LLM Specialisms 2012/13

Corporate and Securities Law

[please note: links below are to the 2011/12 course guides; they will be updated when new guides are made available during the summer vacation]

The corporate securities markets arguably comprise the most dynamic sector of the financial industry. Business traditionally handled within the commercial banking and insurance sectors is making creative use of structured capital market techniques, and very significant reforms are taking place both in trading systems and in the post trade infrastructure. As well as new opportunities, these changes present new regulatory and legal risk management challenges. The teaching team includes world class academics, and draws together scholarly and practitioner expertise. The LLM in Corporate and Securities Law provides a strong intellectual analysis of these markets, including insights from substantive private law, regulation and practice.

Corporate and Financial Crime (LL4B9): an analysis of crimes committed within the commercial and business environment, with particular emphasis on the legal response to the challenges presented by financial crime and unacceptable corporate practices; current perspectives on the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of corporate and financial crime in both civil and criminal jurisdictions

European Capital Markets Law (H) (LL4K9): this half course examines the EU’s regulation of the capital markets from regulatory and market integration perspectives. Topics covered include the regulation of investment services and stock exchanges and the EU’s attempts to build a culture of household investing. With LL4G9 it forms the full course LL425 (European Monetary and Financial Services Law).

European Monetary and Banking Law (H) (LL4G9): this half course examines the institutional structures and legal rules which underpin the EU’s monetary system and its integrated banking market. Topics covered include the legal underpinnings of European Monetary Union and the EU’s regulation and supervision of banking markets. With LL4K9 it forms the full course LL425 (European Monetary and Financial Services Law). [not offered 2012/13]

European Monetary and Financial Services Law (LL425): the institutional and legal underpinnings of the European financial economy, including banking, securities and insurance. . [not offered 2012/13]

Financial Law (H) (LL4H4): the traditional financial market sectors of insurance, commercial banking, derivatives, capital markets and asset management are converging in practice, but their academic analysis is still largely sector-based. This course offers a cross-sectoral, functional analysis, permitting students to grasp the big picture. It highlights certain anomalies in differing legal treatment of the respective sectors, and considers key trends.

Investment Funds Law in Europe (H) (LL4A5): this course examines the law and regulations governing collective investment funds in the UK and selected European jurisdictions (e.g. Germany, Italy, Sweden) and also relevant EU regulation. It will include a study both of investment funds law of the countries selected and a comparative assessment of the development and current features of the collective investment fund industry in the European context.

Law of Corporate Finance (LL437): the types of capital structures which are available to companies; the agency problems which different types of financing generate between management and investors; and the operation of capital markets as intermediaries between investors and issuers, or as facilitators of the transfer of investor interests independently of the ownership of corporate assets. (this course is also available as two half units LL4G8 and LL4K8)  . [not offered 2012/13]

Law of Corporate Finance A (H) (LL4G8): the course examines the private law rules governing how companies raise finance. The issues covered include e.g. capital structures, identifying and protecting shareholder rights, issuing shares, initial legal capital and alternatives, dividends, reduction of capital and share buy-backs, reform and moving to a solvency test and financial assistance. The course will focus on English law, but will also look at other legal systems in particular at German law.

Law of Corporate Finance B (H) (LL4K8): this half course addresses the regulation of capital-raising through the markets. Topics covered include: disclosure theory; the role of trading markets in finance-raising; prospectus disclosure; ongoing disclosure; market abuse; and the internationalization of capital-raising. Together with LL4G8 it forms the full course LL437 (Law of Corporate Finance). . [not offered 2012/13]

Law of International Economic and Financial Sanctions (H) (LL4K2): covers economic and financial sanctions against States and non-State actors. The course addresses multilateral programmes established by the UN and EU and unilateral measures instituted by individual States, implementation of sanctions within domestic legal systems, issues arising in international law and human rights, and effects on third parties.

Law of Mergers, Acquisitions and Restructurings in Europe and the United States (LL4D7): This course will look at the regulation of the market for corporate control and corporate restructurings in Europe and the United States.

The Law and Practice of International Finance (H) (LL4F2): legal analysis of the transactional practice of the international financial markets, broadly based on the activities of investment banks operating in London.

Legal Risk in the Financial Markets (H) (LL4D5): examines the relationship between legal risk and legal reform in the financial markets including political, reputational and other kinds of key risk and relationships.

Mergers, Acquisitions and Restructurings in Europe (H) (LL4F3): This course will look at the regulation of the market for corporate control and corporate restructurings in Europe.]

Project Finance and Public Private Partnerships (H) (LL4C9): An examination of legal issues involved in project finance and public private partnerships, including analysis of transaction structures and risk allocation, the principal legal issues arising in finance and project documentation (including government concessions) and particular issues affecting transitional jurisdictions.

Regulation of Financial Markets (LL484): the regulation of financial markets, focusing on the economic theories of how markets operate and the different forms of financial market regulation.

Secured Credit in English, Comparative and International Law (LL4K3): this course deals with the grant of proprietary security in lending transactions and with title-based devices that serve the same security purpose. It covers a wide range of transactions and focuses principally on English law with extensive treatment of international conventions and model principles, as well as numerous references to other legal systems, both common law and civil law.

Takeover Regulation in the UK and the US (H) (LL4F4): This course will look at the regulation of the market for corporate control and corporate restructurings in the United Kingdom and the United States.