Buckinghamshire New University

The University

Buckinghamshire New University offers a very attractive and highly convenient base for your studies. High Wycombe has all the usual amenities you would expect from a thriving modern town. For travel in and out of High Wycombe, there are fast and regular trains, with journey times of less than 40 minutes into central London. The campus, located moments from the heart of High Wycombe, offers a range of excellent study facilities including lecture theatres, a library, up-to-the-minute specialist equipment and the Students’ Union. The campus is brand new with state-of-the-art facilities. If you join us, you will benefit from these exciting developments.

The Law School

The Law School at Bucks New University has been delivering law degrees for many years. This year we are embracing the demand for postgraduate law courses with this master's degree programme, and a graduate diploma in law.

The Program

Duration: one year
Start date: September
Campus: High Wycombe
Attendance: full-time

This is a one-year full-time postgraduate law course, leading to the award of a Master of Laws (LL.M). The programme is aimed at students who wish to develop expertise in legal aspects of trade, finance, commerce and corporations at international level. It is designed for students from any legal jurisdiction, who wish to specialise in international commercial law.

Completion of the programme requires 180 credits. Students will be required to study four 30 credit optional modules and the compulsory 60 credit LL.M Dissertation.

Compulsory module: Dissertation

Optional modules:
International Regulation of Companies
Regulation of Financial Markets
Comparative Takeover Regulation
Law of International Trade
International Banking Law
Intellectual Property Law
EC Competition Law
Dissertation

The dissertation is a compulsory module for all students studying the LLM. The module aims to provide graduate students with the opportunity to develop core skills in legal research. It provides an opportunity for students to complete a dissertation on a topic related to international commercial law, as agreed between the student and the course leader. Expert guidance is provided in locating and using international law sources, especially electronic sources. Particular attention is paid to analysis of research, legal texts, reasoning skills, presenting research findings and appropriate referencing.

International Regulation of Companies

This module will examine the fundamental principles that underlie international regulation of companies, using the UK model as the springboard for study. The module is highly relevant for academics and practitioners seeking to develop expertise, and also relevant for people contemplating a career in finance or industry. No-one can operate effectively in any commercial field without a thorough understanding of company law. The module examines aspects such as corporate personality, corporate governance, shareholders’ rights and remedies, and EC policy on harmonisation of corporate laws of member states. Case law and statutes of other jurisdictions outside the EU will be referred to as and when relevant. It is an advantage to have some prior knowledge of company law, but it is not essential.

Regulation of Financial Markets

This module will examine the regulation of the financial markets in the UK and in the European Union. The module will seek to examine the current scope of regulation over financial services and markets, focusing specifically on regulation relating to the conduct of financial services such as authorisation, compliance and market abuse prevention policies in the UK and the EU. The new EU securities regulation directives will be examined, discussing particular issues of interest to the EU such as harmonisation, home country control and regulatory effectiveness. Whereas the module lends itself to economic analysis, it aims to explore market regulation such as banking, insurance and securities regulation in their legal context where for instance company law is an important factor.

Comparative Takeover Regulation

This module will examine the principles that underpin regulation of takeovers of public companies in the UK and in the European Union. The European Directive on Takeover Bids will be assessed. The module will focus on principles in regulatory codes, legislation and judicial decisions, designed to facilitate restructuring of companies through takeovers. In particular, the principles of market equality and protection of shareholders will be examined. The module will provide an opportunity to compare takeover regulatory principles in the UK with those in other member states of the EU, as well as of Australia and the USA.

Law of International Trade

This module will examine principles governing international trade. As international trade may also be studied as a version of international economic law, this module is only concerned with private law transactions of a cross-border nature. Owing to the leading role played by English law in international trade agreements, a significant part of this module is devoted to English law in its application, examining aspects such as international commodity sales and carriage of goods by sea. The module will discuss various aspects of trade transactions such as types of sales contracts (FOB and CIF), trade financing, relevant insurance and carriage of goods by sea contracts. The module will also examine aspects of international uniform and harmonised law, such as the UN Convention on the International Sale of Goods 1980, and Customs and Practices for Documentary Letters of Credit.

International Banking Law

This module will examine both the private and public law principles that underpin the regulation of banking. Because banks are regulated domestically but their activities impact on the banking industry internationally, domestic banking regulation will be used as a springboard to examine the rationale of international banking regulation and supervision. This will involve examining UK statutes, European directives and international standards and agreements.

Intellectual Property Law

This module will examine the application of intellectual property laws (including patent law) to new technologies such as biotechnology, multimedia platforms, and information and communication technologies. The module will focus on interpretation of relevant legislation, relevant case law of the UK courts and the European Court of Justice, and academic literature in intellectual property laws.

EC Competition Law

This module will examine the legal aspects of EC competition rules and practices. It will analyse the fundamental provisions of EC competition law, that is, Articles 81 and 82 of the EC Treaty, and will analyse provisions of the EC Merger Regulation. Taking a case-law approach, the module will examine vertical and horizontal agreements, abuses of market power, merger control policy and practice. It will also draw from basic concepts of applied economics relevant to EC competition. Focusing on the relationship between EC and national laws, the module particularly examines detailed aspects of competition such as price-fixing and market sharing agreements, boycotts and discrimination, exemptable forms of collaboration, abuse of dominant position, fee movement of goods and industrial property rights.

Teaching and assessments

The modules on this course are delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars. Each module is taught by way of a two-hour lecture per week and a one-hour seminar per fortnight. All delivery and teaching methods are aimed at providing an opportunity for advancement of knowledge in the particular area of study whilst enabling students to reflect on, and evaluate, the practical operation and effectiveness of the law.

In addition to conventional face-to-face teaching, the programme utilises our e-learning facilities for some lectures and seminars.

Assessment is by a combination of written coursework assignments, examination, and a dissertation of 15,000 words completed under supervision.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this programme is:
(a) a degree in law with a 2.1, or
(b) a degree with substantial law content with a 2.1, or
(c) a law degree with a 2.2 and Bar Vocational Course/Legal Practice Course, or
(d) a law degree with a 2.2 and two years professional legal experience, or
(e) a non-law degree with a 2.1 and a graduate diploma in law (or CPE), or
(f) a non-law degree with a 2.2 with a graduate diploma in law (or CPE) and Bar
Vocational Course/Legal Practice Course.

Other applicants may be considered suitable to study this programme on the basis of previous relevant professional experience (these applicants will be interviewed).

Application Procedure

Contact bucks.ac.uk for an aplication form or download one online from bucks.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/how_to_apply.aspx…

Tuition and Fees

The cost of the course for 2009-10 is £4700 for UK/EU citizens. Or £8500 For international students.

Location

The University is based in the heart of High Wycombe, in the beautiful surrounding of the Chiltern Hills, within a thriving, modern shopping centre. The night life is varied to suit all tastes with theatre, cafes, pubs and restaurants to meet everyone's individual needs.

Accommodation

We have an accommodation department which will help you find accommodation close to the University for the length of your course.

Student Life

Our students' union ensures there is an array of events and opportunities for students to enjoy. There is a student bar, a university cafe, and a night club on campus. It is an exciting place to study.

Hard up students can even volunteer to become student ambassadors who get paid to help out at open days, and other promotional events.

Pre-LLM Course

If you do not have a qualifying law degree to enable you to access the LLM course directly, consider undertaking the Graduate Diploma in Law first. This is a qualification for degree-qualified candidates in any other discipline, who wish to pursue a career in law. More information on the GDL can be found here: bucks.ac.uk/default.aspx?page=8923