LLM In International Business & Commercial Law Programme

The module is designed to provide students with knowledge and skills related to the law and practice of international arbitration. Students will benefit from the combination of instruction on theoretical and practical aspects of arbitration procedure and will have the opportunity to develop their skills in a range of simulated transactions and a moot court session.

The aim of this module is to enable students to understand the theory and practice of international arbitration. Students will develop an understanding of the main principles of both international commercial and investment arbitration and how these systems of dispute resolution are employed in the international business environment. The module will also focus on issues such as the law of contracts, corruption and negotiation techniques in the context of international dispute resolution.

Students will develop skills and a critical appreciation of international arbitration rules and procedures. In particular, the students will participate in a series of workshops involving simulated transactions and hearings where they will both assimilate, attempt, develop and practice the skills of international dispute resolution required as practitioners. The students will also develop practical skills related to the preparation of written submissions and orally presenting arguments during a moot court session.

The module is designed to provide students with knowledge of the rules and principles which apply to resolve questions of private international law or the conflict of laws in international commercial litigation. Students will benefit from ‘problem-focused’ classes, which examine some of the key contemporary issues in commercial litigation, drawing on the research interests of the teaching team.

The sources of the module are international in nature. The focus will gradually expand from the law which applies in England, including common law and European Union elements, and will then turn to international conventions. Comparisons will also be drawn with the approaches taken in other legal systems, particularly the United States, Australia and Canada.

Students will develop an understanding of the main principles of both litigation and mediation, and how these forms of dispute resolution are used in international business environment.

This module is of relevance to those seeking to practice commercial law in any jurisdiction. It is not just litigation lawyers who need to understand these issues – transactional lawyers also need to understand and advise on litigation risk when drafting and negotiating contracts.

This module examines the practical and theoretical issues involved in business organizations trading across jurisdictions. The aim of this module is to enable students to understand the theory and practice of corporate law and governance in international business. Students will develop an understanding of the nature of the corporation, various forms of conducting business, good corporate governance, and the interaction between shareholders, directors and officers of a corporation. The module will also focus on issues such as corruption and privatization. Students will develop skills and a critical appreciation of international business law in the international context. The course will enable students to embark on careers in the legal sector with an international dimension.

The module is designed to provide essential of how an increasingly globalized economy requires commercial law to meet a variety of challenges, from the transactional to the regulatory to dispute resolution, and from shipping to finance to access to markets.

The module is a study of the law of commerce from an international perspective. It will identify key characteristics of international contracts and trade in goods. The aim of this module is to enable students to understand the theory and practice of international commercial law. Students will develop an understanding of the nature of merchants in the international context, of core principles of contract and tort law, as well as the sale of goods and dispute resolution. The module will also focus on shipping and maritime law.

The students will also be introduced to key concepts of shipping and maritime law and to mechanisms available for the resolution of commercial disputes. It will also explore the principles of insurance and EU law. The module will also touch on the laws of other common law and civil law jurisdictions. This will give students a critical comparative law approach to international commercial law.

This module provides a thorough basis for Masters level research methods. The module is free-standing but links easily with the subsequent or concurrent preparation of your dissertation. The module addresses core content areas appropriate to research in a legal context and supports participants to achieve appropriate levels of competence in these areas. It will be equally relevant to all participants who wish to broaden their armory of research tools and deepen their understanding of issues relating to legal, financial and economic research – whether that is for work-related purposes or in support of further academic work.

The Dissertation provides the student the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of a particular subject area by the completion of an extended piece of self-managed research. The aim of the dissertation is to develop and test the student’s ability to conceptualize, appraise and critically evaluate a significant topic in the field of legal issues relating to financial and commercial transactions in an international arena and through a process of research. It will involve conducting both primary and secondary research in the chosen topic/discipline area and presenting the research and its findings in the form of a 15,000-word dissertation.

Submission of dissertations will be one year after the start of the program for full-time students and after two years for part-time students. Thus, if you are a September start it will be 31st August, if a February start, it will be 30th April the following year. During the induction at the start of the program, students will be advised on the requirement of a dissertation. Throughout the year, they will meet with a dissertation tutor for a total of 5 hours of supervision. At the start of their course, all students will undertake the Research Methodology Module and then will additionally have the summer (if commencing the Dissertation in February) or spring (if commencing the Dissertation in September) period free to work exclusively on the dissertation.