setting aside proceedings under statutory provisions, and significant reputational damage. While substantive arbitration law is widely taught in universities and law schools, the precise craft of drafting legally sound, unassailable, and reasoned arbitral awards remains one of the most neglected areas in professional pedagogy. The Faculty Development Programme in Award Writing (FDPAW), curated and certified by the Indian Arbitration Institution (IAI), is an elite, specialized skill training program tailored to equip academicians, educators, legal trainers, and practitioners with pedagogical mastery and technical precision in this essential domain.

This program goes beyond standard academic theory to address the mechanics of judicial drafting within alternative dispute resolution. Designed as a faculty-level training initiative, the curriculum establishes standardized methodologies for dissecting claims, evaluating complex evidence, synthesizing witness testimonies, and delivering logical, cogent reasoning. Participants are trained not merely to write awards, but to teach, critique, and mentor the next generation of dispute resolution professionals and tribunal secretaries in the nuanced discipline of award writing.

The course covers every technical phase of the drafting process: structuring preliminary recitals, delineating jurisdictional challenges, framing points for determination, assessing quantum, calculating interest, and allocating costs. Furthermore, participants explore the judicial scrutiny standards applied by civil courts during challenge and enforcement proceedings, ensuring they understand how to formulate awards that withstand rigorous appellate review.

By completing this program, participants bridge the gap between classroom legal instruction and the practical demands of institutional arbitration panels. The IAI ensures that educators and senior professionals graduating with this credential possess both the pedagogical expertise to train future practitioners and the practical competency to act as authoritative draftsmen, tribunal secretaries, and independent adjudicators within the international dispute resolution landscape.

Course Structure and Modules

The tentative modules are as follows and are subject to continuous updates based on guidelines issued by the IAI Board of Skill Studies:

Module 1: The Jurisprudence and Statutory Framework of the Arbitral Award

• Statutory requirements, mandatory contents, and legal characteristics of domestic and international awards.

• Distinguishing between final, interim, partial, consent, and additional awards.

• The legal doctrine of functus officio and limits on corrections or interpretations.

Module 2: Structural Anatomy and Pre-Drafting Mechanics

• Organizing the record: pleadings, procedural orders, exhibits, and transcripts.

• Drafting comprehensive recitals, arbitration agreements, and procedural history.

• Formulating precise, non-overlapping points for determination and framing issues.

Module 3: Evidentiary Analysis and the Reasoning Matrix

• Synthesizing conflicting documentary and oral evidence within the written text.

• The doctrine of adequacy of reasons: avoiding cryptic, contradictory, or perverse findings.

• Addressing burden of proof, standards of proof, and evidentiary presumptions.

Module 4: Quantum Determination, Damages, Interest, and Costs

• Legal methodologies for assessing liquidated damages, losses, and variations.

• Drafting the operative reasoning for pre-award, pendente lite, and post-award interest.

• Statutory principles and discretion in allocating arbitral costs and tribunal fees.

Module 5: Addressing Jurisdictional Objections and Procedural Challenges

• Drafting reasoned determinations on Kompetenz-Kompetenz and tribunal authority.

• Handling issues of non-signatories, limitation periods, and stamp duty objections.

• Ensuring compliance with natural justice and the right to equal treatment.

Module 6: Judicial Scrutiny, Challenge Prevention, and Enforcement

• Drafting techniques to insulate awards against challenges on public policy and patent illegality.

• Minimizing vulnerabilities under Section 34 and international annulment regimes.

• Ensuring formal compliance for seamless execution under the New York Convention.

Module 7: Pedagogical Techniques in Teaching Award Writing

• Designing simulation workshops, moot arbitrations, and drafting clinics for students.

• Developing rubrics to evaluate and critique student-drafted arbitral awards.

• Utilizing modern digital tools and templates for institutional training delivery.

Importance of Doing this Course

In legal academia and professional training institutions, there is a recognized shortage of educators who possess practical expertise in arbitral award writing. While many instructors can teach the provisions of arbitration statutes, very few are equipped to instruct students, young advocates, and corporate counsel on how to actually construct a reasoned arbitral award. The Faculty Development Programme in Award Writing (FDPAW) provides the exact pedagogical and technical frameworks required to bridge this critical educational deficit.

