LL.M. AWArDS (Assas World Arbitration and Disputes Settlement)

Overview

Paris is at the heart of the world of international arbitration, both in terms of international commercial arbitration and investment arbitration. In 2023-2024, LLM AWArDS’ candidates come from China, Brazil, Georgia, Germany, Greece, the Philippines, Turkey, as well as from three US partner law schools (Duke Univ., Georges Washington Univ., University of Virginia).

In keeping with its tradition of excellence in international arbitration, as evidenced by the training offered for decades 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 training is provided by the best specialists in international arbitration, whether academics or practitioners (lawyers, counsels, arbitrators, quantum experts, managers of third-party funders, artificial intelligence researchers, etc.), based in Paris or in other important 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).

Senior Leadership:	Prof. Malik LAAZOUZI
Programme name:	LL.M. Assas World Arbitration and Dispute Settlement (LL.M. AWArDS)
Awarding body:	degree is awarded by Paris-Panthéon-Assas University
Level:	Postgraduate
Duration:	302 hours
Location:	Paris (Institut de droit comparé and Law firms)
Delivery mode:	Full-time
Study method:	Face-to-face & online
Intake:	September

Teaching & Structure

The LL.M. AWArDS combines the excellence of academics and practitioners in the field of international and investment arbitration (lawyers, counsels, arbitrators, quantum experts, managers of third-party funders, artificial intelligence researchers, etc.).

Courses are delivered in the heart of Paris (at the Institut de droit comparé and at prominent law firms).
The program covers both international arbitration and investment arbitration. It combines the French perspective with a comparative approach. It also deepens other core aspects of dispute resolution mechanisms: mediation, negotiation, settlement agreements, international business litigation, etc.

Core objectives:

• To master the fundamental elements of both international arbitration and investment arbitration.
• To comprehend the relationship between arbitral proceedings and state courts.
• To broaden the understanding of international arbitration from a comparative perspective.
• To acquire the indispensable knowledge from international arbitration and litigation practitioners (drafting clauses, briefs, pleadings, evidence, examinations and cross-examinations, establishing the quantum of damages, etc.)
• To understand the functioning and distinctive features of the main arbitration centres and their rules.

The LL.M. program is offered in Paris, one of the most prominent international arbitration venues, internationally recognized as such.

The curriculum achieves the proper balance between an academic approach and a more empirical and practical approach to confront students, as prospective arbitration practitioners, with the complex realities of this multifaceted field of practice.

Admission

Academic year: September 2025 – April 2026

Entry requirements

The course is open to advanced students and to lawyers seeking to increase their knowledge and strengthen their skills in international arbitration and international business dispute settlement in an international environment.

Selection procedure

The LL.M. AWArDS is a demanding program taught to a limited number of students as to allow interactive teaching.

Therefore, the expected class will comprise between 20 to 30 students, making the LL.M. AWArDS’ selection process very competitive.

Prospective students

The selected students will either be:

• Holders of Master’s degree in Law awarded by a non-French University (or equivalent) (for example, in business law, contract law or civil business law, private international law or international trade law) and wishing to further develop their grasp of the law of international arbitration ;
• USA, Australia (etc) : Students who are enrolled in or have completed their 2nd or 3rd year of legal training (JD) ;
• Practitioners or academics with at least two years’ experience, wishing to acquire new skills outside their current field of activity or wishing to further their training in their current field of business ;
• Students admitted under a specific partnership concluded between Panthéon-Assas university and a foreign university.

The selection will be made on the basis of an application file, if necessary, after an interview (including by videoconference).

English Proficiency

The excellent command of English of applicants, whose mother tongue is not English or who have not obtained previously a university degree taught in English, will be established by the presentation of either the:

• TOEFL test: 100 for the internet version (iBT) of the test (with 25 for each section); 600 for the paper version (PBT) of the test (with 60 for each section and 5 for the Test of Written English), and 250 for the computer-based test. This test should not be more than 2 years old
• IELTS test: 7.5
• C2 Proficiency test: 200.

This English proficiency requirement could be waived if the candidate establishes a two-year work experience in English or a full-time university curriculum in English.

LL.M. Fees

Tuition fees: EUR 20,000.
This amount does not include transport, food or accommodation.

Application: exclusively via Internet

Required documents

Please prepare the following documents to be uploaded during the application process:

• An up-to-date résumé (CV)
• Photocopy of your passport(s)
• One (preferably two) reference letter(s) from academics or practitioners
• Copies of all university official grade transcripts, degrees and diplomas, and an officially certified translation of those documents if not written in English
• A personal statement explaining your interest in international arbitration and dispute settlement and how it is related to your past field of studies and your professional prospects.

There is no application fee.

Application Decision

On average 20 working days after the submission of the application form.

For more information, you can send a request to our Admissions Team.