Ramūnas Audzevičius studied the PG Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration in 2012 and the LLM in International Dispute Resolution and Economic Law in 2015. He is now Managing Partner and co-head of dispute resolution practice at Motieka & Audzevičius (Vilnius, Lithuania).
This was an easy choice. CCLS is a powerhouse in international arbitration. It has hands-down the best arbitration school in Europe, if not globally. It has the largest school in terms of the high-end multinational academic staff specialising in arbitration and outstanding connections with other high-profile institutions.
The vast majority of our Vilnius Arbitration team have graduated from CCLS. Some did or are currently pursuing their PhDs at QMUL, some did LLMs in London, some in Paris. One of our team members even teaches arbitration there.
Out of my fondest memories, I mostly value the way the teaching staff accepts you into their arbitration family. Every time I meet Prof. Maxi Scherer, Prof. Loukas Mistelis, Prof. Stavros Brekoulakis, or Dr Remy Gerbay, they manage to find time to catch up. They are always friendly and warm. It makes you feel like CCLS is much more than a school. It is a close community.
As noted above, for me, it’s about having a sense of belonging. It is very strong dispute resolution community behind you. Of course, I am growing by learning. But education is just one of the aspects of the LLM. When choosing a university, I always look for more than just knowledge. Networking and related opportunities are very important.
I work with arbitration every single day: as a counsel, as an arbitrator, as an expert or as the strategic adviser. CCLS opened new horizons for me personally. It changed the way I look at the case strategy and at the entire story-telling process.
I am also certain that some of my appointments or instructions happened because of the CCLS experience and the network.
If you plan on practicing international arbitration CCLS is the school to choose. Simple as that. There are many other excellent universities which specialise in other areas, but in terms of international arbitration – QM is No. 1.