Please opine on which one of the following are top 4 law schools for LLM Programmes in International Arbitration / Dispute Settlement :

1. MIDS,Geneva
2.Stockholm University
3.University of Miami - White & Case LLM in International Arbitration
4.Queens Mary University of London
4.National University of Singapore

[Edited by Shch on Jan 10, 2017]

I'd say Miami has a better faculty and program, Queen Mary and Stockholm have better name...

No idea about Stockholm, Miami and Singapore, but I do know that the MIDS has an excellent reputation, and I heard that Queen Mary was equally good.

The Straus Institute at Pepperdine University has the best LLM in Dispute Resolution for the alst 10 years i guess.
Consider some research around that institution! Although Pepperdine is not listed among the "top 20" universities, its program is widely recognized inside the ADR community!
Besides, if locations are important for you, Pepperdine is located at Malibu, CA.

University of Southern California has the Judge Judith O. Hollinger Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program. It is a great program that prepares students in the field of arbitration and mediation. They offer LLM in ADR and Master of Dispute Resolution degrees
http://gould.usc.edu/how/gip/llm-adr/
U.S. News & World Report: Best Grad Schools (Law) 2017 - Ranked 19

I am personally doubtful about the quality of these two universities which have been mentioned just above. Maybe I am absolutely wrong but these universities sound so random for IDR.

Also "I'd say Miami has a better faculty and program". Really? I heard the faculty of the MIDS was great. How do they compare? (Genuine question).

No offense but I personnally am not sure I trust these posts.

I am personally doubtful about the quality of these two universities which have been mentioned just above. Maybe I am absolutely wrong but these universities sound so random for IDR.

Also "I'd say Miami has a better faculty and program". Really? I heard the faculty of the MIDS was great. How do they compare? (Genuine question).

No offense but I personnally am not sure I trust these posts.

[Edited by RV2017 on Jan 12, 2017]

@ShuchitaCh, I am also planning to go for the same course, for the year 2017 - 18.
I would certainly say, QMUL is one of the masters in the area of Arbitration, giving a good competition to MIDS, Stockholm.
I am from Delhi, and have already received the offer from QMUL, LSE and Kings.
However I am stern to select QMUL for Arbitration.

Honestly, I think MIDS is a great school if you want to interact with and learn from practitioners. But I believe your purposes will be better served by studying arbitration at Columbia.

Hi guys!

Hope you are doing well. Just wanted to share a few lines from what I have heard and the research I have done regarding this matter. I applied to the W&C LL.M. at UM and for the MIDS program; hence, these are the programs that I will address (However, I have heard that QMUL has an outstanding program).

In this connection, below some considerations about both programs:

1. MIDS: (Traditional European education with leading scholars and renown practitioners, highly regarded in the international community).

a. Faculty:
i. Strong faculty.
ii. Seems they have among their faculties more people engaged in academia than practitioners. However, the practitioners involved in the program are highly regarded in the international arbitral community.
iii. Combining the faculty of both organizations, in my opinion, is a huge advantage.

b. Curriculum:
i. Well rounded and with plenty of choices to complement courses only devoted to arbitration matters.
ii. Again, combining faculty of both institutions may be a guarantee of the quality of the courses.

c. Networking:
i. Seems like they offer a lot of opportunities to attend networking (whether social or academic) events.

d. Job Placement after the Program:
i. From what I have heard seems to be more focus in Europe.
ii. Agreement with the PCA to place a student each year.

2. UM: (American education, gaining momentum from the people involved in the program and growing at an accelerated rate).

a. Faculty:
i. Strong faculty, lead by some of the most recognized practitioners in the field.
ii. Not so many academic renown names, other than Mr. Hunter who is an institution in the field.
iii. Not sure about the faculty outside of the program.

b. Curriculum:
i. Well rounded and with plenty of options.
ii. However, I am doubtful regarding the quality of the other courses, since there is no much information of the faculty outside of the LL.M. program.

c. Networking:
i. Americans basically invented the term, so you will get plenty of opportunities to network with practitioners and scholars involved in the field.
ii. Also, I believe that the fact that some of the leading practitioners in the field are involved in the program may be advantageous to get a recommendation or to meet other people involved in the field.

d. Job Placement after the Program:
i. More focused in the US.
ii. Have read that they offer plenty of opportunities to work as interns for firms or research assistant for professors during the program itself.
iii. Strong ties to W&C which is one of the leading firms in the field, may be something good.

