LL.M. AWArDS
The excellence of academics and practitioners in this field is combined with the constant desire of the French legislator and courts to ensure the effectiveness of French international arbitration law in the interests of the parties.
The excellence of academics and practitioners in this field is combined with the constant commitment of the French legislator and courts to ensure the effectiveness of French international arbitration law in the interests of the parties.
In keeping with its tradition of excellence in international arbitration, as evidenced by decades of training offered to French-speaking students, Paris-Panthéon-Assas University now offers a world-class advanced University degree (DU) in the field, taught entirely in English. This programme is delivered by leading specialists in international arbitration, academics and practitioners alike (lawyers, counsels, arbitrators, quantum experts, managers of third-party funders, artificial intelligence researchers, etc.), based in Paris or in other major arbitration venues (London, Dubai, Singapore, etc.). Delivered in the heart of Paris, the LL.M. AWArDS bears its name well (Assas World Arbitration and Disputes Settlement).
In most areas of international business, the ability to comprehend and advise on complex issues related to both international arbitration and international litigation is no longer optional. It is increasingly essential: to be able to choose between a choice-of-court agreement and an arbitration clause in a particular business context; to determine how to engineer an investment to enable the investor to secure access to investment arbitration; to achieve a thorough command of the arbitral process from A to Z, including the intricacies of enforcing an award against a foreign State.
The programme covers both international commercial arbitration and investment arbitration. It combines the French perspective with a comparative law approach. The LL.M. also deepens other core aspects of dispute resolution mechanisms: mediation, negotiation, settlement agreements, international business litigation, etc.
Thus, the main objectives of the LL.M. AWArDS can be summarized for the benefit of its future students from all over the world to:
- Master the fundamental elements of both international commercial arbitration and investment arbitration, and to comprehend core aspects of international litigation
- Understand the peculiarities of the various fields of specialization within international arbitration, investment arbitration and international litigation
- Understand the place of each mechanism in the context of international dispute settlement
- Comprehend the relationship between arbitral proceedings and state or regional legal systems and courts
- Broaden the understanding of international arbitration from a comparative perspective, including with other dispute settlement mechanisms
- Become more familiar with the substantive and international aspects of certain legal regimes (international contract law, protection of foreign investments, etc.)
- Acquire indispensable knowledge from international arbitration and litigation practitioners (drafting clauses, briefs, pleadings, evidence, examinations and cross-examinations, establishing the quantum of damages, etc.).
- Understand the functioning and distinctive features of the main arbitration centres and their rules.
Involving academics and practitioners specialized in international arbitration, investment arbitration, and international litigation, as well as experts in various specialized fields of disputes before arbitral tribunals, the LL.M. is rooted in the richness of Paris as one of the world’s leading international arbitration venues, recognized as such globally. Its aim is to train students in the demanding realities of international arbitration law and practice, thanks to the expertise of renowned academics and practitioners.
The curriculum has been carefully crafted to strike the right balance between an academic approach that fosters and asserts students’ critical thinking skills in the field of international and investment arbitration and litigation, and a more empirical, practice-oriented approach that exposes future practitioners to the complex realities of this multifaceted discipline.
Fundamental courses taught throughout the academic year and semestrial optional courses exploring specific aspects of arbitration and litigation, coexist with highly focused classes built on a field-based (energy, mining, finance, M&A, etc.) or issue-based approach (evidence, complex proceedings, TPF, etc.).
Accordingly, the LL.M. AWArDS has been crafted to allow academics and practitioners to share their insights and expertise.
To achieve comprehensive training, students must also be placed in direct contact with the standards expected of young arbitration practitioners. Highly focused Workshops have therefore been designed to guide students through cross-examinations, oral advocacy, and the rigorous methodologies of damage assessment.
