International & Comparative Business Law (LLM)

LLM (International & Comparative Business Law)

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
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Course Overview

LLM Law Winner 2020

Winner: Postgraduate Course of the Year in Law at the gradireland Higher Education Awards 2020 sponsored by PwC. The judging panel’s comments included: “Excellent innovation and teaching methodology, with strong links to industry.”

This programme provides an excellent grounding in business law, for those interested in pursuing a career in legal practice or in the commercial world. Students can choose from a range of modules at an advanced level and tailor their LLM to suit their interests and career plans. You will expand your knowledge of business law from a national, regional and international perspective. Modules include such diverse options as EU Competition Law, Advanced Intellectual Property Law, and European Consumer Law to Global Issues in Contemporary Labour Law. This programme provides students with an opportunity to engage with leading commercial practitioners to develop their legal expertise and skills in business law.

Course highlights:

Prestigious placements - opportunity to apply for a limited number of placements with leading commercial law firms. Selection is on the basis of interview by the firm.
Vis Moot - students on the programme are offered the opportunity to participate in an international arbitration moot, the Willen C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot which takes place in Vienna, each April. Selection will be by interview. This module will enable students to develop their advocacy skills.
Focus on skills and employability to equip students with key business skills including critical thinking, drafting legal submissions, negotiation, advocacy and mediation.
Expert lecturers deliver this programme through small group seminars with guest talks from leading practitioners. Students also have the opportunity to attend and present at key conferences, nationally and internationally as well as participate in moot court competitions.
International field trips enable students to see the law in action in a global context.
Career support is provided through professional workshops coaching students on CV preparation and interview skills. Careers in Law Week also provides an opportunity to meet partners from leading law firms.
Diverse modules from EU Competition Law, Advanced Intellectual Property Law, and Current Issues in Internet Law to Global Issues in Contemporary Labour Law.
Assessment is primarily through research papers, presentations and minor thesis rather than exams.‌

Applications and Selections

Applications are made online via the University of Galway Postgraduate Applications System. Entry to the course is based on academic achievement as set out above and a personal statement. On occasions, interviews may also be carried out to determine the applicant’s suitability for the course. Places will be allocated on a conditional basis pending receipt of all required and verified supporting documentation.

Who Teaches this Course

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Dr. Connie Healy

B.Comm,.LL.B.,PhD

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Prof Geraint Howells

LLB,LLD,Barrister at Law

Dean
E: geraint.howells@universityofgalway.ie
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Ms. Anna-Louise Hinds

B.Corp Law, LLB, LLM

LECTURER ABOVE THE BAR
Dept. of Law
Tower 2, Arts/Science Building
NUI Galway
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Dr. Rónán Kennedy

BComm,HDipSysA,LLB,BL,LLM,CertTLHE,PhD

Senior Lecturer
503, Tower 2
School of Law
University of Galway
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Prof Padraic Kenna

Personal Professor
E: padraic.kenna@nuigalway.ie
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Dr. Shivaun Quinlivan

B.A, LL.B, LL.M, B.L, Ph.D

Senior Lecturer
Dept. of Law
Tower 2 Arts Science Building
University of Galway
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Dr Maureen O'Sullivan

BA, BCL, LLM, PGCHE, PhD

Lecturer Above The Bar
E: maureen.osullivan@nuigalway.ie
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Dr Brian Tobin

LLB., LLM., PhD., PG Cert.

Associate Professor
School of Law, Tower 2
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Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

An approved Second Class Honours Degree, Grade 1 (2.1) in law, or an inter-disciplinary degree in which law was a major component.
Applicants awarded a Graduate Diploma in Law may be considered but will be admitted only where they demonstrate a strong academic performance in both the undergraduate degree and diploma.
In exceptional circumstances, an applicant holding a degree in another discipline or a degree of less than an approved Second Class Honours Degree, Grade 1 (H2.1) standard may be considered where they have relevant professional law experience.
International students should refer to the country-specific information section of the International Office website: http://www.nuigalway.ie/international-students/country.html

Additional Requirements

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

1 year, full-time; 2 years, part-time

Next start date

September 2025

A Level Grades ()

Average intake

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

Closing Date

Please view the offer rounds website.

