Hey guys, I need some advice. I've applied to 8 Universities in the UK to pursue an LLM in International Commercial Law and gotten conditional offer (completion of the B.A.,B.L. course I'm currently studying) letters from 6 of the 8 so far.

They are, Aberdeen, Leicester, Dundee, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds. The two I haven't heard from yet are Bristol and Nottingham. I was just told that Nottingham only received my supporting documentation today so it'll be about two weeks before I hear from them.

As far as I've been able to ascertain from observing these forums and the law school ranks as provided on this site, I'm given to understand that Bristol is one of the better choices for pursuing International Commercial Law. However, as I have managed to get into other well reputed Universities thus far, I am eager to know if I should accept any of the offers. I'm interested in Aberdeen but don't know much about its reputation in this field.

I would also like to point out that though I am keen on choosing the University best suited for my choice of subject, I am also keen on carrying the name of a very reputable institution with me upon graduating. I would appreciate any and all advice that any of you would be able to lend me in regard to which to choose keeping in mind that the reputation of the university is important criteria as per this query.

Dear Optimus,
All the Universities you have cited are very reputable. I think the real issue is to look in detail at the courses you might want to do on your LLM-and see what fits best.
with best regards
alan riley

Professor Alan Riley
Director LLM Programme
City Law School,
City University
London, EC1V 0HB
Electronic Mail: alan.riley.1@city.ac.uk

Hey!
Well, I'm in a pretty same situation so we're in a same boat...
As I see it, it's extremely hard to make a decision, especially if the outcome (career prospects) are almost unpredictable.
I guess You wish to obtain a LLM from a Uni that has a general great reputation and is a top subject-wise (law)?
The fact is the some great Unis don't have or have very young or unrecognizable law schools (like York, St. Andrews), whereas some have magnificent law departments but their overall reputation is not that great.
You can try on www.topuniversities.com There You'll find some ranking of the Universities worldwide and regional (UK). Then You compare standings of the law schools You mentioned in the law field (Times, Guardian, etc.).
Maybe that will help in finding a compromise?

You could also consider other factors. For me the degree structure and subjects available were crucial. You'll see that it reveals a lot about the school. Try to hypothetically create Your own curriculum in each school. And see how it looks at different places.
I hope that helps a bit.
Regards.

Dear Zathanel,
I would be careful on the law school rankings, they focus on the feedback from the undergraduate LLB and don't tell much, if at all about the LLM programmes.
with best regards
alan riley


Professor Alan Riley
Director LLM Programme
City Law School,
City University
London, EC1V 0HB
Electronic Mail: alan.riley.1@city.ac.uk

I completely agree...and personally never cared about those that much (as I said degree structure and modules were crucial for me).

I simply wished to help the author and referring to the question posted thought that it could give him a general view of the Unis and Law Schools, but not a definite one.

That's all...

Regards

Hi Optimus,

the University of Nottingham has got an excellent reputation both for the School of Law and its LLM programme. The subjects on the LLM programme are taught by leading academics (for example Professor James Fawcett for private international law, Professor Howard Bennett for maritime law and Professor Sue Arrowsmith for public procurement) and you can specialise within the field of international commercial law or mix the modules according to your own taste. I can definitely recommend Commercial Conflict of Laws and International Sale of Goods, I found both courses had a very high academic level, but also prepared me well for dealing with the subject matter in practice.
Also, have a look at what Nottingham offers for public procurement - they are the leading university in this field (which is more important in commercial practice than you would think!) and their Public Procurement Research Group is of worldwide reputation.

Kind regards,

dragonfly

Thank you all so much for the brilliant advice.

I appreciate the info Zathanel, more info is always better :)

Thanks Dr.Riley, I understand that they are all reputable, but like I said, I'm keeping both reputation as well as prowess in commercial law education when choosing. I've learned the info about the irrelevant info that influences the rankings from the explanations to the ranking systems, and appreciate the reiteration.

Dragonfly, I've already chosen the International Commercial Law courses in all these universities. I've no idea what to focus on when it comes to the modules.

I would appreciate it if I could have some info about which of the universities in my list is best for international commercial law. Manchester, Bristol, Nottingham and Birmingham have all been given the thumbs up from other people to whom I've spoken but none have the info I'm looking for specifically.

As far as I can see, Manchester, due to its repute and the fact that it has been hailed as being a good place to commercial law, seems to be a choice that is consistent with my aspirations. If you could offer criticism to the same idea, I would be even more in your debt.

One further question I have pertains to what negatives there might be, in regard to these universities, again keeping in mind the course I've mentioned.

Thanks again for all the help thus far :)

I cannot help You much in that (as I said we're in a same boat)
but... You said You applied for International Commercial Law in those Schools. Yet commercial law is extremely wide term and means different things for different people. Take into account that You'll take 3-4 (or little more) subjects during Your LLM. If You have "no idea what to focus on when it comes to the modules" it's kind of hard to make a decision since different Schools might be better or worse within certain areas of it's commercial law curriculum. Check the modules in each School and You'll see that they differ a lot. It might be a good idea if You try to determine what particular areas You're interested in the most and where You will be able to follow that route...
Regards.
P.S. I don't know much about Manchaster

Thanks again Zathanel. I've looked through the courses and modules offered already. What I meant to say was that I don't know what combinations I should go for. I'm interested in mergers and acquisitions primarily. Sale of goods and connected subjects are also areas of interest. However, I wouldn't be able to tell which college is best for what if I'm not even aware of whether they are strong in commercial law generally.

Hi Optimus. Glad to see you've got a big "problem" in your hands. Having to choose between such universities can be really tough. If I were you I would make my decision based on the modules and courses offered and the possible mixture between them. For instance, Aberdeen offers the oil and gas programme and I think it would be a good ideia to take some courses from this programme along with others from the international commercial law programme (like corporate finance or governance). This way you would make you study plan stand out of the ordinary crowd. I don't know if you can do that at Nottingham, but I think they have some courses in the area of maritime law that would be a good ideia to study along with other international commercial law subjects. What I am trying to say is: you should have a good look at the courses offered by each university (don't restrict yourself to law school rankings thery are merely a guide) and see what you'd like to study. And try geeting out of the ordinary... hundreds of students go to study commercial law and international commercial law every year... and I have been working as a solicitor in this area for more than six years now... believe me, there is nothing that the university can teach that real working experience can't. So, try to broaden your horizons and look for different (but important) things to learn (of course it doesn't mean you should go to Cardiff to get a LLM in Canon Law). As regards reputation, I remember reading in some post here that Aberdeen graduates from the international commercial law programme are very well regarded in recruiters' perspectives. Additionaly, a friend of mine that went to Oxford told me that Aberdeen is a very respected law school in the UK with very respected undergraduate and graduate programmes. With regard to rankings, except for the complete guide ranking, Aberdeen has got a higher ranking than all other universities you mentioned. But Nottingham is definitely
an up-and-coming law school. Just to narrow down your options, I think you should choose between Nottingham and Aberdeen.
Hope this helps.
Regards,