International Commercial Law

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label Diverse autorenew 2025-09-29, 17:01 history_edu Cristian Ion
Multinational corporations form an omnipresent and powerful force in today's world. Increasingly, they are moulding legal and administrative practices in every single state participating in global affairs. Yet, as international actors, they largely evade traditional structures of domestic jurisdiction.

Offering a crucial insight into both the underlying structure and recent developments of international commercial law this course is modelled on two key questions: What is the applicable law that governs trans-border commerce, and how can the conduct of private corporations be harmonised, with disputes arising in this global environment settled effectively?

Through both theoretical analysis and practical training, you will gain an invaluable understanding of the concepts underlying the evolution of international commerce as well as a practical encounter with the profession of an international lawyer. Uniquely, this course brings together both theoretical understanding of and practical training in rhetorical skills, with many opportunities to engage with international commercial law in practice throughout the city.By the end of the course, students from a diverse range of professional backgrounds and academic disciplines will have acquired an insight into the historical and institutional evolvement of the legal regime governing transnational economic activities.

This course covers historical backgrounds, principles, institutions and actors dealing with international commerce; an overview of the international treaty system, customary law, the role and influence of state actors and international organisations; the law governing international trade and foreign direct investment; topical aspects of contemporary dispute settlement mechanisms in international business law; domestic and international litigation and arbitration, ranging from ad hoc tribunals over state-to-state proceedings in international trading relations to investor-state arbitration.

The central aim of the course is to provide a deepened understanding of the structure as well as recent developments of international commercial law. Through elements of practical training, you will furthermore enhance your communication skills and get acquainted with formulating legal arguments.

Period
01-07-2013 - 19-07-2013 (3 weeks)

Target group
This course can accommodate participants from diverse professional backgrounds and academic disciplines. While previous knowledge of the field will be considered an advantage, all students and practitioners with an interest in the theory and practice of the law governing international commerce are encouraged to apply.



Course aim
By the end of the course you will have acquired an insight into the historical and institutional evolvement of the legal regime governing transnational economic activities. Moreover, you will possess a firm understanding of relevant actors, organisations, legal sources and principles; mechanisms of dispute settlement in international commerce, such as mediation, state-to-state tribunals, investor-state arbitration as well as ad hoc tribunals; topical legal developments and sources of transnational legal harmonisation.In addition, through mooting sessions in teams, including analytical and practical training, you will develop speaking and rhetorical skills.

Being familiarised with academic debates and arguments as well as practical challenges at the end of the course, you will be able to reflect critically and evaluate competently past, recent and future developments in the field of international commercial law.London provides multiple opportunities to encounter the field of international commercial law in practice. Visits to London-based arbitral bodies and international law firms will serve to illustrate theoretical debates and get into contact with practitioners.

Credits
7.5 ECTS credits

Many of our students get credit for the summer courses taken at Kings. You should approach your home university before applying to find out whether they accept our courses for credit. We would recommend a three-week course to be equivalent 4 US credits or 7.5 ECTS, for instance.

Course fee
GBP 1350; tuition fee only.

Course leader
Stefan Mandelbaum has been a PhD researcher in law at Kings College London since 2011, having previously graduated with distinction in Philosophy, Law and Classical Studies from the University of Jena, Germany.

King's College London
Address: Strand, London
Postal code: WC2R 2LS
City: London
Country: United Kingdom
Website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/summerschool
E-mail: summerschool@kcl.ac.uk
Phone: +44 20 7848 1533