Hi,
I intend on applying for an llm in international arbitration or on the lines of dispute resolution. I needed some guidance the universities to consider. I know about the course offered by MIDS, Geneva and Stockholm university. But which one is better? Are there other universities in Europe i should consider for this course?

Also, my understanding is that universities in the US give better networking opportunities because of the brand value they carry. So then, should i consider applying to any of the universities in the USA? If yes, which ones.

My aim, obviously is to secure a good job placement at the end of it, but i want a good experiece out of it.

Hey,

I don't know about such LLMs in the US, but I know that the MIDS is very well renowned and one of the best programs in international arbitration (and even if it is not in the US don't you worry, you network A LOT). I also know that Queen Mary (London) has also a very good LLM in international dispute resolution (considered to be the rival of the MIDS apparently). So you would want to check Queen Mary as well (also taking into account that for international arbitration, London is one of the capitals of this field, along with Paris, The Hague and probably some other cities, so I would actually not be surprised if you would do more networking in London than in some US cities for example).

Also, regarding programs in the US, the "brand value" does not really mean anything, because specialists in the relevant field will know which are the good programs, and people won't care about the overall reputation of the university as long as your program has a good reputation (for example, even if Harvard is often considered by the general public as one of the best universities in the world, many universities usually far from Harvard in terms of ranking offer better and more renowned programs, depending on the field. For example I strongly believe that it would be better to go to the MIDS or Queen Mary if you want to study international arbitration instead of Harvard or the other Ivy Leagues...).

Hope this helps!

[Edited by NapZ on Oct 02, 2016]

In your position, I would check out the profiles of lawyers practicing international arbitration in the places where you want to work