| ADVANCED TOPICS IN COMPETITION LAW AND ECONOMICS | LAW-M616 | 20 |
| Using the link between the Law School and the ESRC Centre for Competition Policy (CCP), this module utilises the cutting-edge research which is going on in the CCP. The module is convened by a law faculty member of the CCP and the convenor attends all the seminars, but the module involves the other law faculty members of the CCP as well as CCP research associates, post-docs and research students. The module is research-led, based around a number of recent research papers either by CCP members or others and interdisciplinary. The topics change year by year, depending on who on the faculty are involved and the interests of the students. Three or four different topics within competition law and economics are chosen for the semester. Each topic opens with an introductory lecture – by a faculty member who gives a thorough overview of the subject and the current state of research in that area, along with potential research avenues - followed by a general discussion of these issues in class. For the remaining seminars on that subject, there are two types of presentations for each subject: a CCP member presents a piece of his/her research to and a student presents a piece of research by a CCP member with the author in the audience. The second type of presentation is to be preceded by the author explaining the background to the paper, eg the choice of that particular subject, the choice of that particular methodology, etc. Both types of presentations are to be followed by a discussion of the paper in the class. Each student on the module presents a research paper, thereby determining the number of papers presented by a CCP member. The module will be open to research students who will be encouraged to participate. |
| COMPARATIVE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | LAW-M672 | 20 |
| This module examines the principal forms of corporate governance, control and regulation of the firm across countries. In particular, it introduces the key features of corporate governance and considers the legal relationship between directors, managers, and shareholders, including the contribution shareholder activism can make to improving corporate governance. The module also discusses the market for corporate control and the growing empirical research on comparative corporate governance. The overall purpose is to provide a theoretical and practical grasp of corporate governance, which can be useful for academic as all well as professional work in this field. |
| COMPETITION LAW IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY | LAW-M604 | 20 |
| This module examines the challenges of competition law enforcement in the international context. Key themes include: (1) Jurisdictional issues: the extraterritorial application of national competition laws, bilateral co-operation, harmonisation and soft-multilateralism, international law and the WTO; (2) Comparative insights: the manifestation of competition policy issues across a number of important national jurisdictions; (3) Advanced case studies: looking in detail at competition cases where a number of jurisdictions have been involved and where competition policy has intersected with other national and international policy agendas (in particular, trade and development policy). |
| CURRENT ISSUES IN EMPLOYMENT LAW | LAW-M630 | 20 |
| This module will be used to allow students to study in depth the major issues of topical importance in the Law relating to Contracts of Employment. This area of Law is constantly evolving, with employees' lawyers in particular looking for new ways to further their clients' interests, in relation to both substantive rights under the contract (eg in relation to implied terms), and remedies available to breach by the employer, during employment and on termination. In addition, topical issues arise with some regularity in relation to the very nature of 'employment'. These will be examined in this module from both a theoretical and practical standpoint. |
| CURRENT ISSUES IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW | LAW-M622 | 20 |
| This is a core (required) module on the ITIPL LLM course, and will provide students with an in-depth look at a number of current issues in intellectual property and information technology law. The relevant issues will change each year, but issues will be drawn from a wide variety of topics. Students will have an opportmoduley to consider how intellectual property law is challenged by these current issues, and to analyse its responses and proposed responses. Students must have either taken Introduction to IP Law or Information Technology Law in the Autumn term, or have demonstrated knowledge in either area. For students not taking the ITIP LLM, admission to the module will be at the discretion of the module organiser, and significant previous knowledge of intellectual property law will required. This module is COMPULSORY for the ITIP LLM. |
| DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT LAW | LAW-M18Y | 40 |
| This module examines the economic and social causes of discrimination in employment, the meaning of the concepts of “equality” and “discrimination”, and the substantive UK and EC Law concerning discrimination on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, racial or ethnic origin, disability, genetic inheritance, religion or belief, and age. Particular emphasis is placed on the impact of EC Law on the development of UK anti-discrimination law, on the difficulties of applying and enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and on future directions in discrimination law. This module carries 40 M-level credits. |
| DISSERTATION | LAW-M14X | 40 |
| This module is intended to give each student the opportunity to develop a research proposal and write a dissertation on a research question formulated by the student using the subject matter of the degree for which the student is enrolled. The purpose of the dissertation is for the student to demonstrate his or her ability to carry through an independent piece of work on a subject of his or her choice. |
| FOUNDATIONS OF EMPLOYMENT LAW | LAW-M17Y | 40 |
