International Oil and Gas Law - (LLM)

• Study the practical aspect of international oil and gas law and examine contractual framework relevant to upstream and downstream activities, international commercial arbitration and litigation.
• Develop the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to significantly enhance your effectiveness as an adviser or decision-maker in the oil and gas industry through developing expert knowledge of the legal principles and processes at the cutting edge of oil and gas law practice.
• Gain an advantage in the job market by developing the confidence to operate in an international context and enhance your capability to analyse, negotiate and solve problems strategically.
• Benefit from the University’s close proximity to London, home to headquarters of many oil and gas companies, and the chance to gain real work experience in your final project.
• Explore the complex legal relationships that define the sector as you apply your legal knowledge into practical activities drawn from real-world problems.

You will undertake four 30 credit units and one 60 credit project unit.

Our courses are designed to be engaging, attractive and flexible in the current global marketplace. There are six entry points through the year. This allows you to start when it is most suitable.

The entry points are (commencing September 2017):

• September
• November
• January
• March
• June
• July

Your course takes place over three semesters. Depending upon when you join the course, this will determine the order of units which you will study. You will benefit by beginning your studies with others who started at one of the earlier points of entry.

• Induction Week
• Unit 1 (30 credits)
• Unit 2 (30 credits)
• Unit 3 (30 credits)
• Unit 4 (30 credits)
• Law dissertation/Law Live Project/Professional Practice (60 credits)

The structure provides an intense and highly rewarding learning experience. The induction week will prepare you well for study on your course. You will then study only one unit at a time, which will enable you to focus upon the subject. Our evidence-based approach is designed to enhance engagement and success by applied practice, working with others and network development. The learning delivery takes place through a mix of interactive lectures, seminars, tutorials and lab sessions, along with guided learning, independent and autonomous learning. This emphasis on active learning uses the latest in teaching and learning approaches, integrated with our employability practice-based method with real businesses to enable you to gain real experience as part of your course.

Capstone project

This Master's course provides the opportunity to undertake different types of project, a "Capstone" experience which completes the integration of your studies applied in one of the following:

• Professional Practice - the central aim of this unit is to provide you with a thorough understanding of the commercial context in which organisations operate. By reflecting upon your existing knowledge and experience you will be required to respond to a number of work-based scenarios through critical evaluation to determine an appropriate course of action.
• The Live Project - this will enable you to work as part of a team on a project provided by a business organisation. The exact nature of the level of work, and nature of responsibility will depend upon the chosen organisation. However, there will be close negotiation between the company and the Business School.
• The dissertation - this is a conventional dissertation of 12,000 to 15,000 words, enabling you to undertake in-depth research of a topic relating to your course. It will consist of research question, aims and objectives, rationale for undertaking the study, literature review, research methodology, analysis of findings, conclusions and recommendations.

The assessment strategy for this course is designed in a way that will contribute to your development and will help you achieve your goals and enhance your employability prospects. An essential element of this process is that feedback will be provided within 10 working days of the submission deadline which should contribute to maximising your learning experience. Initially, the focus in the strategy will be on knowledge transfer and concepts acquired during the four taught units, then gradually this will be combined and integrated with a number of highly important transferable skills such as critical analysis, problem-solving, and negotiation. The range of summative assessments on this course includes traditional methods such as individual written reports or research essays which are aimed to enhance the ability to perform literature-informed research, to review and evaluate the relevant sources and to use an appropriate methodology in order to analyse, and evaluate the relevant concepts being assessed. At the same time, your academic integrity is developed. The course also employs `non-traditional methods of assessment. These include such as case study reports to enable you to apply your legal knowledge in the context of specific factual scenarios, thereby developing their analytical and legal reasoning skills; oral presentations which aim to develop transferable skills, including the ability to present complex ideas and findings in a professional, clear and concise manner; mooting which develops your legal research, writing and advocacy skills by requiring you to devise legally-sound and effective legal arguments in support of your (fictional) clients position and articulate and defend those arguments during a simulated trial/arbitration; and practical skills assessment which will be in the form of negotiating a contract in teams with one of the major oil and gas companies or/and Host State.

