atlternative tracks

64%

of international students

countries represented

LL.M. in European and International Trade & Investment Law (Master 2)

Formation initiale

Master 2 en convention avec l'Université Lumière Lyon 2 - Parcours International Trade and Investment Law

Droit

The core courses of this full-year program cover the major negotiated European and Global Trade and Investment Agreements and their interaction with the WTO, with a particular focus on the European Union.

Academics from different jurisdictions but also experts from the WTO, the EU and from major law firms and companies will bring students to a high level of understanding in this fast-evolving and job-rich legal area.

The LL.M. in European and International Trade and Investment Law offers two alternative tracks.

Overall presentation
Master 2 in International Trade and Investment Law

Presentation
Admission
Highlights
Carreer opportunities
Tuition fee
Information

Topics include regional trade agreements (NAFTA, USMCA, CAFTA, CETA, CPTPP etc…), international and European trade law, trade and development, TRIPs agreement, trade preferences, international banking regulations, international customs practices, bilateral investment treaties and dispute resolution.

This LL.M. is entirely taught in English by experts, legal practitioners and lecturers from several jurisdictions. Professors have a practical approach to teaching focusing on tutorials, group work, students’ presentations and Moot arbitration.

The LL.M. in International Trade and Investment Law offers two alternative tracks. The program is delivered in English through lectures, presentations and seminars during each semester.

Lyon Track : Two semesters in Lyon (from September to May). Successful students will be awarded an LL.M. in International Trade and Investment Law (French Official Master 2 degree) and an LL.M. degree from Lyon Catholic University.

St John’s Track : One semester in Lyon (from September to December) and one semester in New-York, at our partner University, St John’s University (from January to May). At the end of both semesters, successful students will be awarded a Master in International Trade and Investment law (French official Master 2 degree) and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) by St John’s University (New- York).
Application deadline for Jt John’s Track (and New-York Bar Track): 03rd June 2024

St John’s Track – New York Bar Option : One semester in Lyon (from September to December) and one semester in New-York, at our partner university, St John’s University (from January to May).
At the end of both semesters, successful students will be awarded an LL.M. (French official Master 2 degree) and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) by St John’s University (New-York). Students following the St John’s Track have the opportunity to prepare for the New York Bar.
Students may decide to stay for another semester at St John’s University to prepare for the New York Bar exam after having successfully completed the St John’s Track. Dual LL.M. students would have to enrol in at least 12 credits during the autumn semester at St John’s University.
St John’s University would charge a preferential rate for the second semester of coursework.
Application deadline for Jt John’s Track (and New-York Bar Track): 03rd June 2024

The core courses of this LL.M. program cover the WTO agreements, the EU major external trade agreements and their interaction with the EU Single Market. Various courses are also dedicated to International Investment Treaties and the Trade Disputes settlement mechanisms.

In an increasingly international legal market, UCLy offers the opportunity to our students to study in France, allowing them to gain valuable legal and language skills, as well as experience of other cultures thanks to the multinational dimension of our classes.

Objectives

The European Union (EU) is the world’s largest single market area. UCLy offers the opportunity to our students to study in France, allowing them to gain valuable knowledge about the EU legal order and, thanks to the proximity to Geneva and Brussels, to be exposed to legal experts coming from the WTO, the European Union but also other stakeholders, as the EU Court of Justice .

An important and increasing share of world’s imports and exports is ruled by free and preferential trade agreements, making them central to the business activity of international companies and States. Lawyers who are specialized in this area will therefore have a valuable expertise into the legal market. The curriculum covers extensively, International Investment Agreements, Evolution of WTO & International Trade, Trade & Intellectual Property Rights, Taxation of International Transactions and EU Customs Law.

Témoignage vidéo

Partnerships

The St. John’s University Law School – UCLy offer a Dual Diploma : St. John’s LL.M. in Transnational Legal Practice & UCLy’s LL.M. in International Trade and Investment Law.
In partnership with Saint John’s University Law School of New York (USA).

Why choose this exciting double diploma? click here!

Publics

Entry requirements

Applicants are required to have an undergraduate degree in law (a French Licence, a LL.B. or equivalent) and a Postgraduate degree and in any event at least 4 years of undergraduate studies. Acceptance of applicants with other types of diplomas will be determined by the Admission Committee which may also take into account relevant professional experience.

English Proficiency Requirements

The program requires that applicants possess a good level of English language proficiency. Therefore we only accept applicants with a minimum IELTS Score of 6.5 (online test accepted), a minimum TOEFL IBT score of 90, a CAE score of 58 or a DUOLINGO (internet based accepted) score of 120, will be considered.

We might also consider without a test applicants with an experience establishing the command of the English Language.

Nonetheless, results of one of the tests is mandatory for St John’s Track and NY Bar Track applicants except for natives of Canada, UK, New-Zealand and Australia.

French Proficiency Requirements

You do not need to speak French to come to UCLy! There are no particular requirements regarding French language. Classes are taught entirely in English. Free French language classes can be offered to interested students.

Application

All applications are considered every year starting from October for the following intake.

