LLM Law (International Criminal Law and Practice)

These are just some of the crucial questions you address in a bespoke LLM equipping you with advanced knowledge and skills in the field of international criminal law. You will gain foundational knowledge in both international human rights law and the law on armed conflict. These modules offer much needed context and enable you to gain a holistic understanding of the international legal system. With this background, you will acquire specialist knowledge and skills in the principles of international criminal law and procedure often considering the law from various perspectives, prosecution, defence, and victims to name only a few. Recognising that in a globalised world crime is no longer confined to the territory of one State, you will also examine transnational criminal law given the increasing number of cross-border crimes such as terrorism, trafficking, and cybercrime. Your knowledge and skills will be informed by a diverse range of approaches to studying law, theoretical, doctrinal and comparative. Taken together, this comprehensive course will help you understand and tackle the legal challenges in the course of establishing accountability, peace, and respect for human rights. The course emphasises practical skills and how to overcome dilemmas frequently experienced by practitioners in client-facing and litigation settings, as well as examining the procedural difficulties that tribunals such as the International Criminal Court often face. During the course, you will undertake activities from the perspective of the prosecution, defence, victims counsel and the judicial bench (i.e., judges). There will also be several opportunities for you to listen to guest lectures and engage in interactive talks with external practitioners that have experience of working in internationalised tribunals.

You will graduate from this course with independence of thought, boundless curiosity and a talent for collaboration traits valued by every employer. The International Criminal Law and Practice specialism will potentially make you more competitive for employment as a legal practitioner, both in England and Wales but also abroad in the International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice, or work in the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts in Cambodia (e.g., as legal officers, analysts, expert advisers or counsel). The pathway is also designed for those who wish to work for international organisations such as the United Nations (UN) or civil society/campaigning groups such as Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch, as well as careers in civil service (e.g., The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office). Given the research emphasis of this pathway, the LLM is also designed to prepare students for a career in academia more generally including as a route to This course is also an excellent route to PhD study if you are seeking an academic career within the field of law. If you already have a qualifying UK law degree, this course will help you to enhance your CV with a specialism so that you stand out when competing for training contracts or pupillages. If you are joining us from another legal jurisdiction, you will be able to apply your specialist skills and knowledge in your home country, contributing to local priorities for growth in relevant areas. For students from countries that follow the Bologna Process and require two year of postgraduate study, it will be possible to study the LLM framework twice, choosing a different specialism each time. You will qualify for an alumni discount on the second year. Students who have qualifications or careers in related areas such as finance will acquire valuable contextual understanding that helps them stand out among their peers.

A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree in either law, a relevant social science based discipline, or a relevant non-law degree. Relevant professional qualifications or suitable work experience will also be considered.
International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component