I guess I've got a pretty basic question, though the answer doesn't seem as basic. Which of the mentioned universities would one be better off with if he chose to pursue an LL.M. in intellectual property law? I've namely got offers from both of them, though an offer from Oxbridge could render my predicament trivial :)

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Hi Ryker,

I think ucl is better for IP but then its only my opinion. Good luck with your choice.

you evil place-hugger you! (will be back to the other thread to defend your approach in due course, am just waiting a while to avoid posting too much inappropriate invective).

I'd go for UCL over LSE for IP - will double check with the troops in the office tomorrow morning, but have heard good things about Christopher Stothers....

(Are you from the Netherlands? Happy to put you in touch with the friendly, and very competent, folk in our Amsterdam office if you are Dutch and planning on returning to the domestic market mid term).

incidentally, London firm perception is (in my experience) to prefer Cambridge over Oxford for an IP LLM (BCL etc)

Thanks for the answers. Why would the two of you say UCL is better than LSE, though? Any special and substantiated reason for that? Don't get me wrong, UCL appeals to me more than LSE does, but I am just trying to get an objective view of the quality of their IP programmes.

Legalalien, my choices are kind of lined up as follows: Cambridge, Oxford, UCL, LSE ..., so I guess this would go well with your Cambridge over Oxford and UCL over LSE thing :) Oh, and no, I am not from the Netherlands.

(i) I think historically UCL has had a stronger IP faculty so there is probably a slight bias. I see that the LSE site indicates that they have recently increased the depth of the IP offering in recognition of the subject's importance. Back to the "perception is reality" point, though, in terms of UK partners' etc view of the world

(ii) The course content at UCL looks more practical (and I've been practising for a long time so that's a good thing)

(iii) I think studying the relationship between IP and competition law is a good thing.

My reasons for choosing UCL over LSE is that I feel UCL tops in specialist areas of law whereas LSE shines in general areas. I find LSE too academic and agree totally with legal alien's points especially no. (ii) and (iii).

hey guys,

since we are talking about Intellectual Property can some body please tell me which Uni the best course for IP?

which is better UCL or QMUL for the IP LLM

Have heard that QMUL is the best for IP ,is there a truth to this statement?

The thing is i have received offers from QMUL n Edinburgh for LLM IP, so m in doldrums regarding choosing betwn these two. have yet to get anything from UCL.

Help me make a decision !!!

If you are looking for the best course its QMUL. When deciding between QMUL and Edinburgh, considers factors such as where you want to work in the future, cost of living, sponsorship, networking opportunities etc. UCL has a very good IP course and has more reputation than QMUL overall. At the end of the day its a matter of personal choice and you will not go wrong making your choice either way.. By the way when did you apply to UCL..?

I agree with Piya (I posted on another thread to this effect after consulting quite a senior London IP partner). It depends on where you want to work and what you want to do later on. London city firms will recognise QMUL on its merits for IP (and I imagine, without any particular knowledge or experience, that academic institutions will take a similar view); if you're planning on private practice overseas the UCL brand may carry more weight.

PS I have no idea about Edinburgh.

This seems to be a popular topic, so I'll go and grill our contentious and non-contentious IP teams on Monday am.......

@ Piya,
thanks for your reply.you said that itn depends on where i want to work, cost of living, scholarships.. well, I can manage the cost of living in london so expense is not a factor while considering QMUL or Edinburgh .About where i want to work,I'm from India n would love to work in london to get some international wrk experience.If I dnt get wrk in decent law firm ,then its back to India n working in firms in India. I had applied to UCL on 7th NOV,their acknowledgment said that they'll inform me the decision on 11th Jan'10,but hav'nt .tired of sending them reminders.


@ Legalalien,
thanks for ur reply.I got the point your making.It looks like I have to decide between bigger brand and better course & match it with my career goals? Its BRAND Vs COURSE now,isnt it?

My reasons for choosing UCL over LSE is that I feel UCL tops in specialist areas of law whereas LSE shines in general areas. I find LSE too academic and agree totally with legal alien's points especially no. (ii) and (iii).

Yes, you could say that. If you want to stay in academia LSE is an excellent choice.

hey guys,

since we are talking about Intellectual Property can some body please tell me which Uni the best course for IP?

which is better UCL or QMUL for the IP LLM

Have heard that QMUL is the best for IP ,is there a truth to this statement?

The thing is i have received offers from QMUL n Edinburgh for LLM IP, so m in doldrums regarding choosing betwn these two. have yet to get anything from UCL.

Help me make a decision !!!

hey xdude !

your right about KCL.I did apply to KCL but didnt mention it in my post coz KCL kicked my ass out a week back..lol . so there was no point talking about the KCL. just wanted to know the best option outta the remaining options !
no news from UCL yet, so wanted to make a decision right now, if they say YES (which m desperately hoping for)

thanks anyway,further advice always welcome..

hey xdude !

your right about KCL.I did apply to KCL but didnt mention it in my post coz KCL kicked my ass out a week back..lol . so there was no point talking about the KCL. just wanted to know the best option outta the remaining options !
no news from UCL yet, so wanted to make a decision right now, if they say YES (which m desperately hoping for)

thanks anyway,further advice always welcome..

Yes, you could say that. If you want to stay in academia LSE is an excellent choice.

Hi Rider-aragon,
If you want info on Edinburgh, I am here copying information from another post that I did on a similiar question about Edinburgh. I hope you at least will have a better idea of the faculty available. Incidentally, Edinburgh students that choose to go to London do very well. Often choosing Edinburgh is also about choosing a life-style in addition to a fantastic education. I was accepted to several PhD programmes in London, some mentioned in this thread, and had already studied at Edinburgh for the LLM. I chose to return to Edinburgh because the excitement of hopping the tube everyday can wear thin quickly, as can paying an outrageous amount of rent for a shoebox flat. But that is just a personal view point. Below is what I posted on another thread...thus, you may have already read it.

Smita Kheria is the director of the IP LLM at Edinburgh and she is extremely clever and very involved in students' well-being. She has also practised in the field, which is very helpful from a practical standpoint. In addition to Hector MacQueen, who is a leading academic in several fields and a member of the Scottish Law Commission and extremely helpful when students have queries, Charolette Waelde and Graeme Laurie are both highly sought after experts in the field and very friendly and helpful as well. You can see some of the recent faculty publications here www.law.ed.ac.uk/publications/index.aspx. In addition to faculty members being on top of the game in the relevant field, you also want a faculty which is accessible, and having done both my LLM and currently writing my PhD at Edinburgh I can say that all of these lecturer are brilliant and answering questions.
Plus, Edinburgh has a dedicated research centre (the SRIPT Centre) for the field www.law.ed.ac.uk/ahrc/ where they continue to produce amazing research in the area.
All of the faculty are typically happy to answer questions so you should definitely send an email...I'd start with Ms Kheria since she is in charge of the programme.
Best of luck with your decision!