Applicants should receive an answer from the Admission Committee within a month.

Foreign students ( Non-EU) affected by the “Etudes en France procedure” (for the list of the concerned countries go to Campus France.

Should be mindful that they must follow the Campus France process (Etudes en France) in addition to our admission process.

Please note that you must first be registered and have put our LL.M. in European and International Trade & Investment Law (Master 2) in your basket of program choices with Campus France (Studies in France).

Should you encounter any difficulty, please contact us at: llm@univ-catholyon.fr

Applications deadline: May 2025

Apply Here

Documents for application

A cover letter in English,
A Curriculum-Vitae in English,
A copy of your diplomas and transcripts (and an English translation if necessary),
A copy of your passport
A copy of the English language certificate where applicable (if you are not a native speaker),
Two letters of reference in English (academic or professional reference as the case may be), and any other document you might find relevant.

Mentoring

Our students benefit from a mentoring system. Our staff will also help you with your administrative papers and provide you with guidance for your internship search.

International Mooting Competition

UCLy students have participated to various Mooting Competition (i.e. ELSA Moot, Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, Foreign Direct Investment International Arbitration Moot and ICC Commercial Mediation Moot Competition).

French classes

Students can study French while studying at UCLy. French classes as a foreign language courses are proposed free of charge.

Accommodation for our students

Our accommodation department will help you in finding a suitable accommodation for your stay in Lyon, Depending on the kind of accommodation you are looking for and your budget (ideal rent etc…), our accommodation department can also help you with your research and the renting process. See our Accommodation departmartment webpage

Members of our accommodation department can help you throughout the process in several languages. They speak French, English, Spanish or Italian. You can contact them by email (service.logement@univ-catholyon.fr)

Extra-Curricular activities for students

Lyon truly is great, regardless of what anyone likes to do. There are plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities such as skiing, fishing, climbing or taking leisure nature walks.

There are many restaurants proposing a wide spectrum of food specialties (French, Italian, Thai, Japanese, Indian etc…). You will even find a few new Michelin stars if you are a gourmet, several parks in the city, museums, theaters and ruins. If you are looking for original options, these include an ostrich farm, visiting the wineries where typical wines are produced (Bourgogne wines, Cotes du Rhone wines) or visiting the museum of dolls.

Our students usually take advantage of the central location of Lyon. Students travel to nearby locations for example: skiing resorts (Chamonix, Méribel, les 2 Alpes, Alpe Huez etc…); Lake Miribel offers a great swimming beach in summer, there are hiking and trekking site in the region, and a particle accelerator near Geneva that nerds can visit by asking a permit from the government. Switzerland and Italy are a bus ride away for less than 10 euros, and for 15 euros or so, Belgium, Paris, Spain or Greece. You can fly to European cities and other regions from Lyon airport

Enrique from Venezuela (Promotion 2017-2018) highly recommends the Light Festival, which takes place every year on 8th December.
Julie from France (Promotion 2017-2018) suggests cultural visits in Lyon, which is a former Roman city, famous for its silk trade and a strong cultural heritage. She enjoyed travelling to other cities or other countries.
Jens went to the Parc de la Tête d’or for sporting activities and enjoyed cinemas at Confluence center in Lyon.

Conferences

Students can attend international conferences on a variety of topics:

International Workshop – Resolution of international disputes current trends and challenges in partnership with Radboud University in January 2020 at UCLy
Symposium – Le droit des affaires à l’épreuve de la digitalisation in November 2019 at UCLy & Université de Lorraine
International Symposium on Judicial Control over Arbitral Awards: Scope, Vacation and Public Policy in April 2019 in partnership with University of Trieste and University of Florida at UCLy
International Symposium on Multinational corporations facing Human Rights Violations in February 2019 at UCLy
International Symposium – Smart Contracts & Blockchain technologies in May 2018 at UCLy
International Symposium on International Arbitration in the context of Global Trade and Investments in November 2017 at UCLy

Students can also attend conferences given by visiting scholars and practitioners on a variety of topics (i.e. EU Legislation on Data Protection, European Union, Digitalization and the law, Common law etc…).

Some general tourist promotion links:
lyon-france
visiterlyon

Examples of specific clubs/activities:
lyonkayak
peche69
tripadvisor

Why should I enroll?

The program is designed for students aiming at international trade, customs, and investment positions in companies, law-firms and international organizations. Students aiming at qualifying as lawyers and working as in-house lawyers would benefit from this knowledge. This LL.M. is designed to meet the need of companies which do business/trade at international level and invest abroad.Recent graduates have joined law firms (either for internships or job opportunities) or international organizations (see what our past students have done).

This Master 2/LL.M. will give you an added value to your curriculum vitae. You will have contacts with practitioners and experts from international organizations and prestigious law firms in several jurisdictions. You will also develop a valuable network with other students coming from various parts of the world.

Study visits are an integral part of the program. In recent years, students visited the WTO and WIPO on study visits.

