I saw that some of you listed DURHAM in their rankings. Is it really that highly regarded? I fear in Austria some people don´t know about its value, because it isn´t a really "big name" :-( !

Will either Birmingham, Leicester or Queen Mary be on the list?

I've noticed that many people rank Oxford and Cambridge's LLM program above LSE.

Why is this the case? It seems that LSE and a number of other school in UK offer specialized programs whereas Cambridge and Oxford offer only a general 1 year program without the chance for specialization. Am I wrong? Am I missing something? Is prestige all that matters?

Yes. Oxford and Cambridge are, in the words of the Times University Guide "Head and Shoulders above the opposition"

lol dunno man; the Oxford BCL just has so much prestige its unbelievable. The London Unis are no doubt more versatile but i guess its all about reputation. The pace of the London (and other top UK Unis) for LLM's means youl certainly have an incredible grasp on your speciaisms and. At a job interview or discussing with other academics if you choose that route, you will certainly be able to keep up. Its just one of those things.

ps i hate it.

BCL is harder, frighteninger, more work, harder to be admitted to, produced many judges, produced many top academics, etc.

It's regarded well by employers/academics who have done the BCL because they know that it is a painful serious learning experience.

It's regarded well by others because they have heard the stories.

come on guys... kcl, ucl above lse??? in greece lse has a huge reputation, mostly due to many greek politicians that graduated from there... however come on, lse has much more difficult process of admission than the other 2...

Yes. Oxford and Cambridge are, in the words of the Times University Guide "Head and Shoulders above the opposition"

Indeed, most people seem to agree on this point. But I guess my question is WHY are they so much better? Especially with respect to the LLM/BCL programs.

From an American perspective, Oxford's (and, to a slightly lesser degree, Cambridge's) reputation and history valut the institution to the top of the list. Oxford is the most-valued brand in higher education. In addition, Americans are suckers for cobblestone walkways, turrets, gothic buildings, and gargoyles.

1. Warwick
2. Leicester
3. Durham
4. Newcastle upon Tyne
5. Cambridge

In response to Nicemanin, Santa, & OpinionJuris:

To clarify points about U.S. LLM programs, I hope this helps:
The academic year is 2 semesters; most schools start in AUGUST (not September), & end in May. You take 4-5 classes per semester. There are generally 2 types of classes: in the most common type of class you take 1 exam at the end of the semester; the other type is a writing class in which you focus on research & writing a long paper with a very specific thesis. From what I've seen, university law libraries & research facilities in the U.S. are superior to what I've seen in Europe.
Class attendence is crucial in U.S. law schools! Professors can lower your grade if you've missed classes without good reason. Many professors call on students randomly in class, to make sure that everyone is keeping up with the material. You have to keep on top of the material all the time, you cannot just cram right before exams.

As to the reputation of LLM programs in common law countries outside of the U.S., most American lawyers only think highly of Oxford & Cambridge (& London School of Economics for non-law degrees).

I've been to the town of Warwick but never heard of the university. The same goes for Leicester, Durham, etc.

There are many excellent U.S. law schools other than Harvard & Yale, which U.S. law firms regard very highly, such as Columbia, NYU, Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, & Georgetown.
Also, I've found that many Europeans have the misconception that American public universities are not good. In fact, many are very highly regarded & actually harder to get into than private schools. Berkely, UNC, & UVA, to name a few, are excellent & considered top schools.

Hi guys,

In Poland the most highly regarder are definitely Oxford and Cambridge, others are not very well known in fact. LSE (with great reputation in other fields), UCL or KCL are known only among those interested in going for llm programme.

By the way, have any of you heard about Magister Juris at Oxford? What is it like? Is it only for foreigners?
Thanks for answers

The MJur is effectively the same as the BCL (with a few minor differences around the edges).

If your training is common law background you do BCL.
If your training is civil- or non-common- law background you do MJur.

Thanks for your answer
Cambridge LLM is available for all (both common law and civil law backgrounds) , that's why I was wondering about different programmes at Ox.

In Turkey, according to my experience and conversations with the experts in the law practice:

1. Cambridge
2. Oxford
3. LSE
4. King's College
5. UCL

Oxford IS NOT regarded as the best school by most Americans. Some Americans might believe it is, but to say 'most' is a HUGE leap and probably untrue.