Overall, I think both programs are excellent and any of us will be really lucky to attend these institutions.

Hope this proves useful.

Regards,

Hi guys!

Hope you are doing well. Just wanted to share a few lines from what I have heard and the research I have done regarding this matter. I applied to the W&C LL.M. at UM and for the MIDS program; hence, these are the programs that I will address (However, I have heard that QMUL has an outstanding program).

In this connection, below some considerations about both programs:

1. MIDS: (Traditional European education with leading scholars and renown practitioners, highly regarded in the international community).

a. Faculty:
i. Strong faculty.
ii. Seems they have among their faculties more people engaged in academia than practitioners. However, the practitioners involved in the program are highly regarded in the international arbitral community.
iii. Combining the faculty of both organizations, in my opinion, is a huge advantage.

b. Curriculum:
i. Well rounded and with plenty of choices to complement courses only devoted to arbitration matters.
ii. Again, combining faculty of both institutions may be a guarantee of the quality of the courses.

c. Networking:
i. Seems like they offer a lot of opportunities to attend networking (whether social or academic) events.

d. Job Placement after the Program:
i. From what I have heard seems to be more focus in Europe.
ii. Agreement with the PCA to place a student each year.

2. UM: (American education, gaining momentum from the people involved in the program and growing at an accelerated rate).

a. Faculty:
i. Strong faculty, lead by some of the most recognized practitioners in the field.
ii. Not so many academic renown names, other than Mr. Hunter who is an institution in the field.
iii. Not sure about the faculty outside of the program.

b. Curriculum:
i. Well rounded and with plenty of options.
ii. However, I am doubtful regarding the quality of the other courses, since there is no much information of the faculty outside of the LL.M. program.

c. Networking:
i. Americans basically invented the term, so you will get plenty of opportunities to network with practitioners and scholars involved in the field.
ii. Also, I believe that the fact that some of the leading practitioners in the field are involved in the program may be advantageous to get a recommendation or to meet other people involved in the field.

d. Job Placement after the Program:
i. More focused in the US.
ii. Have read that they offer plenty of opportunities to work as interns for firms or research assistant for professors during the program itself.
iii. Strong ties to W&C which is one of the leading firms in the field, may be something good.

Overall, I think both programs are excellent and any of us will be really lucky to attend these institutions.

Hope this proves useful.

Regards,

Hi isbjorn2101!

I´m glad that my last post was useful. Regarding your query, I do not know much about the ICAL program; however, a family member of mine did it, and she speaks really highly about the program and the University. Moreover, from what I have read here and in other sources the program seems to be well regarded by the international arbitral community; thus, it may be a good option to consider.

I´m really sorry I can’t give you more info.

Have a great day!

Hi isbjorn2101!

I´m glad that my last post was useful. Regarding your query, I do not know much about the ICAL program; however, a family member of mine did it, and she speaks really highly about the program and the University. Moreover, from what I have read here and in other sources the program seems to be well regarded by the international arbitral community; thus, it may be a good option to consider.

I´m really sorry I can’t give you more info.

Have a great day!

Honestly, I think MIDS is a great school if you want to interact with and learn from practitioners. But I believe your purposes will be better served by studying arbitration at Columbia.

Like i said, Pepperdine is not among the top 20 universities, but their ADR program is very strong and well seen by the ADR community.
Ex.:
http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/dispute-resolution-rankings

[Edited by Craig Welch on Feb 19, 2017]

Hello everyone
thanks for share your useful thoughts here.
best regards
steve smith

From a friend of mine who did the MIDS, when it comes to international arbitration you have three big names: MIDS, QMUL, Stockholm (and in his opinion likely the new LL.M. they are opening up at Paris Sciences Po, considering the big names they have among the faculty/board).

He said that University of Miami would likely be not too bad because it is sponsored by a big arbitration firm, but did not seem very convinced.