Hi there,

I was wondering if there is anyone who can guide me abt where to find some official / reliable sources on Maritime Law school rankings. Maybe some articles including phrases abt the rankings stated by a reliable person would do. But as I've tried us news, guardians, the times; no luck so far.

As observed, Tulane, Southampton & UCL are the top most suggested places, but I am about to apply for a scholarship program of the company i'm working for, which is a trading firm. Maritime Law is not included in their list at the first place and most of the bosses there do not have much clue about which school is best for Maritime Law. That's why i do need something to prove that the school is highly-ranked enough for their scholarships.

Thks so much!!

-Jane-

Most top-ranked law schools in the UK offer specific courses in the area of Maritime Law, such as Admiralty Law, Carriage of Goods by Sea, Maritime Insurance, Law of the Sea, etc. Only a few of them, however, run specific Maritime Law programmes. Apart from those already mentioned, the law schools, as far as I know, that run such programmes include Bristol and Swansea. Perhaps City University and Nottingham are also worth looking at.

Try the University of Aberdeen Law School.

Iv heard they have well known Faculty in this area.

It kills me saying that because I am a student in Southampton, which I had heard to be a good School in maritime law, but I think that people should know that the reality here is different from what it is actually presented in the School's website. For example, one of the main reasons I came to Southampton was to be educated by Professors Merkin and Gaskell. However, upon my arrival it became obvious that Professor Merkin held only a Research Chair and although he was named as the modude director on the Marine Insurance Module, his only involvement in the class is only a couple of lessons. Similarly, it had somehow escaped the attention of people here to mention on the School website that Professor Gaskell had left the School months ago retaining only an Honorary Visiting Professorship. I must however stress that the research assistants and PhD students heavily involved in the teaching of the LLM modules do their best to make up for the absence of such emminent professors.

Hi Sorensen,

Here is the full information. Professor Rob Merkin is indeed the Module director of the LLM course in Marine insurance this year. He has provided pretty much all of the lectures on the course this year with a small number of lectures being provided by me (I'm a full-time Research Fellow) and one by a former solicitor who now regularly lectures on that particular topic. The tutorials were provided by me from beginning to end, except in one week when i was away. That week, a Research Assistant who is especially good at the particular topic stepped in for me and did a fantastic job. No PhD students have taught on the Marine insurance course this year. In fact I cannot remember that there have been any PhD students teaching on the course since 2003 (!).

Not that there is anything wrong with Research Assistants or PhD students teaching! They may be brilliant teachers; especially in tutorials which are all about creating an interactive and relaxed environment.

Professor Nick Gaskell now holds a chair at the University of Queensland in Australia. If you let me know where on the School web site there is information saying anything else, I will make sure the web editor is informed.

So Sorensen that's the situation. I also started writing down some further information but I deleted it. I realised that I have no idea what sort of information would be useful to you because I am afraid I find your post confusing. Can you please tell me a little bit more about who you are?

Your message implies that you are studying here this year; however you cannot possibly be an LLM student since you are citing from the web site and do not know who is actually teaching the Marine insurance course.

On the other hand, it is not possible that you came to Southampton to study with Rob Merkin for the LLB because there has never been any course in Marine insurance or Arbitration on the LLB.

I guess theoretically you could be an Erasmus student?

There is one thing that bothers me about your post, and that is your parting shot about research assistants and PhD students being heavily involved in the teaching and attempting to make up for the absence of professors. That comment is simply false - this year there is no regular teaching at all by either of those two groups on ANY of the large courses on the LLM, or indeed on the maritime law courses on the LLB. Again, I don't think there is anything wrong with RAs or PhD students teaching - but the point is that with an error like that, you have to admit that it does look a bit as if you have not set foot in Southampton recently.

Anyway I don't want to speculate - since I do not know what your actual background is, please let me know what further information would be useful to you. In fact, I would suggest that you pop by for a chat, if you happen to be around. As students in Southampton know, i always keep my door open and I always make time for a chat.

Everyone has to decide for themselves where to study and Southampton is not for everyone. But Sorensen I think you will agree that they should decide based on full and correct information. I hope I have provided some of that commodity here and am always happy to provide more of the same.

