External summary

In today’s globalised world the commercial lawyer is expected to possess a high level of research skills, enabling him or her to develop an understanding of specialised areas of commercial law.  The student is expected to have developed a clear understanding of different legal cultures, and of ways in which one can operate and communicate within alternative business contexts and regulatory frameworks. The LLM in Commercial Law at Edinburgh Law School caters to these needs.

The principal aim of the LLM in Commercial Law is to provide postgraduate students with the opportunity for specialised advanced learning in certain key areas of international commercial law. The programme is global in its outlook, offering a variety of courses, which focus on a mixture of legal frameworks, whether national, European, international or comparative. The length of courses over one or two semesters plays a key role in fostering deep learning, enabling students to explore a wider variety of subjects in greater depth. Students enjoy significant flexibility in their course choices and can tailor their study to their needs and interests. The main programme aims are to develop specialist knowledge in a chosen field, to foster independence of thought, critical reflection and the development of scholarly writing skills at an advanced level in law.

The LLM in Commercial Law is closely integrated with the Edinburgh Centre for Commercial Law, also based in Edinburgh Law School.  The aim of the Centre is to co-ordinate the research interests of the commercial team of lecturers, strengthening links with practice and interaction with leading commercial lawyers from the UK and further afield.  Commercial Law LLM students are encouraged to participate in the activities of the Centre, which has a strong community atmosphere.

Educational aims of programme

The programme aims to develop specialised knowledge and understanding of commercial law. In particular it aims to:

• Develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the current and developing law in the commercial field;

• Develop a high ability to critically analyse areas of commercial law;

• Develop and improve research skills and techniques to high level and demonstrate their application;

• Encourage students to demonstrate originality in the application of their knowledge and research findings relating to commercial law;

• Enhance students’ oral and written communication skills.

Programme outcomes: Knowledge and understanding

Having completed the programme a student should demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of:

• the sources of commercial law and relevant institutions in its wider context;

• fundamental legal concepts of commercial law and related areas;

• legal rules in a variety of commercial areas and contexts, such as national, European, comparative and international;

• practical realities and considerations in commercial areas;

• legal analysis;

• appropriate application of the law to problem scenarios.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in research and enquiry

To demonstrate an advanced ability to:

• differentiate between and use appropriately primary and secondary sources of law, and identify, retrieve and use relevant and appropriately up-to-date legal information ensuring sources that are up-to-date, appropriate to the context;

• apply knowledge and understanding of law to a situation in order to provide argued conclusions to concrete legal problems (actual or hypothetical);

• identify accurately the issues which require to be researched, and to formulate them clearly;

• analyse, evaluate, and interpret primary and secondary legal sources relevant to the topic studied;

• view critically existing legal rules;

• recognise and rank arguments and evidence in terms of relevance and importance by: managing a volume of legal sources and selecting key materials to construct answers to problems; identifying the legal problem from the information provided; addressing problems by reference to relevant material; bringing together and integrating information and material from a variety of different primary and secondary sources; applying knowledge and analysis of the law creatively to solve legal problems by presenting a range of viable options from a set of facts and law; and presenting, and evaluating, arguments for and against propositions;

• produce a synthesis of relevant evidence (eg doctrinal and policy issues) in relation to a topic in order to allow the student to present and make a reasoned choice between alternative solutions;

• make a critical judgment of the relative and absolute merits of particular arguments and solutions;

• apply knowledge and analysis in a legal context;

• explain and justify research methods used in that research where appropriate;

• produce a piece of work which is creative with a high standard of analysis, displays systematic and discriminatory understanding of the literature of the field, and builds substantially upon knowledge and analysis developed throughout the programme.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal and intellectual autonomy

To demonstrate an advanced ability, with limited guidance, to:

• act independently in planning and undertaking tasks in areas of law which the student is studying or has already studied;