| This module aims to give students a basic knowledge of the history, sources and institutions of employment law and a good working knowledge of all the main employment law subject areas. Students will be able to consider the nature of the employment relationship and the economic, social and political factors influencing the development of UK employment law. The module carries 40 M-level credits. |
| FOUNDATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL LAW | LAW-MA1Y | 40 |
| This module forms the grounding of the International Commercial and Business Law and International Trade Law courses, and aims to introduce students to the essential foundational elements of international commercial law, not studied at undergraduate level. It aims to give students an understanding of what drives the law governing international commerce, the reasons for harmonisation of the law in the area, the institutions involved in the harmonisation process and the scope of that process. We examine the various ways in which harmonised instruments are created and the major problems and policy issues which have to be confronted. In doing so, we explore several areas of international commercial practice in which attempts have been made to harmonise or codify the law, and consider how successful these efforts have been, and ways in which the harmonisation process can be improved. |
| GLOBALISATION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW | LAW-M641 | 20 |
| This module will provide an introduction to intellectual property and the phenomenon of globalisation. It will concentrate on the international legal regime under the WTO TRIPs agreement, and specifically on how copyright law is governed by international conventions. The geographical focus will be Global. This module it open to all LAW PGT students and to interested students from other schools, subject to the module leader’s discretion. It does not assume any previous knowledge of intellectual property law. |
| INTERNATIONAL BANKING: LAW AND PRACTICE | LAW-M591 | 20 |
| This module will commence with an overview of the role of international banks, their products and global corporate customers leading into an examination of some of the important legal risks and issues which these transactions present including : English law as an express choice of applicable law and the use of exclusive English Courts jurisdiction clauses in international banking transactions , the methodology of local law legal opinions , syndicated lending transactions and the Loan Market Association model form documentation , the finance lease and asset finance techniques , legal issues arising out of contracts of corporate guarantee and a critique of the Bankers duties of secrecy in relation to anti money laundering regulations. |
| INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION | LAW-M610 | 20 |
| International arbitration has become the established method of determining disputes between international commercial businesses, with new arbitral centres emerging and the law and practice of international commercial arbitration evolving rapidly. This module examines the legal theory and practice of international commercial arbitration. The module’s thrust is on understanding the nature and operation of the arbitral process in the context of international commercial relationships, as a means of resolving disputes that arise in international commercial transactions. In addition to providing an overview of the arbitral process, the module also focuses on key problems and issues that arise in arbitral practice, such as the interaction and application of the various relevant laws, and the application and interpretation of the most important international legal instruments relevant to international commercial arbitration such as the New York Convention and the UNCITRAL Model Law. |
| INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL LITIGATION | LAW-M646 | 20 |
| This module will provide an introduction to the issues which arise in the litigation of commercial disputes on an international basis. It will cover the treatment of jurisdiction and applicable law in commercial disputes by reference mainly to UK and European legal sources, and introduce some of the principal features of the common law legal systems (UK and USA), as they apply to commercial cases. The module it open to all LAW PGT students. It is particularly relevant to students taking the ICBL or International Trade LLMs. |
| INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION LAW | LAW-M647 | 20 |
| Competition laws have been adopted in around 120 countries around the world over the last thirty years, and have become of great significance to international firms wishing to successfully merge or avoid costly punishment for anti-competitive conduct. This module is designed to allow an understanding of the core concepts of competition and the substantive law and procedure of competition law, in particular of the European Union, but also of other jurisdictions as relevant. Seminars will be built around the legal provisions and case law on each topic. Classes will investigate the means by which competition laws tackle such problems as cartels and anti-competitive agreements among undertakings, monopolies and the abuse of dominant positions, vertical agreements, merger control and state aid. Broader issues – such as remedies and enforcement strategies and wider questions of policy and regulatory design – will also be reviewed. |
| INTERNATIONAL OIL AND GAS LAW | LAW-M673 | 20 |
| This module examines the participants in international oil and gas transactions and the legal and contractual rules which govern exploration and production. It deals with the rights associated with the ownership and development of hydrocarbon reserves, and the types of agreements that can be entered into (such as concessions, production sharing, participation and service contracts). The module also explores the issues of risk, control and investment; and examines the impact of law and policy on the manner in which oil and gas development projects are negotiated and implemented. |
| INTERNATIONAL SALES LAW I - THE VIENNA SALES CONVENTION | LAW-M587 | 20 |
| This module focuses on a single, albeit very important, category of international trade, namely the international sale of goods. In particular it focuses on the ‘international’ rules and principles contained in the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and seeks to examine how the Convention regulates contracts and resolves any dispute to which it applies. |
