Hi everyone, can anyone throw any light on which is the best place/places to do LLM in UK if one wants to specialize in competition law, esp. among KCL, QMUL, LSE, UCL and of course oxbridge

I reckon Kings would be the best one thanks to its its reputation and Prof. Richard Whish.

KCL is the best for competition, from what I understand.

No doubts King's is the one with the highest level of teaching and with such a high number of courses. But competition (in competition law LLMs) is fierce: UCL offers a very good tailored program too, as well as a great environment given all the events organized by the Competition Law centre. Oxford offers good courses too, although the level of specialization is perhaps not comparable to the other ones I mentioned. But if you what you really want is to carry out research in competition law I would recommend LSE (more from the economics standpoint), where a great scholar such as Giorgio Monti is teaching and supervising thesis, and University of East Anglia -where you have a dedicated environment with a handful of phD students making presentations and commenting on the work of the others roughly once a week.
Finally, if you want to consider all the LLM programs EUwide, I think we are just missing the LLm at the College of Europe, where many renowned professors and practicioners -besides a unique network if you want to end up in EU affairs- and the LLM in Ip/Competition law at the University of Liege, where you would have good training on this specific subject area. Note, though, that both these programs are bilingual, meaning that a good knowledge of the French language is necessary.
Hope this helps

Hi Nail..thanx so much for the info. can u tell how is LSE from the point of view of getting (competiton law related) jobs in law firms in UK or Brussels. Does getting a degree from the College of Europe of Univ. of Liege help one to get a job in law firms in London or Europe? Pardon my ignorance!!

Unfortunately I am not in the position to advice on which LLM would be the best to get jobs in UK/Brussels, but I think it is hardly overstated that if you want to work in Brussels, College of Europe is likely to be your safest bet. That school is thought just for people who later take up positions in EU institutions, consultancies or law firms.That is generally applicable for all the areas of law, but I am tempted to say it holds even more true for competition law -as the quality of teaching there is so outstanding.
Not sure for the marketability of the LLM at the University of Liege, sorry. I have looked at it more from an academic viewpoint, like I did with LSE.
Best of luck with your applications

Hi Nail,

When you say: <blockquote> But competition (in competition law LLMs) is fierce </blockquote> Do you mean that competition to get into the program, or competition within the program (once you are admitted), is fierce? And how might it be different at KCL than a school like LSE?

Thanks!

Sorry, I should have said "amongst competition la LLMs". What I meant is that there are several LLM programs offering good training in competition law.
I don't know much about KCL/LSE admission process, I only know the names of the academics who teach there...and for that KCL seems better, unless you want to focus on competition economics.
One thing that I can say about the admission process, though, is that to enter into LSE you need a 115 score in the TOEFL, which is quite an amazing score...over 120!I think they are a bit exagerating there.

Hi Everyone,

In my opinion, Ulg (Liège, Belgium) LLM is a good one for at least three reasons.

Firstly, due to its proximity to Brussels and the European Institutions, the course boasts a team of eminent practitionners and academics in the field.
Secondly, this LLM is tailored to needs of the profession and provides practical training so that students are prepared fo immediate entry into a demanding international workforce.
And thirdly, the comprehensive teaching, the multi-disciplinay training, the assistance with drafting your CV, securing internship and publishing your work are valuable assets you will be sure to find in this LLM.

And this is really like that on the field.

I hope this will help u.

Please don't hesitate for further information on this LLM.

I would definitely recommend King's College for competition law. I didn't attend the programme myself (even with a scholarship London was way too expensive for me, and I also wanted to learn about public procurement law), but if you just consider the outline of the programme,

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/law/research/communities/competition/courses.html

it's obvious that the courses really go into great detail. Plus, both Prof. Whish and Prof. Jones and Prof. Biondi are famous experts concerning this field of law.

I'd say King's if you're set on competition law, but an LLM from LSE or UCL probably wouldn't hurt either. You just won't get the breadth of courses there, but they are still excellent programmes and have more international reputation than King's does.

You should go onto the websites and look at the courses offered under each specialism. The information is there for you to review the courses and decide which is best for you.

Kings is known for Competition Law, but UCL is very strong in this area. Kings does not offer more courses than UCL. The LSE does not offer a Competition law specialism. Queen Mary does.

