International Commercial Law

International commercial law is the fastest growing and most internationally orientated area of legal practice, and employers increasingly seek staff who have specialised in the discipline. LLM in Commercial Law graduates will be equipped with the key skills and essential specialist knowledge to be valuable resources to employers in legal practice, business or commerce. Staff at Stirling are leading figures in their respective fields and several have professional and academic experience both in the UK and abroad. To enhance the business connection of the degree, you can take a limited number of MBA modules alongside Law modules.

Stirling School of Law is based in the beautiful and historic Airthrey Castle

Programme Objectives

The objectives of the LLM in International Commercial Law are to:

• Provide you with an advanced knowledge and understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of Commercial Law, and the skills required in practice
• Develop your appreciation of the international dimensions of Commercial Law
• Develop your capacity to understand, critically assess and provide practical solutions to problems of the type commonly encountered in International Commercial Law
• Provide you with knowledge, understanding and skills at LLM level, appropriate to careers in International Commercial Law or areas which it affects
• Provide the basis for progression to PhD level study

Entrance Requirements

Applicants normally require a good Honours degree, or equivalent academic or professional qualification.

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of your proficiency such as a minimum IELTS score of 6 (minimum 5.5 in each skill), or TOEFL: Listening 21, Reading 22, Speaking 23, Writing 21.

Funding

information on possible sources of funding

Modes of Study

Full-time: one year

Programme Start Date

September or February

Structure and Content

The programme consists of six to eight taught modules (three law modules or two law MBA modules each semester). You will also write a 10,000-word dissertation over the period 1 June to middle of August.

The taught modules (from the list below) will run each year. Although every effort will be made to ensure that as many modules as possible will be available, it is not possible to guarantee that every module will be available in any given year:

• Legal Research Methods: This module will cover online resource training, theoretical research, as well as social and legal and empirical research methods
  
• Law of International Commercial Arbitration: Focuses on the key aspects of the law of international commercial arbitration, such as theories of arbitration, arbitration agreements, the role of arbitrators, arbitration proceedings, issues arising from the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards
• Law of International Trade: Focuses on contracts for the sale and carriage of goods, marine insurance, methods of payment and dispute resolution
• Comparative Financial Regulation: Key aspects of UK and US financial regulation
• Competition Law: Analysis of Competition Law at UK, EC and international levels.  Emphasis will be placed on agreements, dominance, abusive practices and merger
• Information Technology Law: The impact of computers and the internet on the laws of the UK, EU and US, focusing on electronic contracting, intellectual property rights in computer software and hardware and data protection
  
• Intellectual Property Law: The law relating to intellectual property, focusing on the concepts of patent, copyright, trademarks, privacy and freedom of speech
• Insurance Law and Regulation: Analysis of the principles of English insurance law and regulation in the UK with reference to other countries’ systems. This includes looking at the UK government’s proposals for reform
• Law of Banking and Finance: Core legal aspects of banking and the financing of international trade regulation in the UK and EU together with an International perspective.
• Employment Law: Employment law in the UK and the EU, focusing on contracts of employment, equality and  pay, discrimination, maternity, paternity and parental leave, working time and the minimum wage, redundancy and dismissal.
• Environmental Law: The substantive and theoretical aspects of the legal regulation of the environment, focusing on UK and EU law, but with comparative discussion of US law in some areas
• European Union Law: Analysis of EU law, focusing on institutions, sources, application and enforcement in member states, freedom of movement of persons, goods and establishment and social policy
• Sports Law: The key themes of the sports law module include athletes' freedom of movement under European law; transfer fees, player quotas and salary caps; stadium safety and 'football hooligans'; civil liability for participants' injuries; issues of 'race', sex and disability discrimination; legal perspectives on doping and performance-enhancing drug use.
  

Delivery and Assessment

Teaching is delivered via a combination of lectures and seminars. Assessment is by class tests, essays, student presentations and final examinations which take place at the end of each semester. The coursework assessment methods and format of final examinations vary according to the specific requirements of each module. Every effort is made to develop key transferable skills in the delivery of teaching and the design of assessments.

Timetable

Contact the School for information on your timetable and reading lists.

RAE Rating

In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), 70 percent of research at the School of Law was of international quality, and the remainder was judged to be at national quality.

Career Opportunities

Graduating with an LLM in Commercial Law will significantly improve your knowledge and understanding of this key subject and will enhance your attractiveness to employers.