The Department of European and Comparative Law within the Faculty of Laws is offering two streams at LL.M. level. One stream leads to the Master of Laws (LL.M.) in European & Comparative Law while a new stream now in its second year leads to the Master of Laws (LL.M.) in European Business Law. These programmes of study are offered both on full-time as well as on part-time basis and consist of 90 ECTS credits.
The LL.M. in European and Comparative Law offers the student the possibility of choosing from a wide range of subjects in European Law: including core areas such as Institutional Law, EU judicial remedies, Internal Market Law and a host of other more specialised subjects ranging from Company Law (Business Enterprise Law), Competition Law, Transport Law, Environmental Law, Financial Services Law, Labour Law, Human Rights Law, and Tax Law among others.
The full list is available at www.um.edu.mt/laws/programme/PMLECLFTT0-2017-8-O
The LL.M in European Business Law is brand new and focuses on business law in the EU. In this degree programme some subjects are compulsory, such as EU and Comparative Business Enterprise (Company) Law, EU and Comparative Competition Law, E-Commerce Law and Policy in the EU, while the student can then choose the rest of the study-units from among:- EU Information Technology Law, EU Financial Services Law, Business Private International law and EU Tax law among others.
The full list is available at www.um.edu.mt/laws/programme/PMLEUBFTT5-2017-8-O
The courses are aimed at those who have a first law degree, whether from Malta or abroad, and who would like to further their specialisation in EU law.
LL.M. holders are better equipped to compete directly in the specialised job market, but holding an LL.M. degree is of utmost value also for those who simply want to be specialised in the full picture of national and European law in relation to their own area of practice. Today national law is very largely European law in origin. Graduates usually have easier access to law-firms (locally or abroad),government, the civil service, the European Institutions, company employers, local representative bodies and organisations and other typical employers, while others may see in the LL.M. a means of speeding up the development of their own private practice by obtaining faster specialisation. Past graduates include judges and magistrates, top lawyers in practice and government, and top officers in the EU institutions.
The LL.M. in European and Comparative Law of the University of Malta is now twenty years old, but has been updated over the years and again this year to make it one of the most current LL.M.s available. The degree is of a recognised high standard as has been attested by all External Examiners’ reports. External examiners are well-known Professors from overseas Universities, who judge the level of the course as being at least equivalent to other LL.M degrees in EU Law in the UK and other continental universities. The LL.M. in European Business Law is an exciting new development that will enable those who have decided to focus on this wide field of practice to push-start their practice or involvement in commercial law firms, financial institutions, companies and so on.
Seminars (the basic teaching mode) are generally held between 14:00-17:00, thus enabling students to carry on any practice they may be doing while registering for the courses on a part-time basis. If one chooses to register as a part-time student, this would normally involve preparing for and attending one seminar per week. Full-time students will prepare for and attend normally two seminars per week. A dissertation is also part of the training.
Each degree has its own merits and prospective students are welcome to contact Dr Mireille Caruana, via email: mireille.caruana@um.edu.mt, if they wish advice or guidance on choice of degree or other academic issues.
The online application is available at: www.um.edu.mt/apply.
Applications are now open and the next deadline for application is 31 August 2017.
For administrative details please contact Ms Elisa Attard, via email: elisa.attard@um.edu.mt.
For more details please visit www.um.edu.mt/laws/eu-comp/llm.