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As a lawyer, conflict frames everything you do, whether you’re heading into court on behalf of an individual or addressing contractual or copyright issues among organizations in a conference room. At the same time, you act as an advocate, striving to achieve an optimal outcome for your client.
For every case, you do your research and develop your defense. Now face your next meeting with refined arbitration and mediation skills, courtesy of Mizzou Online's Master of Laws (LLM) in Dispute Resolution program.
All lawyers, regardless of specialty, benefit from anticipating and handling disagreements as they arise and strategically guiding all involved parties toward a consensus. This fully online LLM program equips existing practitioners, as well as select government and industry professionals, to direct negotiations, effectively listen to all arguments and architect solutions that either serve all interests equally or steer the decision toward their client’s favor.
About the Online LLM in Dispute Resolution Program
Earning a JD and passing the bar exam represent a major feat for aspiring legal professionals. Yet, once they’re practicing in the field, they find that their education has just begun regarding client management, dealing with defendants and striving toward fair settlements.
The School of Law at Mizzou recognized a need for continuing education for licensed legal professionals and launched its master of laws in dispute resolution program in 1999 in response. As the first of its kind, Mizzou’s LLM program has only grown since then, extending specialized learning opportunities to legal and other professionals across the globe interested in exploring the role of conflict in society and the best ways to manage it.
From this foundation, the LLM program has flourished into a hub of dispute resolution scholarship. Here, lawyers, government officials and industry workers acquire a more advanced understanding of mediation, negotiation and arbitration tactics from the subject matter experts and researchers shaping the field’s direction. Now, you can be a part of this same groundbreaking program through Mizzou Online, engaging from wherever you are to further your career.
Students delve into:
- The structure, role and desired outcomes of various dispute resolution processes.
- How mediation, negotiation and other dispute resolution strategies overlap with other legal processes.
- The dispute resolution skills used by advocates and neutrals and how they create fair, effective and appropriate discussions within public and private organizations.
- The ethical and professional responsibilities of dispute resolution professionals in and out of the legal field.
- The importance of advancing theory and public policy in relation to mediation, arbitration and similar methods.
Quick facts
Official name
Master of laws in dispute resolutionCampus
Program type
Master's degreeAcademic home
School of LawDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning Commission, American Bar AssociationCredit hours
24Estimated cost
$21,950.40*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
Career prospects
The University of Missouri School of Law gears this online master’s in dispute resolution program to juris doctor (JD)-holding practicing lawyers committed to upholding justice and building balanced relationships — whether between individuals, organizations or policymakers. A customizable curriculum broadens professionals’ existing knowledge base in preparation for academic careers and diversifies how they fight for their clients.
Beyond this scope, the program empowers mediation, arbitration and conflict resolution professionals in private or public organizations who want to expand their legal foundation.
Related career outcomes include:
- Designing better dispute systems involving partners, customers, suppliers and employees
- Overseeing a public or private dispute resolution organization or related internal operations
- Shifting from practicing law to an academic career in dispute resolution
- Representing clients as a mediator or arbitrator
- Helping organizations work through internal conflicts as a dispute resolution consultant or trainer
Program structure
The online master of laws in dispute resolution program consists of 24 credit hours, all completed through asynchronous course work and group projects. No campus visits are required.
Within this framework, all candidates begin with 12 credits of required courses and then customize their plan of study to their field, interest or career goals through electives.
The typical online LLM student attends the program part time, taking two classes per semester to finish in two years.
Course work includes
The online master’s in dispute resolution program introduces students to:
- Arbitration laws, policy and practices in the United States.
- Dispute resolution system design, principles and management.
- Negotiation and mediation theories, strategies and skills.
- Non-binding methods of dispute resolution.
- Cross-cultural dispute resolution.
- Conflict management.
- Dispute resolution in the digital age.
Review all requirements for the online LLM in dispute resolution program.
Delivery
100% onlineCalendar system
Semester-basedTypical program length
2 yearsTypical course load
2 classes per semesterAccreditation
The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The MU School of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association. The School of Law is a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools.
Faculty spotlight
Ladehoff is currently director of the Campus Mediation Service and is director of the LLM in dispute resolution program. He is a 1994 graduate of the UNL College of Law and litigated environmental cases for the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to coming to Mizzou, he was executive director of the Central Mediation Center in Kearney, Nebraska.
Lee specializes in the fields of international dispute resolution, and law and society in East Asia. He earned his JD from Boston College Law School and has experience in private practice at Cravath, Swaine & Moore (New York) and Kim & Chang (Seoul, Korea). Lee has taught law across the world — from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, to Cornell University and Pepperdine University in the U.S.