Undertaking this course enables academicians and trainers to significantly elevate the quality of clinical legal education within their respective institutions. Participants learn how to deconstruct the decision-making process into teachable, step-by-step drafting principles. This equips educators to design high-impact simulation courses, run competitive award-writing workshops, and prepare students for specialized roles such as judicial clerks and tribunal secretaries.

For practicing lawyers, consultants, and corporate professionals, this program provides an advanced mastery of judicial reasoning. Understanding how an arbitrator formulates findings allows counsel to write far more persuasive statements of claim, articulate sharper issues, and anticipate how evidence will be evaluated in the final deliberations. By mastering the exact vulnerabilities that cause awards to be set aside in court, professionals learn to build bulletproof arguments from the initial filing.

Ultimately, holding this certification from the Indian Arbitration Institution signals an elite level of competency. It establishes the credential holder as an authority in arbitration pedagogy and drafting, opening up opportunities to shape institutional curriculum, deliver executive legal education, and serve with distinction on dispute resolution panels.

Career Prospects

The FDPAW credential unlocks specialized roles across academia, institutional arbitration bodies, and independent legal practice.

Academic Leadership and Clinical Professorships: Law universities and business schools actively seek faculty members capable of leading clinical dispute resolution courses. Graduates are positioned to take up roles as Professors of Practice, Directors of ADR Centers, and Chairs of Alternative Dispute Resolution Departments, elevating their institution's research and practical standing.

Tribunal Secretaries and Drafting Assistants: Senior arbitrators, retired Supreme Court and High Court judges, and international arbitral panels frequently appoint qualified legal specialists to assist in drafting procedural orders and synthesizing evidentiary records for final awards. The FDPAW credential demonstrates the exact drafting rigor and neutrality required for these prestigious positions.

Institutional Scrutiny Officers and Case Managers: Leading domestic and international arbitral institutions employ specialized counsel to scrutinize draft awards before release to ensure formal compliance, enforceability, and structural coherence. Graduates possess the analytical foundation required for institutional management and award scrutiny roles.

Independent Arbitrators and Dispute Adjudicators: Professionals with prior industry or legal experience can directly leverage this qualification to accept appointments as sole arbitrators or panel members. Confidence in writing sound, enforceable awards eliminates the primary operational hurdle faced by newly appointed arbitrators, expediting their progression toward empanelment.

Necessary Details

The Indian Arbitration Institution maintains an accessible, flexible, and transparent framework to ensure educators, practitioners, and working professionals can complete this specialized training without interrupting their existing professional schedules.

Eligibility To maintain a high standard of peer engagement and practical output, candidates must fulfill the following criteria:

• Any Basic Qualification or any Formal Education with Graduation, combined with any teaching or work experience.

This ensures that all enrolled candidates bring a foundational maturity and professional perspective to the pedagogical and drafting exercises.

Total Fees The all-inclusive fee for the program is Rs. 8,000/-. The IAI maintains an absolute single-fee policy: this investment covers the entire lifecycle of the program, including registration, complete access to digital resources, examination processing, and the issuance and secure physical delivery of the Certificate. There are no additional, hidden, or deferred costs.

Mode and Study Material The program is delivered entirely Online, allowing participants across India and abroad to participate without travel constraints. Comprehensive Study Material—including procedural guidelines, sample award templates, comparative analysis of landmark annulment judgments, and drafting exercise modules—is provided through the centralized Learning Dashboard/Portal.

Learning Type and Duration The course follows a Self-Paced learning methodology. While the recommended duration for comfortable completion is 3 Months, participants have complete autonomy over their schedule. You may advance through the curriculum as rapidly as your schedule allows and undertake the assessment as soon as you are prepared.

Enrollment Enrollment is open Any Time. There are no batch cycles, semester deadlines, or fixed cutoff dates. A candidate can enroll whenever ready, and the registration will be processed in real time, granting immediate portal credentials.

Examination Structure Certification requires clearing One Online Exam comprising both Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) and Subjective Drafting/Analysis Questions for a total of 100 Marks.

• Passing Marks: 40%

• Safety Net: Candidates who do not clear the examination on their first attempt are permitted two additional attempts at no additional cost.

Application Procedure

1. Apply: Complete the official Apply Now Form on the web portal.

2. Pay: Submit the requisite fee of Rs. 8,000/- via the secure Pay Now payment gateway.

3. Confirm: Select the Payment Confirmation button and fill in the verification form with your registration and transaction details.

4. Access: Log in to your personal Learning Dashboard and begin the curriculum immediately.