Growing up in post-war Kosovo had always been Rea Kryeziu’s ’15, motivation for uplifting her community through the law. After participating in an international arbitration competition in Vienna while pursuing her undergraduate degree, Kryeziu knew she wanted to study alternative dispute resolution to help build the new legal system in her home country.
“The legal system in Kosovo has undergone many transitions in the past two decades and especially ever since Kosovo’s independence back in 2008,” Kryeziu said. “Today, the system runs more smoothly, cases are resolved quicker and enforcement officers carry quite a big load of work. The improvements are evident, but of course there is always room to increase the use of ADR mechanisms so that many cases don’t go through the traditional legal routes.”
After completing her LLM in dispute resolution at Mizzou Law, Kryeziu says that the skills she learned in the program touch her life every day.
“I put into practice things I have learned at Mizzou frequently,” Kryeziu said. “From an office setting negotiation all the way to a family debate, Mizzou has left imprints on who I am today and how I accept and address each matter.”
On top of the practical skills and knowledge she acquired through the program, Kryeziu said she has fond memories of her year in Columbia, from engaging in lively classroom debates to learning international law concepts over cookies and tea in her professor’s office.
“I was so encouraged by everyone around me,” Kryeziu said. “It gave me the final push towards doing something I had thought about for a long time.”
Her time at Mizzou also inspired Kryeziu to earn a law degree after returning to Kosovo.
“I began my LLM studies at Mizzou with a bachelor’s degree in public policy and management with a minor in legal studies, Kryeziu said. “I was not a lawyer. Even though I lacked the degree in law, I had previously competed in the VIS Moot competition and had become very interested in ADR ever since. Once at Mizzou, I was very motivated to get my degree in law and did so after returning home.”
Kryeziu is currently working in litigation within the banking industry in her native Kosovo, but plans to return to academia to earn a doctoral degree in international arbitration. Last year, she was appointed on the roster of Arbitrators at the Permanent Tribunal of Arbitration at the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce.
Kryeziu said that her time at Mizzou changed her perspective on argumentation and advised other students with an interest in arbitration and mediation to take advantage of the LLM program.