Queen's University Belfast

LLM International Commercial and Business Law

The LLM International Commercial and Business Law is designed as a research-led programme for graduates from law and related disciplines who aim to specialise in commercial law, international trade, and cross-border business transactions from a socio-legal perspective. It will help you understand and master the highly dynamic and complex legal and regulatory regimes governing international business and the global economy. If you aim for a career in corporate, financial or commercial law, our programme will equip you with solid knowledge and an advanced understanding of the key principles, rules and practices in areas such as corporate governance, corporate law, competition law, financial law, and trade law. With support from leading academics throughout this LLM, you will be able to develop a broad set of relevant skills that will allow you to contribute to legal problem solving in key areas of commercial and business law.

Thanks to our diverse staff and student body, you will have a unique opportunity to meet lecturers and peers with different experiences and backgrounds, enabling you to expand your own perspective and understanding further. In previous years students have joined the programme from both the UK and around the world, significantly contributing to the discussions in class and group work.

The School’s world-leading academics specialise in a range of relevant areas, including:

- International and Transnational Commercial Law, including international commercial and financial transactions, Conflicts of Law/Private International Law, harmonisation and regionalisation of commercial law, and commercial dispute resolution, including via litigation and arbitration.
- Competition Law, including European Union and Comparative Competition Law.
- International Trade Law, including World Trade Organisation Law, international economic law, dispute settlement, and regional and national trade laws and policies.
- Legal Aspects of Innovation and New Technologies, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, and smart contracts.
- Corporate Governance and Compliance, including comparative corporate governance and corporate social responsibility.
- International Financial Regulation, including regulatory changes in the aftermaths of the East-Asian Financial Crisis and the Global Financial Crisis, regulating finance in key jurisdictions and in global financial centres and tax havens, deepening financial integration and financial fragmentation, the role of law and technology in finance, and the transition to sustainable and digital finance.

A Connected and Engaged Law School
The Law School and its academic staff are highly connected with institutions outside the higher education sector, enabling us to provide a programme that is vastly relevant for real-world problem solving. We have had cooperation with and inputs to our programme from the UN Conference on Trade and Development, competition authorities across multiple jurisdictions, the international competition network, local and national business law firms, the European Commission, the NI Department for the Economy, and the Bank of England. Law School staff members have been involved in advising various departments on trade laws and policies over recent years. We have also been providing legal training on finance law for the Department for the Economy under its Assured Skills Programme. Some of those co-operations have led to guest lectures in modules, where those external experts shared valuable insights with our students.

Small Group Teaching
The majority of the LLM modules use small group teaching to enhance your engagement with staff and peers in the classroom and to advance your understanding. This setting also maximises cross-cultural exchanges and learning reflecting many of the complexities and varieties in contemporary international business.

Research-led Teaching
Building on the unique research experience and knowledge of staff allows you to gain state-of-the-art insights into the key issues and discussions about socio-legal challenges and solutions related to international business and commerce. We also encourage LLM students to come along to research events at Queen’s and our Law School and we have usually several talks from world-leading experts on commercial and business law topics.