Hey, I had an LLM specializing in Competition law in City and I can say is very good. City is the only Uni that offers a specific course on cartels which is really interesting and useful for the future if you want to work as an antitrust lawyer. What I also liked a lot was the fact that all competition courses combine law and economics which is vital in order to understand how competition law applies in practice. Moreover, City offers internships to the best students with big antitrust law firms which is a perfect way to match theory with practice and gives you a plus in your cv for future jobs' applications. I definately, recommend it.
Hope I helped.

Hello, I am also a City Law School LLM Student and I cannot help but agree with what Victoria said. In addition to the Cartels course there is also something to give you the basics - General Competition Course, the obligatory Mergers course, as well as a brand new course named Not Cartels - everything you dind't ever suspect Article 81 contains! The program director Professor Riley is really passionate about what he is doing, so he will teach you everything he knows about competition (and that's a lot)! And on top of that, you have three internships in big antitrust firms for the best of you! I can definitely recommend it!

Hi, I am currently doing the LLm at King's. I've been practicing competition law for 4 years now in Mexico and I am sure that King's is THE place to go. Professor Richard Whish is better than anything you can read in this forum, really.

Here is a link to KCL's website, with the information on the LLM in Competition Law:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/law/prospective/grad/llm/competitionpath

It is worth listening to the podcast recorded by Professor Whish.

As you will see, there are several modules you can choose from, all of which are very interesting. The EC Competition Law, Economics for Competition Law and Competition Law & Regulated Network Industries are the best, in my opinion... but it all depends of what you want to do afterwards.

All of the modules are coordinated and what you learn in one will surely complement what you are doing in another class.

Take a look at the profiles of the lecturers, which can help you make up your mind. For example, Ecomomics is given by a former chief economist of the UK's Office of Fair Trading; you get first hand knowledge on how economics are used by a competition authority.

Other universities in London like UCL and City are good. But in my (of course byassed) opinion, King's ranks first.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have. I cannot promise a fast answer, as the reading here is very time demanding.

Cheers,

Patricio

You may want to have qa look at the ELEA (European Law and Economic Analysis) specialization of the College of Europe, there you have Richard Whish and Giorgio Monti at the same time! Plus a choice of impressive professional and academics (Ortiz Blanco, Siragusa) giving unique courses focussed on competition law issues.

I'm also planning to specialise in Competition, but picked LSE over UCL, just because I thought the LLM program from LSE would make me more marketable. I think UCL is probably the top choice (in the uk) for a competition llm, but if you want to do competition as one part of an llm, and thereby acquire a broader skills set, I'd recommend LSE. That's what I've chosen anyway... Good luck ;0)

no offense , but you got it all wrong. Ask anyone in the field,
for competition law, there is only one place to go: KCL and Richard Wish.

If you are really genuinely interested in the subject, you need to pick a university with substantial economic analysis of competition law in addition to basic competition law courses. Also, you do not state which area of competition interests you - high tech, networks and utilities, telecoms, cartels, joint dominance?
The best for law and economics are probably UEA (UK), LSE (UK) and Tilburg (Netherlands) with intensive teaching.
That said, if you want a degree and a job, you probably don't want to be that stretched - so standard 'marquee name' courses will be better. Any of your options offers that.

CR1 wrote :
<blockquote>no offense , but you got it all wrong. Ask anyone in the field,
for competition law, there is only one place to go: KCL and Richard Wish.</blockquote>
What a joke ?!

I agree that Professor Richard Wish is well-known, that he is probably an eminent academic in European law, and that he wrote many books (well, it is his business after all).

However does that sole presence of professor Wish determine the value of an education programme ?
To know the true value of an education programme, you have assess the value of the whole faculty, not only of one teacher.

Furthermore, I would add that places like the Kings College of London (KCL) or the College of Europe are often overrated. Yes, they have big reputations and big names. But what is the interest in having famous teachers who have no time to answer your questions or to talk with the students at the end of the course because "he has most important concerns" ?

Eminent scholars and practitioners lecture in other universities too.

Personally, I have followed the LL.M. in European Competition and IP law of the Institute of European Legal Studies (which is also located in Belgium), and I really don't regret it ! The faculty is composed of an international team of leading practitioners as well, but who are more accessibles than in many other places. The courses are practice-oriented, demanding and provide to the students the opportunity to acquire a good knowledge on both IP and competition law.

(And last but not least, the LL.M. of the Institute of European Legal Studies is affordable - You don't have to pay an average of 30.000 euros for an academic year).