ELLM: Upcoming modules

The module introduces students to the practice and theory of international legal dispute resolution, focusing on dispute settlement before courts and tribunals. The former Prosecutor of the Yugoslav Tribunal, Richard Goldstone, resolved that: ‘it seems to me that if you don’t have international tribunals, you might as well not have international law’. Given the proliferation of courts and tribunals applying and enforcing international law, certain scholars have argued we are witnessing the emergence of an ‘international judicial system’ (Martinez).

The module involves three main elements:

1. First, the module examines the structure and work of the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, focusing on jurisdiction/admissibility, contentious cases and advisory opinions.

2. Secondly, the module introduces a variety of other international courts and tribunals, such as the International Criminal Court, domestic and regional courts dealing with international law and human rights, including the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice, the WTO Dispute Settlement Body and investment treaty arbitral tribunals. Using contemporary and controversial case studies, the module will critically analyze and contrast the institutional design and jurisdiction of these courts and tribunals.

3. Thirdly, throughout the module we explore key theoretical controversies surrounding the adjudication of international law, focusing in particular on (a) how these courts and tribunals relate to one another (hierarchy, specialization and fragmentation); (b) what criteria should be used in assessing the legitimacy and effectiveness of these courts and tribunals; and (c) whether and how these courts and tribunals create international law.

Lecturer: Professor Devika Hovell

Module Code: LL447E

This course will focus on topical issued in corporate governance, including: the distribution of corporate power between the managers and shareholders, board composition regulation, modes of ownership and ownership structures, shareholder activism and corporate short-termism, with a particular focus on hedge fund activism, regulation of proxy advisers, shareholder empowerment and firm value, executive remuneration, corporate purpose and the shifting ESG focus of corporate governance regulation. 

Lecturer: Professor Carsten Gerner-Beuerle, Professor David Kershaw, Edmund Schuster

Module Code: LL418E

Sport is increasingly in the public limelight – not just due to the exciting competitions and performances it produces, but the political, economic, social and legal questions it raises. The course introduces students to how sports organisations are governed, the regulatory frameworks under which they operate, and the functioning of the sports justice system. It zooms in on the most pressing contemporary issues in the field, including the role of human rights in sport, the effectiveness of the anti-doping regime, gender and racial equality, climate change, as well as issues surrounding political neutrality and financial sustainability.
The module takes a global approach, assessing the impact of national, regional and international law on the sports landscape. Students will be introduced to the concept of lex sportiva and the jurisprudence of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Examples will be drawn from a wide range of sports, including football, basketball, cricket, athletics, tennis, golf, Formula 1, and the Olympic movement more broadly. Seminars will examine recent legal developments in the field while critically exploring their political, economic and socio-cultural significance.
Topics include:

• Sports Law and Governance
• Sports Autonomy and Regulation
• Sports Justice
• Athletes’ Rights
• Political Neutrality
• Human Rights
• Gender and Racial Equality
• Integrity of Sport (incl. doping and betting)
• Financial Sustainability
• Climate Change

Lecturer: Dr Jan Zglinski

Module Code: LL4EHE

Building on a foundational understanding of international commercial arbitration, this course offers students the opportunity to engage with some of the most challenging and contested questions in the field. It is highly relevant for those pursuing careers in arbitration practice: the theoretical problems it addresses have direct and significant implications for how disputes are conducted and resolved.

Topics are selected for their contemporary significance and may include: anti-suit and anti-arbitration injunctions; third-party funding; emergency arbitrators and interim measures; corruption; sanctions; artifical intelligence; the extension of arbitration agreements to non-signatories; confidentiality; insolvency.

Lecturer: Dr Paul MacMahon

Module Code: LL416E

This module is concerned with the principles and policies underlying the legal treatment of corporate bankruptcy. The impact of these procedures and approaches on third parties, for example corporate groups, secured and unsecured creditors, directors and employees, is also considered. Topics include: Setting aside transactions; The pari passu principle and preferential claims; Secured creditors and security devices; Quasi-security devices for the unsecured creditor; The problem of corporate groups; Company directors in troubled times; Employees in distress and EC and international recognition in corporate bankruptcy.

Lecturer: Professor Sarah Paterson

Module Code: LL443E

The module is a comprehensive study of the main features of competition law. While the focus is on EU competition law, reference will be made to the laws of other jurisdictions (e.g. the United States and the UK) when these offer relevant points for comparison. The first part of the module examines the history and aims of competition law. It considers the role of economic analysis and its limitations in the light of non-economic considerations. The second part is a review of the major substantive fields: restrictive practices; the regulation of monopolies and dominant positions; distribution and cooperation agreements and merger control. The third part addresses the public and private enforcement of competition law.

Lecturer: Professor Pablo Ibanez-Colomo

Module Code: LL425E

This course examines a range of controversial issues in human and constitutional rights law from a comparative perspective. These issues include: abortion; sexual freedom; negative and positive obligations, and social rights; same-sex marriage; religion in the public sphere; hate speech and genocide denial; obscenity, indecency, and blasphemy. We will approach them by comparing and contrasting judgments from courts all over the world, with a certain emphasis on cases from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Canadian Supreme Court, the South African Constitutional Court, the European Court of Human Rights, the U.K. Supreme Court, and the German Federal Constitutional Court. The goals of the course are, first, to introduce the students to the jurisprudence of those extremely powerful and influential courts, and, second, to invite them to think about and critically analyse some of the most controversial, difficult, and important rights issues of our time from a comparative perspective. 

Lecturer: Professor Kai Möller

Module Code: LL409E