LL.M. in International Economic and Business Law

The LL.M. in International Economic and Business Law is a one-year program designed for recent or established university graduates in law. It is ideal for lawyers working or aspiring to work in international business, private practice, academia, government, and the judiciary.

The world’s major commercial hubs, including Doha, rely on those equipped with legal and business tools to sustain and grow international trade and investment. Critical to this reliance is a culture based on the law. Understanding relevant legal principles, and how they apply to a myriad of existing and new situations, is key to the success of anyone working in this dynamic area.

The program examines a wide range of issues relating to international business and does so in an innovative, comparative manner so that students develop analytical and problem-solving skills while gaining substantive knowledge.

Graduates of this program will be equipped to:

Master theoretical and methodological aspects of law and legal scholarship.
Demonstrate the ability to independently conduct original research and formulate reasoned arguments on their topic and related legal issues.
Develop a dissertation of publishable quality that makes a substantial and original contribution to legal scholarship.
Demonstrate effective communication skills, as well as the ability to teach and explain the law.
Demonstrate the ability to independently choose ethical courses of action in legal research and practice

Program Focus

The program provides students with a comprehensive knowledge of critical substantive areas relevant to the role of the lawyer in a global context. This focus is fitting given HBKU’s location in Qatar – one of the world’s most prosperous economies with vibrant and fast-growing business, energy, financial, construction, aviation, maritime, media, sports, health care, and tourism sectors.
Students gain expertise relevant to the structure of international business transactions, entrepreneurship, e-commerce, financing risk management, international trade law, international investment law, international banking and finance, intellectual property law, international environmental law, and the resolution of disputes in these and other areas.

Curriculum:

Coursework is divided into mandatory core courses and electives, which consists of 32 credits, including 26 credits for core courses and six credits for a thesis that must be completed within 12, and no more than 18 months after course commencement.

The curriculum comprises foundational courses such as Contract Law, Commercial Law, Academic Legal Writing and Research Methods, and Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility in a Global Context, which address principles needed to practice law in multiple convergent legal systems. The curriculum also includes courses and seminars in transnational law, with modules on infrastructure development, international arbitration, global economic law, energy law, and others. These innovative courses are comparative and build on common law, civil law, and Shari’a traditions.
The thesis is the cornerstone of the LL.M. program. Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, write a paper on a policy sector of their choice with the aim of analyzing the current legal framework, putting forward reasons for reform by using the skills developed in the methodological courses, and making a policy proposal for legislative or regulatory reform.
Other integral features of the LL.M. program are professional skills training sessions, internships and placements that focus on such skills as contract drafting, trial advocacy, alternative dispute resolution, and effective negotiation and presentation techniques.