• be able to undertake independent research in areas of law which the student has not previously studied starting from legal information sources (both paper-based and electronic) without reference to a reading list;

• reflect on his or her own learning, and to seek and make use of feedback;

• be able to work collaboratively in groups to test, modify, and strengthen his or her individual views;

• think critically about law and its place in society;

• through discussion, isolate an appropriate topic for research, develop a plan and realise that plan in an extended piece of work;

• develop working knowledge and critical understanding of key literature in the chosen field;

• explain and justify research methods used in that research where appropriate;

• produce a piece of work which is creative with a high standard of analysis, displays systematic and discriminatory understanding of the literature of the field, and builds substantially upon knowledge and analysis developed throughout the programme

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in communication

To demonstrate an advanced ability to:

• understand and use the English language proficiently in relation to legal matters being able systematically to structure academic writing, expressing views and ideas succinctly, pursuing and argument with proper care and attention to academic literature with proper recognition of counter-arguments;

• present knowledge or an argument in a way which is comprehensible to its intended audience, directed to the concerns of that audience (both orally and in writing); 

• read and discuss legal materials which are written in technical and complex language;

• produce a word-processed essay or other text and to present such work in an appropriate form;

• use the internet and to conduct efficient searches of websites to locate relevant information.

• where relevant and as the basis for an argument use, present and evaluate information provided in numerical form;

• use language proficiently in relation to legal matters and specifically to use appropriate legal terminology in work, and to use recognised methods of citation and reference;

• communicate information (including discussing technical and complex legal materials), ideas, advice and choices in an effective manner (appropriate to the context, individually or with others) by: giving oral presentations which address a specific issue within a prescribed time frame; listening and questioning effectively; giving and receiving feedback and responding effectively to others; and ensuring that all communications (both oral and in writing) are relevant;

• contribute effectively in group work;

• structure a substantial and appropriately referenced piece of work, present it concisely and express oneself clearly and coherently.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal effectiveness

To show an advanced ability to:

• work effectively with others in groups, contributing and capitalising on the different experiences, skills, and thinking of each group member;

• display an informed knowledge and understanding of the social and economic contexts in which law operates and how law responds to these social and economic contexts by displaying legal knowledge in association with related policy and underlying social conditions; and to respond to changes in law that arise from these contexts (for example by being able to remain up to date in considering primary and secondary material);

• demonstrate an ability to organise and prioritise time and effort effectively in the performance of the student’s work;

• have the confidence to make informed decisions based on their knowledge and understanding and their personal and intellectual autonomy (for example in the answering of problem or essays questions on topics which the student has not previously studied);

• manage an extended period of time independently to achieve disparate goals.

Programme outcomes: Technical/practical skills

By the end of the programme the students will:

• have developed strong legal research and legal reasoning skills;

• be able to locate relevant information and material through Library and IT resources and to use relevant databases;

• be able to read and digest legal materials swiftly and efficiently;

• have developed their ability to evaluate and critique legal and scholarly material;

• be able to articulate, evidence and sustain a line of argument and to engage in a convincing critique of another’s arguments.

Programme structure and features

Programme Structure

You may take the LLM in Commercial Law either full-time or part-time.  The full-time route is twelve months from September.

Students are required to complete 180 credits of study: this includes a dissertation to be submitted at the end of their studies (60 credits). The remaining 120 credits must be made up from taught LLM courses.

LLM in Commercial Law students must take a minimum of 80 credits from the Commercial Law Courses. The remaining 40 credits may be chosen either from this same list of Commercial Law Courses or from the School’s other MSc and LLM courses.

Part-time Study

The LLM curriculum is normally arranged so that two-thirds (80 credits) of the required course credits are studied in the first year. The remaining one-third (40 credits) of course credits and dissertation are undertaken in the second year. Part-time LLM students are normally expected to complete 80 credits of taught courses in the first year and 40 credits of taught courses together with the dissertation in the second year.