Best wishes,

Johanna.

Hey!
Saw this post now, so I have no idea whether you applied for a programme yet and got accepted.
However, there's an International Martimine Law Institute (IMLI) in Malta which was established under the auspices of the UN's IMO...so really you'd be hard pressed to find a better programme in Maritime law.

Here's their website: www.imli.org

Hope it helps...and good luck!!

Hello. I currently have an offer from both Tulane University and Swansea University. Which one do you think is best one out of the two? I am an US student, but I got my Bachelors Degree in the Dominican Republic. I've read that Tulane is the one that's most highly regarded, but i've hear nothing but good things about Swansea. However, from experience sometimes the one with the "bigger name" doesn't necesarily mean it's the best.

Swansea is one of the only few universities in the UK that "specialise" in Maritime Law, and, as far as I know, the town is also nice and cheap -- in comparison with many other cities in this country. The only thing I know about Tulane is that it is located in New Orleans, which, you know of course, is one of the biggest ports in the world. Its Admirality Law Programme (I suppose that is the name of its specialised programme) certainly benefits from this strategic location.

Perhaps it is not advisable to say which is better -- Swansea or Tulane. A major criterion for one's choice might be where one wants to spend the year doing this postgraduate study programme.

Hi Sorensen,

Here is the full information. Professor Rob Merkin is indeed the Module director of the LLM course in Marine insurance this year. He has provided pretty much all of the lectures on the course this year with a small number of lectures being provided by me (I'm a full-time Research Fellow) and one by a former solicitor who now regularly lectures on that particular topic. The tutorials were provided by me from beginning to end, except in one week when i was away. That week, a Research Assistant who is especially good at the particular topic stepped in for me and did a fantastic job. No PhD students have taught on the Marine insurance course this year. In fact I cannot remember that there have been any PhD students teaching on the course since 2003 (!).

Not that there is anything wrong with Research Assistants or PhD students teaching! They may be brilliant teachers; especially in tutorials which are all about creating an interactive and relaxed environment.

Professor Nick Gaskell now holds a chair at the University of Queensland in Australia. If you let me know where on the School web site there is information saying anything else, I will make sure the web editor is informed.

So Sorensen that's the situation. I also started writing down some further information but I deleted it. I realised that I have no idea what sort of information would be useful to you because I am afraid I find your post confusing. Can you please tell me a little bit more about who you are?

Your message implies that you are studying here this year; however you cannot possibly be an LLM student since you are citing from the web site and do not know who is actually teaching the Marine insurance course.

On the other hand, it is not possible that you came to Southampton to study with Rob Merkin for the LLB because there has never been any course in Marine insurance or Arbitration on the LLB.

I guess theoretically you could be an Erasmus student?

There is one thing that bothers me about your post, and that is your parting shot about research assistants and PhD students being heavily involved in the teaching and attempting to make up for the absence of professors. That comment is simply false - this year there is no regular teaching at all by either of those two groups on ANY of the large courses on the LLM, or indeed on the maritime law courses on the LLB. Again, I don't think there is anything wrong with RAs or PhD students teaching - but the point is that with an error like that, you have to admit that it does look a bit as if you have not set foot in Southampton recently.

Anyway I don't want to speculate - since I do not know what your actual background is, please let me know what further information would be useful to you. In fact, I would suggest that you pop by for a chat, if you happen to be around. As students in Southampton know, i always keep my door open and I always make time for a chat.

Everyone has to decide for themselves where to study and Southampton is not for everyone. But Sorensen I think you will agree that they should decide based on full and correct information. I hope I have provided some of that commodity here and am always happy to provide more of the same.

Best wishes,

Johanna.

Sorensen. Like it or not - it is the practice not just in Soton but throughout the university world to display _current_ information about staff members on the web site. Moves are not advertised in advance - neither at the University of origin, nor at the destination. That's simply how it works.

In some cases, this may work out to the disadvantage of prospective students; but it is not some kind of fraud like you are implying, it is simply how University web sites are managed.

As for the rest of your message - I do not know why you are still pretending to be a student at Soton. I guess it would be too embarrassing to admit the truth.

