Paul Ward was born on 25 June 1965, in Somerset, England. He studied law at University College Dublin, where he graduated with a BCL in 1989. He continued his legal studies at the Honourable Society of King's Inns from where he graduated in 1989 as a qualified barrister and was called to the Irish Bar. Paul then studied for a master's degree at London School of Economics and Political Science, where he graduated with an LLM. (European Studies) in 1991. He practised as a barrister at the Irish Bar for a number of years before joining the Faculty of Law at University College Dublin in 1992. Since 1992, Paul has held the academic posts of Assistant Lecturer (1991-1996) and College Lecturer (1996-2005). He is currently an Associate Professor. Paul is also a member of the Law Society of Ireland Child Law Reform Group. He has published domestically and internationally on family law and child law issues.