The master's advantage
"It's no secret that British higher education holds a remarkable reputation for its high academic standards. The LLM International Commercial Law programme at the University of Reading, offers an unprecedented studying experience. One of its' most inviting qualities is the opportunity to choose from a diverse range of specialist pathways with modules covering a range of issues in international commercial law. I chose to specialise in International Dispute Resolution (Arbitration)."
"The International Commercial Arbitration module benefits from accreditation by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). Having completed the module, I applied for an associate membership of this renowned institute."
" I now teach courses in Test of Legal English Skills (TOLES) and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) at a private academy in Jordan"
The value of mooting
"I had never done any real public speaking before I did my master's. Little did I know, the School of Law would offer that opportunity to me."
"I opted for the International Commercial Arbitration Mooting module. A team of four students is selected, through an interview process, to participate in a 'real world' example of an international commercial law dispute to be resolved through the international commercial arbitration process."
"I was selected to represent and head the University's team at the prestigious Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna. We competed against 270 teams from across the globe."
"Not only did the mock arbitration proceedings help develop my understanding of the advocacy, and research skills required in the arbitration process, but I also developed critical reasoning and case management skills. Additionally, I was able to polish my skills of time management as I tried to balance my time between mooting and studying other modules."
"As part of our preparation, the School organised regular visits to the offices of Hogan Lovells - a leading international law firm in London. International arbitration practitioners would spend some hours with us and train us in oral advocacy and memorandum writing."
Comprehensive training
"While International Commercial Arbitration Mooting was one of my favourite modules, I also looked forward to my lectures in Intellectual Property Law. This was an incredible experience, as I got an opportunity to learn with students from the School of Art, Communication and Design. The class would be spilt into two groups and we would have debates and discussions on relevant case studies. Not only did I learn the legal aspects of intellectual property management, I also got a chance to look at it from the perspective of an intellectual property owner."
"At the end of each module, lecturers asked us to do group presentations on some key topics covered. This helped me further develop my presentation skills and advance my knowledge of legal terms to a large extent."
"We also had some engaging sessions with guests from leading London based and international law firms. Practitioners would discuss the topics studied in class and also provide helpful future career advice. One of my favourite sessions included discussing third party funding in international commercial arbitration and its implication with practitioners from Osborne Clarke - an international legal practice. Points discussed helped me write an essay on the same topic later on."
