LL.M International Business Law

Rationale and Philosophy

The LL.M International Business Law meets the current demand for specialist knowledge and skills in the rapidly expanding fields of international commercial and business law. It provides students with the opportunity to explore, in-depth, the legal regulation of the world of international business. Academically rigorous, the LL.M will expose students to a practical real-world application of the law.

The LL.M is taught by an outstanding team of professional research active staff who have extensive practice and academic experience. The programme aims to enhance knowledge and critical thinking in this area.

The programme provides advanced critical analysis of the key themes and emerging challenges facing businesses, in a global context such as in international/global business environments and innovation and enterprise.

Why study with us?

• 100% student satisfaction in the 2018 National Student Survey;
• Competitive tuition fees payable in interest-free monthly instalments;
• State of the Art Online proprietary technology;
• Practical and innovative curriculum;
• Comprehensive access to online legal libraries (LexisNexis and Westlaw);
• International Faculty graduated from some the Top Law Schools;

Programme Outline

Tutors teaching on this programme are legal professionals with a wealth of experience in both academic theory and the practical application of those theories.

Professor David Costa, Dean of the Robert Kennedy College, who will be leading the transnational business law module, has extensive experience international law, including doctoral studies at the Law faculty of the University of Basel, Switzerland, post-graduate studies in U.S. law at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and the University of Northumbria at Newcastle Law School. Additionally, Prof. Costa is a regular guest as a market strategist on international TV networks such as CNBC and Bloomberg television.

Students in the LL.M programme will have access to state of the art legal libraries such as LexixNexis and Westlaw.

Core

• Advanced Legal Skills
• Transnational Business Law
• Contracts and International Trade Law
• International ADR
• Individual Dissertation

Module Descriptions

There are no average modules within our LL.M in International Business Law programme. We are committed to providing an exceptional learning experience, and there is no better way to achieve this than with outstanding modules. They have been carefully crafted by experienced professors and are all intended to make you a more successful and efficient legal professional.

There are no old-fashioned exams. Instead, you are given real-life case studies to work on and essays to write, which allow you to think critically about current legal issues that might be directly relevant to your own career. All this might seem too glossy but there is one catch: we do not accept average candidates. Only individuals as outstanding as our values are accepted for admission to Robert Kennedy College.

Induction

Not-for-credit module

A not-for-credit induction module will be the starting point of the programme. The induction process is designed to familiarise you with the programme design, requirements and resources, as well as with the way that the online interaction, learning and grading will take place. After the induction you will be familiar with academic life, including academic writing, library services and library access, the OnlineCampus access, and academic support services.

Advanced Legal Skills ^LAWS7100

This module, which is compulsory for all LLM students, provides an opportunity for students to develop core skills in legal research. Expert guidance is provided in locating and using international law sources especially electronic sources. Particular attention is also paid to analysis of legal texts, reasoning skills, presenting research, both orally and in writing and appropriate referencing.

Transnational Business Law ^LAWS7123

The aim of this module is to provide students with a sound understanding of different issues in transnational business law. This survey of transnational business law will cover several topics including transnational lawyering, the international legal environment, international tax law, transnational sales, agency & distribution agreements, mergers & acquisitions and joint ventures.

Through the analysis of both the case law and sample agreements emphasis will be placed on practical issues in a range of transnational legal problems relevant to both legal practitioners and international managers.

Contracts and International Trade Law ^LAWS7124

The aim of this module is to provide an appreciation of the laws governing the trading of goods on the international marketplace. To examine the development and influence of the laws governing such export trading, legal relationships between the parties, the nature of the particular types of contracts and the rights and liabilities that arise.

International Alternative Dispute Resolution ^LAWS7104

The purpose of this module is to familiarise students with a wide range of dispute resolution processes as alternatives to conventional forms of adjudication and their impact on legal system. The module will equip you with basic tools which can help you in representing your client in an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process, primarily in mediation. The module in particular aims to form ones own approach to help clients and society select and employ the most effective, just, and humane methods of dispute resolution. The module will cover a wide range of jurisdictions where ADR is possible, developing a comparative standpoint and focusing more on the broad area of commercial disputes. ADR is a truly interdisciplinary field comprising law, social science, economics, psychology and others. However, the module is primarily designed for lawyers and experts directly involved in resolution of legal disputes. ADR is also a newly emerging and vibrant area of scholarship where it is impossible to give simple “yes” or “no” answers to most questions. Therefore the module will employ critical thinking and an open discussion approach.

Dissertation ^LAWS7122

This dissertation module aims to enable students to provide a major piece of summary evidence as to the student’s understanding of a topic selected from the optional topics offered on the international business law degree or on the advanced information technology law degree, depending on the programme of study of the student.

It will provide an opportunity for the students to demonstrate how they can synthesise their acquired knowledge and skills into an analytical or empirical study of a legal topic relevant to their degree.

Aims and Outcomes

The programme aims to provide students with a rigorous academic experience whilst also developing innovative methods of delivery, particularly in the use of technology enhanced learning. Much emphasis is placed on ‘deep’ learning whereby learners grasp and apply principles to different contexts and experiences. Skill usage is integrated with subject knowledge, and skill and subject coverage is designed to be incremental. Methods of innovative delivery use pedagogical approaches such as active learning from quizzes and experiments, role play and debates, enquiry-based learning and interactive learning using group discussions and clinical legal education methods.

Students are encouraged to critically reflect critically on their skills development in order to develop their ability to make sound professional judgments. This allows students to actively apply and integrate the theory of law with legal and professional skills.

The overall aims of the programme are:

1. To provide an advanced understanding of the corporate and legal responsibilities and governance in an international business context.
2. To provide opportunities for the systematic development of the skills of objective analysis, evaluation and presentation to enable students to further develop confidence in effectively appraising and implementing market strategies in the context of international business law.
3. To develop an ability to apply knowledge and understanding of business law in relation to complex issues affecting global trade and corporate governance, both systematically and creatively, to improve business and management practice.
4. To provide a stimulating academic environment, rooted in the experiences of the student, but firmly based upon the values of academic openness and critical appraisal.
5. To explore and develop a comprehensive understanding of academic theory in order to inform and improve current business and commercial and legal practice in an international business context.
6. To critically apply ‘action based learning’ in the form of experiential activities and enable students to develop and manage solutions to complex circumstances, whilst analysing the impact this will have on the organisation with an emphasis on the international business context.