International Trade and Commercial Law

Entry requirements

A good 2:1 degree (or its equivalent) in law, or in a degree in which law is a major component.

Months of entry

October

Course content

International trading takes place across the world with increasing levels of speed and complexity. Our LLM in International Trade and Commercial Law will provide you with the skills to participate fully in this fascinating and fast-moving area of global business activity.

You will gain an in-depth knowledge of legal practice from an international perspective on the rules governing commercial and business transactions, including tax laws, banking regulations, intellectual property law, dispute resolution and insolvency as well as learn about international sales and investment.

The full-time course is taken over one year and is delivered through taught modules in the first two terms, with the final term spent completing a dissertation on a related subject of your choice. The course is structured to offer a great deal of flexibility in terms of module choice, allowing you to tailor your learning to your interests and career aspirations.

You will learn in a relaxed and supportive environment through a combination of lectures and small, student-led seminar or tutorial groups. Lectures will introduce topics and the relevant principles and debates, providing a framework by which to develop your knowledge through individual research, and followed up with further discussions in seminars.

The Law School has developed a globally recognised reputation for expertise in matters relating to all aspects of international law including international trade and commercial laws and for innovative and significant research activity. The Institute of Commercial and Corporate Law is based in the Law School and as a student you will have the opportunity to extend your knowledge of the subject through attending events and lectures hosted by the Institute.

Core modules

Applied Research Methods in Law provides a framework to assess possible research topics and create a detailed proposal in consultation with a prospective supervisor that meets the standards criteria required of a dissertation. You will gain specialised knowledge of a range of law-related research methods focusing on their relative strengths and weaknesses. You will also develop the skills and training to find primary and secondary sources for research, develop an understanding of producing written work, develop presentation skills and improve your understanding of the various forms legal analysis can take.

The Dissertation is based on an area of particular interest in an area of International Trade and Commercial Law and can be of one of three lengths – 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 words. Depending on the length chosen, the dissertation is equivalent to 2, 2.5 or 3 modules.

Depending on the dissertation length and prior subject knowledge, you can choose a number of subject specific optional modules (* indicates half modules) which in previous years have included:

• Advanced Issues in Corporate Law*
• Advanced Issues in International Economic Law
• Advanced Issues of International Intellectual Property Law*
• Advanced Law of Obligations
• China and the International Legal Order*
• Commercial Fraud*
• Comparative Corporate Governance
• Competition Law
• Consumption Tax Law and Policy*
• Corporate Compliance*
• Corporations in an EU Context
• Cross-border Commercial Litigation
• Current Issues in Commercial Law
• Electronic Commerce*
• Fundamentals of Corporate Law*
• Global Financial Law
• International and Comparative Corporate Insolvency Law*
• International Banking Law
• International Commercial Dispute Resolution
• International Investment Law*
• International Sales Law
• International Tax Law*
• International Trade Law and Policy
• Introduction to Corporate Governance*
• Introduction to Corporate Insolvency Law*
• Introduction to Intellectual Property Law*
• Law of Oil and Gas Contracts*
• Mergers and Acquisitions*
• Multinational Corporations and Human Rights*
• Private International Law and China*
• Renewable Energy Law*
• Securities Law and Capital Markets
• US Business Association

Your remaining options can be chosen from a wider selection of law modules (* indicates half modules) which have previously included:

• Advanced Issues in Human Rights*
• Comparative and Transnational Law*
• Current Issues in International Law
• Free Speech Problems in International and Comparative Perspective*
• Frontiers in Biolaw*
• Fundamental Issues in International Legal Governance*
• Fundamentals of International Law*
• Global Environmental Law*
• Global Institutions
• Horizontal Human Rights*
• International Counter Terrorism: Theory and Practice*
• International Humanitarian Law
• International Perspectives on Law and Gender*
• International Protection of Human Rights
• Introduction to EU Law*
• Introduction to International Criminal Justice
• Law of the Sea
• Medical Law and Ethics*
• Protection of Human Rights in Europe
• Takeover Regulation in the EU*
• International Law of Peace and Security
• International Perspectives in Cartel Control*
• The Law of Subsidy and State Aid Control*
• Current Issues in International Law and Governance*
• US Corporate Law*
• Modules offered by another Board of Studies (subject to approval)

Information for international students

If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

Fees and funding

For further information see the course listing.