Does anybody know what reputation Trinity College Dublin has, and, in particular, its LLM programme? Trinity College is supposed to be the most renowned University of Ireland. Yet, it does (evidently) not appear on any (UK) rankings. How would you rank it - for example, compared with LSE, UCL, etc.? A good friend of mine is so fond of Dublin that he absolutely wants to go there. However, in my opinion he should also ensure the LLM programme is of a certain quality/value...

hi, im doing the LLM in Trinity at the moment, the university is top class, having been based on cambridge and oxford. Outside those two unis i would say trinity would come next along with maybe durham, edinburgh, st.andrews, though it is difficult to say. To gain entry for law at undergraduate you now need 4 A's at a-level, which is even higher than oxford.

as for the LLM, the course is not in a specific area and you can choose from a diverse range of subjects. Furthermore, the exams are not that difficult and dublin is a great city, though a bit expensive. All in all i would give trinity LLM a good rating

Thanks a bunch for your response, gerrycoops! Hope this information turns out to be helpful to my friend. Best - Diego

I have spoken with an academic with the School of Law here at the University of Edinburgh who speaks highly of Trinity. I also have spoken with a PhD student here who said some good things about it too.

Not much to go on I know, but I hope it helps.

miller, i was wondering if you could tell me how hard it is to undertake a Phd in edinburgh, I did my LLB in Dundee and LLM in Trinity and would like a career as an academic in inernational/human rights law. Is it difficult to get funding for a Phd?

Gerry, have a look at the School of Law website http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/. Find an academic on the list of staff who you think would be suitable to supervise your particular field of study and contact them via email. They will have experience of most questions you are likely to ask regarding PhD study!

Good luck.

cheers miller, i emailed the contact on the website, unfortunately funding is not available for the upcoming academic year, plus i want to work for a year before deciding on a Phd, though would love to do it in edinburgh, are you currently a LLM student or a Phd student?

Hi everyone !
I am a French student and I am going to do an LLM in 2005/2006. I have been accepted at the Trinity College in Dublin and King's College in London. I really don't know which one to choose.
I would like to specialise in intellectual property.

It's difficult for me to assess the quality of the teachings and the reputation of these universities from abroad. Most of my friends and teachers do not have a clue.

Plus the fees are almost the same and the cost of life seems similar in Dublin & London (maybe I'm wrong)...

So if you have an opinion on this, please post a message. It would help me a lot, I just have a month to make my final decision.

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Another question : is it hard to work as a lawyer in the UK with an Irish degree ? Is it hard to work as a lawyer in Ireland with a British degree ?
Do you also need an LLB to become a solicitor ?

Dear K,
I see you have not received an answer yet. If I were you I'd write to gerrycoops a PM (personal message). He seems to be very well informed. Trinity has an outstanding reputation and the city seems to me more fun than London - especially at present with all these horrible bombings. It is my understanding that Dublin is expensive, but a bit less than London. Also you should bear in mind that Irish are generally more open than English. As you point out correctly, the fees are pretty much the same. However, you should keep in mind that in Ireland the Euro is the currency and you thus won't lose money as you will when having to change pounds. Hope this helps. Both Colleges (Trin & King's) are excellent anyway, so don't worry too much, ok - Amitiés et bon courage!

Go to Kings. At LLM level TCD is not all that well regarded within Ireland because it has tended in the past to have a somewhat random approach to subject options. KCL will be able to offer you four great subjects within IP if that's what you want. TCD won't. Dublin is a great city to live in but it is expensive. I also don't think that Irish people are necessarily more open than English people. In any case alot of the time the friends you make will be in your class and your class in KCL will be much bigger.

Just to add you don't need an LLB to become a solicitor in Ireland. The requirements are set out at www.lawsociety.ie. In terms of the benefits of an Irish versus a UK LLM. The advice would probably be the same as anywhere - get the best LLM you can.

Hi Barcelona & Yellow

Thanks for taking time to answer my questions. I am still a bit hesitant but your two opinions have helped me see things more clearly.

Cheers & all the best to you two