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

LLM

CAO

Course code

LLM-IBL

Course Outline

Semester 1
3 modules (30 ECTS)

Semester 2
3 modules (30 ECTS)

Semester 3
Commercial Legal Placement (30 ECTS) or (Summer) Minor Thesis

Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change, but may include the following optional modules. Click on 'Year 1 (90 Credits)' on the bottom of this webpage to view description of each module or download this document: LLM in International and Comparative Business Law Modules.

EU Competition Law
International Commercial Property Law
Vis Moot
Legal Skills: Commercial Practice, Advocacy and Dispute Resolution
Advanced Intellectual Property Law and Development
Advanced Comparative Law
Commercial Law in Context
EU External Relations Law
Advanced Legal Research & Method
Advocacy, Activism and Public Interest Law

Commericial Legal Placements

A limited number of places are available for ‘Commercial Legal Placements’, which allow students to work in a leading commercial law firm over the summer as an alternative to the minor thesis. Selection of students for ‘Commercial Legal Placement’ is competitive and is decided upon the basis of an application and interview.

Minor Thesis

Those not undertaking the placement are required to complete a minor thesis (15,000 words) over the summer months. The thesis allows students to conduct supervised research in an area of business law of their choosing. Students will receive support and guidance from their supervisor on how to identify a research topic, conducting the research and writing up the minor thesis which will be due for submission mid-July.

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits: You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module: An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject: Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional: A module you may choose to study.
Required: A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject: A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester: Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (90 Credits)

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

The LLM in International and Comparative Business Law is of particular interest to students interested in pursuing a career with an international law firm. The School of Law runs a programme of careers events annually including a Careers in Law Week, during which students have an opportunity to meet partners from leading law firms and attend interview-skills workshops. An enhanced knowledge of the international business world and its interactive relationship with laws and regulations allows students to develop an exceptional set of skills along with a global outlook.

Additionally, the programme offers a number of ‘Commercial Legal Placements’ with the leading law firms in the jurisdiction enhancing the students practical knowledge of working in a commercial firm and ensuring they gain skills which will be very attractive to prospective employers in the commercial sector. Graduates can consult on business and legal matters to international law firms, multinational professional services firms, in-house counsel with major global firms and more.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Three reasons to choose this course:

Students undertaking this course will have the opportunity to compete for one of five very prestigious commercial legal placements with leading commercial law firms.
As there is a focus on gaining practical skills in many of the modules offered, students will be well placed to enter the business world having acquired key transferrable skills to include: critical thinking, legal writing, negotiation, advocacy, mediation, among others.
Students will benefit from the expertise of the leading commercial lawyers delivering content on the programme, guest lectures and networking opportunities with key commercial experts including our adjunct Professor Thomas Courtney, Chairman of the Company Law Review Group and Partner at Arthur Cox, Solicitors.

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

A unique feature of the LL.M in International and Comparative Business Law is that students have the opportunity to apply for a limited number of prestigious work placements with leading commercial law firms. This follows from the skills-based nature of the programme which enables students to develop their advocacy skills, negotiation, mediation and presentation skills so that they have the attributes necessary to fit seamlessly into a law firm.

Applications are forwarded to the firms who select candidates for interview based on academic merit and evidence of ability to act as a team player and work effectively within their organisations.

Many of the recruiters have commented on the high standard of those applying for placements and, in some cases, have intimated the possibility keeping of these students on for traineeships. To-date students have secured placements with: Arthur Cox, L.K. Shields, A&L Goodbody, Matheson Solicitors, Ronan Daly Jerym Solicitors and Flynn O’Driscoll, Solicitors.

Please note work placement opportunities on the programme may be subject to change from year to year.

View testimonials from students who secured a placement.

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€8,640 full-time; €4,250 part-time (including levy) p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Tuition

€8,500 full-time; €4,320 part-time p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student levy

€140 full-time; €70 part-time p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Non EU

€20,000 p.a. (€20,140 p.a. including levy) 2025/26

For 25/26 entrants, where the course duration is greater than 1 year, there is an inflationary increase approved of 3.4% per annum for continuing years fees.