Those who wish to take the degree part-time must ensure that they can devote sufficient time to their studies, especially when it is intended that studies are to be combined with full-time employment.

Exit awards / progression

Progression to the dissertation and award of the LLM degree will be decided, in line with the University’s Taught Assessment Regulations, by a Board of Examiners administered in the School of Law and composed of staff teaching on the degree.

Specifically, the normal conditions for progression and exit awards are as follows:

In order to progress to the masters dissertation candidates must:

• attain at least 80 credits with a pass at masters level or more in each of the separate elements and

• be awarded an aggregate pass at masters level for the 120 credits of study examined at the point of decision for progression and

• have no course mark below 40% in any 40-credit course, and no more than one course mark below 40% in any 20-credit course

Students who do not meet the criteria for progression but who receive a pass at diploma level or more in 80 credits and an aggregate pass at diploma level for the 120 credits of study are eligible to receive the Diploma.

In order to be awarded a masters degree candidates must:

• have satisfied the requirements for progression, as laid out above, and

• attain 60 credits, by achieving a pass at masters level for the dissertation.

Any student who meets the criteria for progression but who then does not pass the dissertation is eligible to receive the Diploma.

Students can also exit with a postgraduate certificate on achieving 60 credits from taught elements.

Promoting social responsibility, sustainability and equality and diversity

Social responsibility

This LLM programme seeks to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in a complex, multilayered and in parts, fast-changing area of the law which is continuously interacting with issues of policy and public interest. By enabling and encouraging students to become critically aware and to develop autonomous views and arguments on these issues, through innovative techniques and a strong emphasis on reflection and critical analysis, this programme is capable of embedding the University’ core objective of increasing awareness of social responsibility questions in its specific area.

Sustainability and equality and diversity

This LLM programme seeks to deploy a variety of teaching techniques ranging from face-to-face seminar contact to one-to-one dissertation supervision to the utilisation of electronic and online library, communication and research resources.  The overarching goal is to ensure flexibility, autonomy and self-reliance in students’ learning while at the same time preserving and enhancing high teaching and learning standards: it is envisaged that this blended approach to teaching and learning will secure strong results in terms of the sustainability and good use of resources in the delivery of the programme; it will also ensure that a diverse student audience will be able to attain its learning outcomes by taking the utmost advantage of the teaching and learning opportunities offered.

Teaching and learning methods and strategies

All courses on the programme are taught in seminar discussion groups.  Class sizes range from 5-25 students and seminars generally last for two hours.  Students are expected to prepare for these seminars in advance by reading the materials prescribed in class hand-outs and by reflecting upon the issues which will be critically discussed in the seminar.  Seminars may include large group discussions, small group work exercises and group and/or individual presentations.  Interaction with course staff, course organisers and fellow students throughout seminars, in which active participation is a prerequisite, ensures that students get ongoing feedback on their contributions to the class and opportunities to reflect on their learning.  The programme also includes a supervised dissertation to which students progress after satisfactorily completing the taught courses.  All students are allocated an individual supervisor with relevant academic experience in their chosen area of study.  Supervision is designed to assist students in identifying and refining an appropriate academic research project, to support their programme of research activity, and to empower them to take lead responsibility for their research.  Students receive ongoing feedback and must reflect on their progress through their one to one supervision meetings. 

The University of Edinburgh library has one of the largest and most important collections in Britain. It has some two million items including the latest publications, key texts, and rare books. The Law School has its own library within Old College, well stocked in most important fields of law. The library of the Europa Institute, housed alongside the Law Library, is an outstanding European Documentation Centre. Within walking distance from the Law School is the National Library of Scotland which also possesses an important legal collection accessible to postgraduate students.

Postgraduate students have access to the extensive computing facilities provided by the Law School. The School maintains a number of computer labs, all of which are available for the exclusive use of postgraduate students. Wireless network access is available in many parts of the Law School including within the Law Library and Lecture Theatres. Postgraduate students have extensive access to online legal research facilities including electronic journals, LexisNexis and Westlaw. Additional computing facilities (including a laptop loan service for flexibility of learning) are available in the University's Main Library and via the University's Computing Services.

