miami seat of arbitration?!?! hahah nice try guys! i am from latin america and i would never go there to arbitrate, it seems UM is trying to promote itself, what is not bad as such but it is bad to lie

Hi i am already a lawyer somewhere in asia with an LLM and thinking of taking a break from the gruelling work. is there any international arbitration program thats good for 2-3 months?

thanks in advance for the info!

=)

@Diana,

Hi, I'm currently a MIDS student. When you begin the year, the Directors give you a list of pre-approved "optional" courses available at IHEID and UNIGE (classes at the latter are all taught in French, I believe). In practice, a student will likely receive permission and credit for any other course related to international law . . . but the pre-approved list really is expansive.

Students are currently required to take two optional courses during the MIDS year (although students may instead take one optional course and attend a series of workshops during the year). The purpose of the optional courses, IMO, is to provide students an opportunity to customize a substantive element to MIDS, which is otherwise a procedural curriculum.

For example, this fall I took Prof. Pauwelyn's foundational courses at IHEID, international trade law and international investment law. As a result, I believe I have a "bigger" picture of trade and investment disputes when we discuss them in procedural terms during MIDS general courses.

Let me know if you have any questions -- really a wonderful program.

It seems you all are very familiarized with the international arbitration programs. I've been working as a lawyer in this field for some years and would like to give you some of my impressions regarding your considerations: knowing substantive law is as important as knowing procedural rules and tactics. In arbitration, there are less procedural tricks than in litigation and applying the law to the facts gets the most important role (don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that procedural rules are not important, they are very important, but it seems to me that in legal practice they are not at all more important than substantive law). Also, a program with big shots of international arbitration is undoubtly attractive. But from what I can see, an LLM in a top school, like CLS, HLS and NYU is more attractive to the top law firms (Sherman, Freshfields, Dechert etc), not only in US but also in Europe, particularly in Paris, even if the program is not focused on international arbitration. You can always study and practice international arbitration in the seminars, moot courts and so on (the latter are very highly valued), and at the same time get a strong course on business law, investment law, contracts, conflicts of law, international law... all of them essential subjects for lawyers practicing in international arbitration.

Hello,
I am an in-house lawyer in Switzerland and I work in contract law since two years. Now I would like to go back to school doing an LLM in International Arbitration, trying to get a job in a law firm afterwards. I am already admitted to the Bar in Italy.

I am willing to stay in Europe so my choice would be between the Queen's Mary LLM in Comparative and International Dispute Resolution and the Geneva Master in International Dispute Settlement. Do you have any suggestion? Is it hard to get in arbitration job market having worked as in-house lawyer before and basically having no experience in the field before? I was thinking that the LLM could give an hand in this direction....

Thank you !

I think you may be a bit disappointed by the state of indie rock in Geneva ;)

The only comment I can offer is that there are students in my current MIDS course whose prior practice was solely in-house. If they want to go work in a firm after MIDS, I have no doubt they will be able to. The administration goes above and beyond in terms of funneling opportunities for internships and networking to the student body. The faculty that grade and recommend students are universally recognized names in arbitral practice. The program has a 100% alumni employment rate, and very few of the alums I've spoken with just went home and resumed what they were doing beforehand.

I know this is pretty anecdotal, so good luck seeking out a seasoned vet who can respond more generally to your question.

Thank you for your answer and sorry for the late reply.
Well, now that I have got an offer I really have to make a choice. Your words are comforting and I hope to have some similar feedbacks.
Ciao.