Registration is closed for 2025-26
Please contact dharrison@harrisonadr.com if you have any questions.
“…the best course I have taken on any topic during my professional life! … exceptionally well planned and executed”
“Great job. Far exceeded my expectations.”
“… curriculum has the right balance of theory and practice; the faculty come from at the highest levels of the profession … the drafting exercises are meaningful but manageable. Highly recommended!”
The Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society Gold Standard© Course in Commercial Arbitration (the “Course”) is a comprehensive and intensive course in commercial arbitration as it is practiced in Canada. It covers both international and domestic arbitration from that perspective. The primary and guest faculty for the Course includes many of the leading Canadian and international arbitration practitioners. In addition to the teaching sessions, the Course features extensive reading materials, custom-designed practical exercises on topics such as drafting arbitration clauses, conducting the first procedural meeting, making procedural decisions, and writing awards, as well as video supplements on specialized topics such as tribunal dynamics and investor-state arbitration. In addition to the final award-writing exercise, there is also a final, multiple-choice exam. Two textbooks (Casey on Arbitration Law of Canada (4th ed.) and Gay/Kaufman/Plotkin Arbitration Legislation of Ontario (4th ed.), with a combined retail value of approximately $300, are included in the price of the Course.
The Course is particularly relevant to those who wish to practice commercial arbitration (either as counsel or as arbitrator) in Ontario, and in other provinces with the same legislative framework. However, the practical skills and approaches, and virtually all of the legal principles, are relevant in any Canadian jurisdiction.
In previous years, the Course has met and exceeded the Gold Standard© requirements of the ADR Institute of Canada (“ADRIC”) and successful completion of the Course satisfied the training requirements for the Qualified Arbitrator (Q.Arb) designation conferred by ADRIC (see the ADRIC website for details as to other requirements). We anticipate this will be the same this year.
Based on the CPD credits allowed by the Law Society of Ontario last year, we expect that the Course will qualify participants for 18 hours of CPD credits, including 3 hours of Professionalism credits, in each of the two calendar years. On that basis, participants would not require any other CPD or Professionalism credits for 2025 or 2026. We expect one hour of diversity (EDI) content will be available in either of the two calendar years in which the Course is taught, but not in both.
The Course will be conducted from September 27, 2025, to April 25, 2026, in 17 Sessions. The first and last Sessions are conducted on a Saturday. The remaining sessions are conducted on Wednesday evenings (Eastern Time), beginning October 8. Attendance is mandatory (but if a session is missed, a video will be available to watch).
The course is being offered via Zoom to participants anywhere.
Personal access to the Primary Faculty Members will be available throughout the Course.
The Course is specifically designed for practicing lawyers and has been taken by lawyers at the outset of their career or by those who have practiced for decades. However, anyone who has an interest in commercial arbitration, regardless of legal qualifications, may apply to enroll in the Course.
Enrollment in the Course is limited to 20.
The cost of the Course is $2,450, or $2,250 for members of TCAS. Payment can be made by cheque or etransfer to tcaspayments@gmail.com.
For information contact the Course Administrator, Douglas Harrison, at:
2025-26 Schedule:
Saturday sessions are 11:00 am to 3:00 pm; Wednesday sessions are 6:15 pm to 8:30 pm.
- Saturday, September 27 (Introductory Session)
- Wednesday, October 8 (Arbitration Agreements)
- Wednesday, October 15 (Tribunal Formation & Its Ethics)
- Wednesday, October 29 (Arbitration Ethics Part 1)
- Wednesday, November 12 (Arbitration Procedure Part 1)
- Wednesday, November 19 (Arbitration Procedure Part 2)
- Wednesday, December 3 (Jurisdiction Part 1)
- Wednesday, December 10 (Practical Aspects of Arbitration and Cybersecurity and Data Protection)
- Wednesday, January 14 (Jurisdiction Part 2)
- Wednesday, January 21 (Motions for Emergency & Interim Relief)
- Wednesday, February 4 (Arbitration Ethics 2)
- Wednesday, February 18 (Motions and Award Writing)
- Wednesday, March 4 (The Hearing)
- Wednesday, March 11 (Arbitral Awards)
- Wednesday, March 25 (Tribunal Dynamics)
- Wednesday, April 8 (Appeals, Setting Aside and Enforcement of Awards)
- Saturday, April 25 (Concluding Session)
“…to regularly meet and share ideas with the leaders of the arbitration bar (both students and instructors) made this an incredibly valuable educational opportunity.”
“This is the A-Z course about arbitration essentials – fabulous!”
“Comprehensive and intense…”