The School is proud to boast a brand new Moot Court Room, which is installed with all the latest IT and audio facilities, giving all students who participate in mooting competitions and exercises a flavour of practice in a real court situation.

Assessment methods and strategies

There will be some variation amongst the courses as to the modes of assessment as differing courses in the LLM programme will test different competencies and aptitudes.  In full year courses (40 credits), assessment will normally be by two written essays with the first having a lesser weight. One semester courses (20 credits) are assessed either by one essay that counts for 100% of the grade or by a combination of essay and another form of assessment (such as a take-home exercise, a presentation (both solo and group), an annotated bibliography, a poster, a response to a policy consultation, a moot, or an assessment completed in class).

The School provides targeted, timely and useful feedback to students on their performance in a number of ways:

• through direct comment by staff members in seminars;

• through supervision meetings on the dissertation;

• through written comments provided to students during the course of the academic session on formative assessment, such assessment designed to assist students in improving their essay and examination technique;

• through individual written feedback provided to students on summative coursework such as essays and the dissertation;

• through informal meetings that students can arrange with course organisers, or other members of the teaching team, where additional support or advice on how to improve their learning strategies and practice is required.

The School is always looking to improve the quality and helpfulness of its feedback to students, and takes seriously the comments on feedback provided anonymously in class questionnaires and via the annual Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey.

Student feedback and evaluation is a valued input to curriculum and programme review and development within the school and students are asked to complete evaluation forms on each course they take.  Student representatives are elected at the start of every year and represent the study body throughout the period of the programme of study.  As postgraduate students have access to the resources and facilities of the Institute of Academic Development at the University.  The Institute offers a range of workshops and training sessions including essential communication skills, information technology skills, time management, project management, decision-making and much more.

Career opportunities

The School is dedicated to ensuring all students are academically and socially prepared and are responsible and ethical citizens.  We offer training events and support for all our postgraduate students in both academic and key life skills.  The current employment market is a difficult and competitive one but we aim to ensure our students are independent thinkers with practical skills, giving them an advantage over their peers.

The Careers Service offers expert advice on careers options, searching for careers, CV writing and preparing for interviews.  This support can be tailored for students from the School of Law. 

This LLM programme has been conceived as a gateway into a range of employment opportunities and specialised academic work, which may include:

• Legal practice
• Government legal service (at both national and EU levels)
• International civil servants

• Government advisors

• Legal advisors to non-governmental organisations and private companies
• Specialised researchers in academic and think-tank institutions
• Independent consultants

Other items

The School and its research centres actively organise frequent events including seminar and lecture series, conferences, research training, workshops and fairs.  We strongly encourage all our postgraduate students to attend these events as well as getting involved with their organisation.

The Edinburgh Student Law Review is the first of its kind in Scotland.  Managed and written entirely by the School’s student body, it aims to provide a forum for law students to engage in a more analytical approach to the study of law.  Students from all levels and legal disciplines are encouraged to submit articles, case notes and updates which are published in the Review each year.

The School of Law and Edinburgh University are committed to providing pastoral support for postgraduate students.  The Director of Postgraduate Studies, the Programme Director and postgraduate office staff act as points of first contact and can advise students on the extensive network of services that exist throughout the University.  Additional language training and support is available for international students through the English Language Training Centre at the University.  The International Office provides broader support and advice on living and studying in Edinburgh to this constituency of students. The Student Disability Service offers guidance and support for students experiencing difficulties or suffering from impairments covered by the Equality Act, and the Edinburgh University Students’ Association, run by and for students, offer a broad range of services to support students’ well-being at the University.  The University’s Accommodation Services can also help students finding appropriate accommodation in the city.