IBA LLM in International Legal Practice (i-LLM)

The i-LLM program is facilitated online and you will have the personal support of a tutor throughout the program.

It is made up of 6 compulsory modules and a practice-focused dissertation project. Each module contains nine units and each unit takes approximately 10-15 hours to complete over a period of 2.5 weeks. You will have up to 5 years to  complete all modules and the final dissertation project.

Course materials include advanced i-Tutorials and interactive online programs that are accessed through the university's online learning portal, ELITE.

A 3,000-5,000-word assignment is due with each course module.

Business, finance and the legal services market

• Strategic and finance issues that face business leaders today
• Comparative study of company accounts
• Major acquisition, evaluating attitudes of key players and market reaction
• Analytical techniques used in business strategy, such as SWOT analysis and Porter's Five Forces
• Analysis of strategic development in professional services firms using techniques such as the RULES analysis and the McKinsey 7S model linking a firm's strategy to day-to.day operations

IBA International Intellectual property practice

• The main forms of intellectual property protection, including trademarks, passing off, design rights, copyright, patents, and confidentiality
• Intellectual property rules in the UK and other major jurisdictions, such as the US, mainland Europe and the Far East
• Major worldwide conventions which harmonise intellectual property rules around the world
• Detailed case study on exploitation of intellectual property by way of licensing, including redrafting a patent licence to comply with European Union regulations

IBA International competition/anti-trust law and practice

• Economic principles that underpin competition law, as well as the legal framework in the UK, EU and US
• The sources of competition law and where legislation, case law and guidance can be found
• The main areas of competition law, including anti-competitive agreements, abuse of market position, mergers and the relationship between competition law and intellectual property
• Competition law in other countries, including Australia and South Africa

IBA International mergers and acquisitions practice

• The different kinds of acquisition structure
• EU merger control, choice of law, risk allocation, requirements for cross-border signing and completion, plus protection for employees in European acquisitions
• The impact on the process and documentation when the acquisition is funded through private equity
• Real documentation covering due diligence investigations, a sale and purchase agreement, disclosure processes and completion agendas
• Different approaches to mergers and acquisitions in other jurisdictions, including in common law and civil law jurisdictions and the impact of civil code concepts such as good faith through the various stages of an acquisition

IBA International joint ventures practice

• The different kinds of joint venture (structural or contractual)
• The financing and documentation needed to establish a joint venture and ensure its successful operation
• Joint venture documentation
• Options for leaving or terminating a joint venture
• How international competition laws and intellectual property rights affect joint ventures
• Different types of international joint venture around the world

IBA International arbitration practice

• The principles of arbitration law, including the rules of major international arbitration institutions, such as the ICC, LMIA, UNCITRAL and the IBA guidelines on conflict of interest and taking evidence in international arbitration
• Key pieces of domestic arbitration law in England and Wales, such as the Arbitration Act 1996
• The relationship between institutional rules and the substantive arbitration law of the seat of the arbitration
• Real-life challenges of an international arbitration lawyer, such as advising on the suitability of arbitration, drafting an arbitration agreement, preparing evidence, advising on an appeal against an arbitration award, and advising on an application for enforcement of an arbitration award pursuant to the New York Convention

Practice-focused Dissertation

The final program assignment is a 15,000-word practice-focused assignment. You will have the support of a University of Law tutor and need to conduct a project on a subject that relates to one or more of the course modules. Project subjects must include a topical legal matter, a current case being handled by your firm or chambers or an area of law and practice which you would like to explore in-depth.