Postgraduate students in receipt of a SUSI grant – please note an F4 grant is where SUSI will pay €4,000 towards your tuition (2025/26). You will be liable for the remainder of the total fee. A P1 grant is where SUSI will pay tuition up to a maximum of €6,270. SUSI will not cover the student levy of €140.

Note to non-EU students: learn about the 24-month Stayback Visa here.

Find out More

Dr Csongor Istvan Nagy
E: csongoristvan.nagy@universityofgalway.ie

Queries about this and other LLM programmes in the School of Law can also be directed to lawpostgrad@universityofgalway.ie

What Our Students Say

Malhar Desai | Client Policy Associate at Glass Lewis & Co.

I decided to pursue the LLM (International & Comparative Business Law) as the program offered the option of doing either a thesis or work placement. During my masters, we had a seminar series of guest lectures, one of which was delivered by Prof. Dennis Driscoll, the leading expert in Corporate Governance and ESG in Ireland. He emphasised how Corporate Governance is a niche area of law and not many people have the expertise in it. Inspired by him, I decided to do my thesis in Corporate Governance. Soon after finishing my thesis, I was at the University of Galway career fair when an HR representative from my current employer suggested I apply for an internship with the company after reading about my thesis and interest in corporate governance. I initially secured a 3-month paid internship. I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a research associate and dwelled deeper into the world of corporate governance. My internship led me in securing a permanent contract in a different department. Pursuing my master's here turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life as the lectures, seminars, and career events equipped me with the necessary skills and directed me toward work opportunities.

Orlaith McDowell | Paralegal at LK Shields Solicitors

I undertook the postgraduate course LLM International and Comparative Business Law. I decided to take this course on a part-time basis so that I could divide my time between my postgraduate studies and preparing for the FE1’s, which really worked for me. Overall, I really enjoyed taking this course as it was the perfect route to transition into focusing my studies on corporate law. The module selection was broad, and I was able to choose subjects to suit my areas of interest and focus. The content taught throughout these modules was extremely engaging and the lecturers were always accommodating and happy to help in anyway possible. This master’s course was definitely the perfect fit for me, and I would recommend any person who is considering pursuing a career in corporate law to take this course.

Jyothish Krishna | Data Protection Officer

As a student pursuing LLM in International and Comparative Business Law, my experience was exceptional. The programme provided a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the complexities in International business law, preparing me for the challenges of the modern legal landscape. The university's faculty was outstanding, comprising experts in international law and business who were always approachable and supportive. Especially Dr. Connie Healy, her guidance and mentorship were invaluable in shaping my career path. Moreover, the university's emphasis on practical application through internships in top-tier commercial law firms in Ireland allowed me to gain hands-on experience, honing my legal skills and building a robust professional network. Thanks to the university's prestigious reputation and the skills acquired during the LLM. I am truly grateful for the opportunities and knowledge this programme offered, propelling me towards a successful career in international business law.

David Martin |

The LLM in International and Comparative Business Law has given me the flexibility to research closely with dynamic and passionate people, who share my interests. The smaller groups make engagement much easier and more beneficial. While studying I had the opportunity to shape my postgraduate degree to a certain extent, which is the most rewarding part of the programme. This LLM gives an unrivalled experience of legal writing and research and an active learning component, which is applicable to any career path.

Dharitri |

The LL.M. in International and Comparative Business Law is unique for a number of reasons: it involved a philosophical engagement with legal theories beyond individual jurisdictions; we were trained in a high level of research and drafting skills, and I came out of it better able to organise my thoughts and arguments. The small class sizes allowed for engagement and discussions that are just not possible at an undergraduate level. Finally, it had a number of highlights: visiting the Galway Courthouse for our moot court finals, the Supreme Court visit, a number of lectures from internationally renowned academics and an opportunity to compete for a Commercial Legal Placement which resulted in me securing my traineeship, which began in 2020. I highly recommend this programme to anyone who is interested in exploring commercial law at an academic level, and being better prepared for the realities of corporate practice.

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