Finally, at the Masters stage of the course, you will make a choice between three available units which will enable you to experience more integration to the concepts and transferable skills above as it will be combined and evaluated during the Masters capstone Unit. Irrespective of which Masters capstone unit you opt for, whether a traditional research dissertation or an experiential learning option (Law Live Project, or Professional Practice), an appropriate `research methods element will introduce you to the idea of postgraduate and/or action-based research This final unit will enhance your ability to produce an independent piece of work providing you with an opportunity to show the creativity and independence required in the workplace by holders of postgraduate degrees.

The rationale behind using the above-mentioned methods of assessment is enable the student to achieve the key learning outcomes for the LLM International Oil and Gas Law. This is designed to develop a range of transferable skills which, along with the knowledge and understanding of the relevant contractual framework for the oil and gas industry and its legal norms, will provide you with the abilities required for a successful career in industry, governmental agencies and/or the legal profession. The different methods used to assess student performance are designed to evaluate the following: (a) research skills; (b) ability to analyse, synthesise and conceptualise complex factual situations; (c) ability to contextualise and evaluate; (d) ability to apply and critically assess legal rules; (e) written and oral communication skills and professionalism.

The use of a wide range of sources, both academic and non-academic, is an essential requirement for a postgraduate degree. All coursework assignments will require a thorough evaluation of the sources you have used and appropriate references. References should follow the Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA).

Throughout the LLM, the focus will be on the identification, analysis, evaluation and application of the legal principles relevant to oil and gas law in a commercial environment. The four taught units contribute differently to developing your employability. For example, International Oil and Gas Contracts (Upstream) unit will enhance your understanding of the regulations and practices governing the contractual aspects of oil and gas industry and it will equip you with how to effectively negotiate in concert with counsel and how to get the terms negotiated incorporated into an enforceable international oil and gas agreement. A key aspect to this will be enhancing your ability to negotiate profitably with international companies and governments in order to enforce agreements that contain terms and conditions most productive for their company or organisation. Whilst International Oil and Gas Contracts (Downstream) unit will rapidly increase your understanding of the legal issues involved in various international scenarios and to improve your techniques and skills in drafting a variety of international downstream contracts. The various guided learning activities designed around the main lectures and the assessment methods will enable you to develop a range of communication skills, both as an individual and as a group. For example, International Commercial Arbitration unit will increase your understanding of the core principles of International Commercial Arbitration deriving from international conventions (especially the New York Convention), national laws (especially the English Arbitration Act 1996 and the UNCITRAL Model Law), arbitration rules (especially the ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL). There are also opportunities to participate in practical moot sessions. International Commercial Litigation is a unit which embodies the essential characteristics of a dynamic course that reflects the importance of international jurisdictions for commercial activities, including oil and gas, the elements which may help determine whether the English court should apply its own law or the law of a foreign country; and the considerations which may justify an English court in giving effect to a foreign judgment in England. Through a combination of teaching, case studies, critical appraisal, and an oral presentation, you will be kept abreast of current developments in this dynamic area of law.

These transferable skills which are embedded in the four taught units to not only develop academic thinking, but also to prepare you for the demands of professional practice. Further, the range of guided learning activities employed in each taught unit, the method of assessments, and our practice-based approach to learning will enable you to develop the transferable skills necessary for the next step in your career.

Effective self-management and a systematic understanding of the knowledge and theories associated with international oil and gas law will be enhanced and evolved further through the Masters capstone unit where you will explore a problem or research questions on a topic that is highly relevant in the contemporary legal debate and professional practice. The preparation of your dissertation or the report for your law live project/professional practice unit requires the application of legal knowledge to broad-ranging and complex issues, and also requires additional skills, including time management, management of deadlines, concision in writing plus the ability to follow an idea from conception through to final delivery.