Tuition fee

For Lyon Track:

Home/European Economic Area Students : 10 000 EUR
Non-European Economic Area Students : 11 500 EUR

St John’s Track (New York):

For all: 21 000 EUR

Administrative fees: the administrative fees may change every year. The administrative fees for the 2024-2025 academic year are: 578 EUR (450 EUR State Exam registration and 128 EUR University fees).

Changes may occur in the above information.

Calculate your tuition fee

Administrative contacts

Cécile PELLEGRINI
LL.M. Programs Director

Delphine Vinegla
LL.M. Programs Coordinator Law School Université Catholique de Lyon
Faculté de Droit – Master of International Trade and Investment Law
10, place des Archives – 69288 Lyon Cedex 02 – France

llm@univ-catholyon.fr

Faculté de Droit
Tél. : 04 72 32 51 50

llm@univ-catholyon.fr

Opportunity to prepare for the New York Bar

2 different tracks : Lyon track and St John's track

Program delivered in English

Students’ feedback

Louis-Arthur SILVA-TERZAN

Master 2 / LL.M. in European and International Trade & Investment Law – St John’s Track

Louis-Arthur SILVA-TERZAN

Master 2 / LL.M. in European and International Trade & Investment Law – St John’s Track

Le barreau de New York est une épreuve qui demande énormément de travail. Lorsque j’ai fait le choix à Lyon de tout faire pour rejoindre l’université de St John’s à New York, je n’avais pas pour projet d’y passer le barreau. Une fois sur place et poussé par l’envie de réussir à New York, j’ai décidé de tout faire pour obtenir le barreau. St John’s m’a beaucoup aidé dans ce processus de par la qualité des enseignants et des enseignements. J’ai par la suite suivi le chemin classique que suivent les étudiants américains, c’est-à- dire une prépa barreau et une quantité importante de travail.

Lire +

Yannick

Master 2 / LL.M. in European and International Trade & Investment Law – St John’s Track

Yannick

Master 2 / LL.M. in European and International Trade & Investment Law – St John’s Track

This program provided me with an outstanding possibility to broaden my experiences as a jurist. At first, the substantive law does give deeper knowledge to an interesting field of law: In my view, international law is very important and will be assumed by many law firms. And secondly, the programme helped me to accelerate many soft skills necessary for a transnational practitioner, like negotiating or working in a team. And finally, it is hardly surprising that the programme helped me to improve my legal English

Maryam

(From BARHAIN) - Lyon Track

Maryam

(From BARHAIN) - Lyon Track

Maryam from Bahrain is currently the Trade Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva. She did the Master 2 and the Master in International Business Law.

Andrea Carolina

(From Colombia) – St John’s Track

Andrea Carolina

(From Colombia) – St John’s Track

This program was an unparalleled experience to gain a keen understanding of International Trade and Investment Law and prepare me to work in demanding, fast-paced professional environments. Through the program, we not only had the opportunity to discuss the latest theoretical developments and debates in the field, but also to obtain practical insight from leading experts in trade

Dinh Thien (Chris)

(From Vietnam) – St John’s Track

Dinh Thien (Chris)

(From Vietnam) – St John’s Track

I enjoyed meeting experts, professors and students “from all over the world”. I gained a detailed knowledge and understanding about bilateral and multilateral international trade and investment agreements which will open up opportunities for me to practice in International and Cross Border transactions.

Quentin

from France – St John’s Track –New York Bar Pathway (Promotion 2017-2018)

Quentin

from France – St John’s Track –New York Bar Pathway (Promotion 2017-2018)

Quentin joined a law firm in New York after passing the New York Bar.

He said that « pursuing the Dual LLM Degree has by far been my most rewarding university experience, both personally and academically, the class structure at both St. John’s and UCLy played an instrumental role in understanding even the most complex matters. » Quentin explained why he took the New York Bar exam. He insisted on the international marketability. He added that taking « the New York Bar is the last step of a long international academic background. It was a new challenge, which should not, however, be undertaken lightly. This is definitely an extra qualification and a legitimacy when it comes to employment. »

Jens

from Germany – St John’s Track (promotion 2016-2017)

Jens

from Germany – St John’s Track (promotion 2016-2017)

Jens chose this program as it fitted it résumé. He wanted to specialize in trade and corporate in Germany. He said that this program gave him ‘the chance to have a deeper look’ at those issues. He also added that ‘international law firms appreciate’ the fact that students have studied abroad.

He’s now doing an internship at the United Nations in New York. He said that “from a career perspective, I was always interested in the cross border aspect of law and the LL.M. program at the UCLy certainly opened those doors for me. Right now I am working at the United Nations as a legal trainee, which had everything to do with my international academic experiences. »

Ginalin

from the Philippines – St John’s Track (promotion 2016-2017)

Ginalin

from the Philippines – St John’s Track (promotion 2016-2017)

Ginalin is now one of the joint ventures and acquisitions lawyer for Asia and the Pacific at the Global Legal Network of a large global IT and consulting firm in their Manila headquarters. She said that ‘thanks to UCLy and SJU as my learnings from our LLM courses really came in handy and made my transition from banking law to contract law, much easier’.

Isabel

from Germany - Lyon Track (promotion 2017-2018)