In an attempt to improve student experience and to offer enhanced knowledge on post-graduate students' chosen field of study, Newcastle Law School is pleased to announce the re-structuring of its current LL.M. programmes. The purpose of the changes is to provide a wider selection of modules to prospective candidates that fall within their immediate academic and professional interests.
According to these changes, the LL.M. in International Business Law will replace the existing LL.M. in International Commercial Law, the LL.M. in Environmental Regulation and Sustainable Development will replace the existing LL.M. in Environmental Law and Policy, whilst the LL.M. in International Legal Studies will provide more specialised options to prospective LL.M. students.
A short description of the programmes:
LLM in International Business Law The Masters in International Business Law is designed to give students an advanced and critical understanding of some of the main elements of the public and private law framework in which international companies and other forms of business organisation operate. It examines the corporate legal form and the problems surrounding management and accountability of large, powerful multinational companies, their managers and owners. It considers alternative structures for doing business and raising finance for commercial enterprise and it explains the contractual dynamics of international trade and how best to manage contractual risk when selling and buying in different countries and different currencies as well as dispute resolution techniques when problems arise. A key component of the course involves understanding and debating the legal framework for global trade established by the World Trade organisation. When are subsidies, import and export quotas and tariffs fair and permissible measures that developing nations can employ and when are they illegal protectionist measures? What measures can a company or country take if it suspects it is doing business on a cross border basis with one hand tied behind its back? These courses all involve interesting questions about economic policy and geopolitics as well as technical questions of legal analysis and will provide invaluable insights to anyone with a genuine interest in working for internationally active businesses or indeed, for Government departments or regulatory bodies concerned with international business. Elective courses are also available in International Commercial Arbitration, International Credit and Secured financing, Intellectual Property law, public procurement law, competition law, banking regulation and supervision, legal aspects of money laundering and financial crime, foundations of public international law and the movement of persons in a global world.
LLM in Environmental Regulation and Sustainable Development This degree is aimed at students with an interest in environmental law and regulation and is designed to allow students to specialise in courses with particular relevance to environmental law. At least 60 credits must come from environmental law modules. By studying the LLM in Sustainable Development and Environmental Regulation, you will gain a greater understanding of the law and regulation relating to the environment. Students following this degree often have experience of working in the environmental field, although this is not a requirement. The degree is also ideal for students with non-law degrees who have an interest in gaining further understanding of environmental law and regulation. More specifically the programme will examine the national, European and international legal regimes and their effectiveness in achieving environmental protection and sustainable development; the legal responses to the economic, environmental and social challenges raised by some of the most pressing concerns facing humanity; the relationship between environmental regulation and other areas of law as well as policy, science, justice and trade.
LLM in International Legal Studies In an increasingly inter-dependent and globalised world where States, individuals and international organisations emerge as primary actors, International Legal Studies becomes a field of law of paramount significance in areas such as World Trade Law, Human Rights, Environmental Law and Business Law. This Masters programme aims to provide comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the nature, structure and function of the international legal system and how it influences strategic national and international policies, whether in times of war or in times of peace. It provides the essential knowledge for understanding the fundamental principles on which inter-State relations are based and it explores the relationship of States with various other actors such as individuals and international organisations. It provides a critical approach on contemporary challenges such as the role of foreign affairs in the protection of human rights, the use of nuclear weapons, the proliferation of legal regimes and institutions that have allegedly led to the fragmentation of international law, the resolution of international disputes and the promotion of international peace and security. It further examines the rights and responsibilities of individuals in an international context with an analysis of recent human rights atrocities such as war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity and the role of international criminal courts and tribunals, such as those trying Liberia’s former President Charles Taylor and Radovan Karadjic. This programme will be of particular value to those interested in pursuing a career in international organisations and non-governmental organisations, in the public and diplomatic sector as legal advisors, and law firms.
published on: 21st March 2011