| INTERNATIONAL SALES LAW II - THE ENGLISH LAW RELATING TO THE INTERNATIONAL SALE OF GOODS CARRIED BY SEA | LAW-M602 | 20 |
| This module explores the English law of international sales and aspects of the English law relating to the international carriage of goods by sea. The focus of the module will be on the sale and carriage of commodities, an area of practice in which English law remains pre-eminent with English law governing the vast majority of sales contracts concluded for such goods even where neither parties to the contract are UK nationals. So far as the carriage of goods by sea is concerned, there has been a considerable amount of international activity and there are currently three carriage of goods by sea conventions (known as the Hague, Hague Visby and the Hamburg Rules) which are in force around the world. The most important in practice are the Hague and Hague Visby Rules and the module will be examining these. However several states have ratified the Hamburg Rules and we will therefore have a look at these in passing in order to identify the main ways in which they differ from the Hague and Hague Visby Rules. |
| INTERNET LAW AND GOVERNANCE | LAW-M643 | 20 |
| Legal issues relating to Internet use are increasingly important. Students are introduced to the key principles of Internet law, including competing views on its status and its relationship with other legal principles. The question of the relationship between law and technology is also considered. Case studies of alternative forms of governance are explored, including international co-operation and stakeholder-driven processes, in the context of issues such as domain names, social networking and the regulation of Internet service providers. Current issues in Internet law are included on the syllabus each year, as is a primer on relevant aspects of Internet technology and history. |
| International Investment Law | LAW-M662 | 20 |
| Foreign direct investment refers to an investment made in a foreign jurisdiction to achieve a long term economic benefit. Almost 3000 treaties worldwide regulate foreign direct investment, and it is the interpretation of these treaties by arbitral tribunals, together with customary international law, which forms the basis of international investment law. This module examines the nature of international investment law and investor-State dispute resolution procedures, and looks at recent developments in the area. The module considers the policies underlying international investment law and how these impact upon the operation of international investment law in practice. |
| LAW AND PRACTICE OF INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL PAYMENTS | LAW-M671 | 20 |
| This module examines the law and practice relating to the different payment methods and mechanisms that may be adopted by commercial parties to discharge the payment obligations of international buyers of goods and services. The different payment mechanisms are analysed and compared, their fundamental characteristics identified and their advantages and disadvantages considered. These include direct payment by means of electronic funds transfer and bills of exchange systems, but the main focus of the module is on the most common terms of payment in international trade utilising the intervention of banks, that is to say, documentary collections and payment under documentary credits. We undertake a detailed examination of the most recent version of the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits (UCP 600). |
| MEDIA MARKETS AND REGULATION | LAW-M667 | 20 |
| This module compares the approach to regulation of communication markets in the EC to other jurisdictions, in particular the US. It also considers the application of competition law to media markets, including protecting the interests of media plurality. Content regulation being a matter principally of national law is considered from a comparative perspective. |
| MRES DISSERTATION | LAW-M18X | 60 |
| Dissertation - the code will vary according to which pathway you are taking. The final dissertation should not exceed 15,000 words (excluding abstract and bibliograhpy). All Dissertations are double-marked. You will be provided with a dissertation outline by your pathway school. |
| MRES DISSERTATION | LAW-M20X | 80 |
| Dissertation - the code will vary according to which pathway you are taking. The final dissertation should not exceed 15,000 words (excluding abstract and bibliograhpy). All Dissertations are double-marked. You will be provided with a dissertation outline by your pathway school. |
| POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN EMPLOYMENT LAW | LAW-M70X | 60 |
| This module is aimed principally at solicitors in practice and personnel managers/HR professionals (who will often already hold the CIPD qualification). It covers the whole of modern employment law from first principles, being taught in 11 fortnightly seminars and a 10,000 word dissertation, written under personal supervision. The aim is to teach both the major principles and the detailed applications, so that the candidate will be able to handle employment related problems with confidence. |
| POSTGRADUATE LEGAL SKILLS AND RESEARCH | LAW-M593 | 20 |
| This Module will be compulsory for all taught Law Masters Programmes and will be taught in the first two weeks of the first semester with combined assessment by way of attendance, course test and submission of a short coursework in the first semester. The aim of this module is to assist students in developing a number of core legal study skills needed during the LLM year (and thereafter). The Module will commence with a standard Induction Day followed by seminars on subjects such as Using electronic research resources, Plagiarism and how to avoid it and proper citation of Sources, The Role of Conflicts of Law and Comparative Law in international commercial law, Identifying and understanding sources of law: Reading and analysing legislation, cases and legal articles, Academic legal skills: Writing a coursework, assignment or project and Answering Problem Questions and Preparing for Exams. |
| PRACTICAL EMPLOYMENT LAW | LAW-M19Y | 40 |