I hope I have set the record straight and I wish you best of luck for the future,

Johanna

Hello. I currently have an offer from both Tulane University and Swansea University. Which one do you think is best one out of the two? I am an US student, but I got my Bachelors Degree in the Dominican Republic. I've read that Tulane is the one that's most highly regarded, but i've hear nothing but good things about Swansea. However, from experience sometimes the one with the "bigger name" doesn't necesarily mean it's the best.

Johanna,

Attacking the credibility of the person who posts does not alter the facts nor does your assertion that "that's just the way University websites are managed".

For example let's say that you logged onto to the website of a car dealership and they advertised to sell a specific car offered at a specific price if you go in to the dealership by certain date. You then go in by the date requested and they have the car advertised but are not willing to sell you the car at the web advertised price. The dealership is falsely adversiting based on fraud in the inducement and you would likely have a claim for the difference in the ad price and the sales price or perhaps force specific performance if it you went to court.

Your argument is that the dealership should have the right to falsely advertise a certain product at a certain price because because "that's the way they manage their site".

The dealership (and Southampton) in your case are either intentionally misrepresenting your product or negligent in your lack of performing your duty to change the site to accurately reflect the status of Prof Gaskell so as not to induce prospective students to go there based on either an intentional or negligent fraudlent misrepresentation as to his actual status at the University.

The fact that the University is negligent in their failure to act is not a valid excuse for misrepresentation.

I suggest that you make a full disclosure on the website of Prof Gaskell's status so as to avoid any potential legal consequences from students who reasonably believe and therefore were induced to attend based on the misrepresentation made on your site.

I hope this clears up any misconceptions that you may have that make you feel that Universities are exempt from the law because of intentional or negligent misrepresentation simply because they are Universities and "that's just the way they manage their sites".

Kanfer

I am afraid I cannot engage in an argument about this. Professor Gaskell's status is, and has always been, accurately represented on the web site. While he was a staff member he was listed as such. When he left, this was amended. Anyone who abolutely wishes to be taught by a particular professor can simply contact their intended university and check that the person will be teaching in the coming year.

You complain that I am impugning Sorensen. If you read the whole thread, you will find that Sorensen was pretending to be a student at Southampton while displaying a basic lack of knowledge that anyone familiar with Southampton would have had, in order to spread desinformation that university. Given that this behaviour is perfectly designed to subvert the very purpose of this board, your lecture on misrepresentation etc seems to me to be better directed at Sorensen.

Can i just say, Southampton is very good.I graduated there and in 2009 and it was great.

The maritime law,the quality of teaching and the research materials were amazing.Thier practitioner lectures also gave you a taster of maritime law practice.

it is impossible for an LLM student to be taught by a research assistant at Southampton.Ocassionaly we got tutorials from 2nd year Phds but most of our tutorials were by lecturers.

As an LLM you get taught by the cream of the crop.The teaching is good.I guarantee you will learn shipping law there, like it or not.Tutorials were rigourous and intense but effective.I didn't like the pressure then but in hindsight it was worth it.

The maritime market also responds well to name Southampton.lol! I got my first job offer immediately i finished.Many of my mates too.

Southampton Uni brings Maritime recruiters to an LLM fair before you graduate, you may very well bag your job and your LLM while in soton. Go for it if you want to, quality is not a problem at soton..

Hello Everyone,

First, please note that by presenting my point I am not defending anyone and all what I say reflects my own opinion and experience.

I like to keep it simple, so let me start by saying hi to Sorensen and I hope you are fine and still alive since speaking about the University of Southampton, as you said, leads to death.

I am a current LLM student, still alive and happy though, and as a matter of fact what we had so far in Marine Insurance alone, in terms of concentration and support by the staff, equals the other 3 modules together. Any MI student, without a single exception, believes that MI lectures were more than satisfying as Professor Merkin gave more than 90% of them in both semesters.

"Why do you want to know who I am? Is it because you want to ensure that I fail my modules?". A piece of advice here: choose your words carefully and properly. People can determine your age and intelligence from the way you present and express your opinion, not to mention lawyers!.

Savvy?
xD

dear malteser

i'm actually thinking of taking a master at the IMLI..could u please help me by informing on the reputation of it not in malta but worldwide? any info u could provide me it would be so very welcome:))