LL.M. in Dispute Resolution University of Missouri School of Law

The LL.M. degree program consists of 24 credits hours of study and can normally be completed in a year, although a part-time option is available for domestic students in the LL.M. in Dispute Resolution program.

The highly selective nature of the programs allows students to individualize their plan of study in light of their specific needs and interests. Applicants come from a variety of walks of life and from a wide array of countries.

LL.M. in Dispute Resolution

Established in 1999 as the first of its kind in the United States, the Mizzou LL.M. in Dispute Resolution is designed to assist lawyers and other dispute resolution professionals develop a deeper and broader understanding of the role that conflict plays in society, and of better ways to manage conflict through the design and implementation of appropriate, effective and fair dispute resolution processes.

Required courses generally meet one day a week which allows students to complete the program on a part-time basis while continuing to work. Small enrollment in the classes provide all students with the opportunity to work closely with our extensive resident faculty which is comprised of some of the most prolific dispute resolution teachers and scholars in the country.

Over the years we have been fortunate to have a very diverse student body. Our graduates include practicing lawyers, dispute resolution professionals, judges, and professors in a variety of disciplines.

The program is designed to:

• Increase knowledge about the purposes and effects of various dispute resolution processes.
• Advance understanding of the interplay between traditional legal processes and other dispute resolution processes.
• Improve skills used by advocates and neutrals in dispute resolution processes.
• Promote understanding needed for the design of appropriate, effective, and fair dispute resolution processes in public and private organizations.
• Enhance understanding of professional and ethical responsibilities of neutrals in dispute resolution processes.
• Contribute to the development of theory, public policy, and professional ethics in the field of dispute resolution.

Is the LL.M. Program for me

The Master of Laws Program is appropriate for lawyers with varied backgrounds and interests, such as:

• Counsel for private and public organizations who represent clients and could help design systems for their organizations to handle regular disputes involving partners, customers, suppliers, and employees.
• Lawyers who want to administer public and private dispute resolution organizations, such as private dispute resolution firms, court-annexed dispute resolution programs, community mediation programs, or statewide offices of dispute resolution.
• Government lawyers who serve as administrative law judges or hearing officers or who are responsible for managing public participation processes.
• Lawyers who want to become legal academics focusing on dispute resolution.
• Lawyers who want to develop careers as mediators, arbitrators, trainers, and dispute resolution consultants.
• Advocates in private practice.
• Lawyers from abroad who are involved in designing dispute resolution processes in their own countries.