| This module aims to give students the opportunity to acquire certain key skills of an employment law practitioner, including the drafting and varying of employment contracts, handling redundancies and business transfers, solving employment problems (e.g absence management issues) and the preparation & defence of employment tribunal claims. The module is assessed by means of two practical exercises, and some sessions are led by practising employment lawyers/employment relations experts. The module carries 40 M-level credits. |
| RESEARCH METHODS FOR LAW | LAW-M16Y | 20 |
| This advanced module, which is shared with LAW research students, is offered to students on taught LLM programmes who think they may wish to follow their LLM with a research degree such as a PhD, or who want to prepare for legal research over a broader range of techniques and at a significantly more advanced level than is provided for by the compulsory module, LAW-M593 POSTGRADUATE LEGAL SKILLS AND RESEARCH. Topics covered will include the identification of research questions, formulation of hypotheses for investigation, evaluation and selection of appropriate research designs and methodologies, data-gathering and analysis for socio-legal and socio-economic research, and the organisation, presentation and writing up of the completed research so as to best present its findings and demonstrate the justification for them. |
| TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER | LAW-M626 | 20 |
| Technology transfer agreements determine how patents and trade secrets may be licensed from one party to another, or shared between them in a collaborative venture. This practice-orientated module will introduce the student to issues of technology ownership and exploitation in a variety of contexts, and will examine typical provisions of national and international technology transfer agreements. No prior knowledge of intellectual property law is required. This module is taught using 'Problem-Based Learning' techniques. This module it open to all LAW PGT students and to interested students from other schools, subject to the module leader’s discretion. It does not assume any previous knowledge of intellectual property law and it is intended to be suitable for students on the ICBL LLM who would like to have some exposure to intellectual property in a commercial context. This module is OPTIONAL for the ITIP LLM. |
| TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT | LAW-M675 | 20 |
| This module will enable students: • To identify what amounts to a termination of employment and what legal mechanisms exist to maintain continuity of employment • To distinguish between contractual and statutory rules on termination • To enable students to identify situations where an employment relationship can or must be lawfully terminated • To understand the dual element of procedural and substantive unfairness in Unfair Dismissal • To be aware of remedies and enforcement in relation to both Wrongful and Unfair Dismissal claims |
| THE LAW AND PRACTICE OF INTERNATIONAL PROJECT FINANCE | LAW-M608 | 20 |
| This module will commence with an overview of the aims and objectives of International Project Finance transactions leading into an examination of some fundamental legal issues and risks which accompany a significant infrastructure project examining : the contractual nexus and roles and responsibilities , intercreditor transactions , the use of financial derivatives contracts and contracts of performance guarantees to manage risk including consideration of documentation terms , the background of insolvency risk and the use of securitisations to release profit as well as the issue of sovereign risk in relation to state participation in International Project finance. |
| THE LAW OF ELECTRONIC COMMERCE | LAW-M654 | 20 |
| The law of electronic commerce is concerned both with the application of existing legal concepts (such as contract formation, taxation, liability and consumer protection) to electronic business and transactions, but also with the development of new legal instruments (at national level, within the EU and internationally) and electronic money to deal with the e-commerce sector. Students explore a range of statutory and judicial approaches, including online dispute resolution (ODR), and also consider the legal and commercial challenges of ‘doing business online’. The module involves some practical, problem-based activities, but also more general questions of international harmonisation. |
| THE PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF PRIVACY AND REPUTATION | LAW-M598 | 20 |
| In the intrusive, multi-faceted world that exists today, with 24/7 media and an ever-expanding internet, the potential for damage to reputation and interference with privacy has never been greater. This module focuses on the various ways in which the law protects rights to reputation and privacy and examines ways in which the law can be used to manage reputations in this complex world. The module will focus on the law of defamation, the laws relating to the protection of privacy interests, and the developing interplay between law and technology. While the approach taken by English law will form a significant part of the module’s content, comparative study will also be made of the laws of America and other common law jurisdictions as well as the laws of the European Union and some specific European countries. |
| THEORY OF COMPETITIVE MARKETS | LAW-M660 | 20 |
| Theory of Competitive Markets covers the theory and reality of how markets with small numbers of firms function. Students will develop an appreciation of the effects the action of one firm can have on consumers and other firms, and how competition law and its enforcement responds to this. This is invaluable for those intending to work in competition law, whether in legal practice or beyond. |
| WORK-LIFE BALANCE | LAW-M613 | 20 |
| This module aims to enable students to: • achieve a sound knowledge and understanding of UK and EC anti-discrimination law • understand the conceptual basis of UK and EC anti-discrimination law, and to identify the different meanings of "equality" and "discrimination" • understand the economic and social causes of discrimination • identify the weaknesses in current UK and EC anti-discrimination law and to consider ways in which the law might be improved • identify the gaps in the coverage of UK and EC anti-discrimination law and to consider whether, and if so how, those gaps might be addressed |
Fees for the academic year 2013/2014 will be: