3

atlternative tracks

64%

of international students

21

countries represented

LL.M. in International Business & European Trade 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 – Droit des affaires, parcours International Business & European Trade Law
ASSOCIATED WITH the UCLy LL.M. in INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS & EUROPEAN TRADE LAW
TWO PATHWAYS TRADE or BUSINESS

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 (September to May). Successful students are awarded the LL.M. in International Business & European Trade Law and the French national Master’s degree.

 

  • St John’s Track : One semester in Lyon (September to December) and one semester at St John’s University, New York (January to May). Successful students are awarded the LL.M. in International Busi-ness & European Trade Law, the French national Master’s degree and an LL.M. from St John’s University (New- York).

 

  • St John’s Track – New York Bar Pathway :

One semester in Lyon (September to December) and one semester at St John’s University, New York (January to May). Successful students are awarded the LL.M. in International Busi-ness & European Trade Law, the French national Master’s degree and an LL.M. from St John’s University.

The St John’s Track offers students the opportunity to prepare for the New York Bar Examination (admission subject to selec-tion by the Admission Committee). After completing the track, students may stay at St John’s University for an additional semester to prepare for the Bar. Dual LL.M. students must then enrol in at least 12 credits during the autumn semester, for which St John’s University charges a preferential tuition rate.

 

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.

Testimonial of LL.M. graduates :

 

 

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!

Target Audience

Entry requirements

Students who successfully complete the M1 progress automatically to the M2. Admission to the New York Bar Pathway is subject to selection by the Admission Committee. Other applicants must hold an undergraduate degree in law (French Licence en droit, LL.B. or equivalent) and a postgraduate degree, representing at least four years of university studies in total. Applications based on other qualifications are assessed by the Admission Commit-tee, which may also take relevant professional experience into account.

English language requirements:

Same requirements as for the M1. An official language test is mandatory for St John’s Track and New York Bar Pathway applicants, except for native speakers from Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, 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.

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 (Etudes en France).

If your country is not part of this procedure, you must simply follow the below process. If you notify us by email when the application is completed, you may receive a response between 2 to 3 weeks later (it all depends on whether you are applying during a busy/holiday period or not).

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

 

If your country is not part of this procedure, you must simply follow the below process. If you notify us by email when the application is completed, you may receive a response between 2 to 3 weeks later (it all depends on whether you are applying during a busy/holiday period or not).

Applications deadline: May 2026

All the documents that should be uploaded during the online application process should be IN ENGLISH regardless of the instructions on the application platform. If translated, the original and translated document should be uploaded together.


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.
Bourse Eiffel applications: please send the above documents to the following address: llm@univ-catholyon.fr. If you are concerned by the Campus France process you must add your Campus France number to your email.

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

LL.M. Programs Director : Cécile PELLEGRINI

LL.M. Programs Coordinator : Marcine MCKINSON-ROUSSET :

  • llm@univ-catholyon.fr
  • Tél. : 04 72 32 58 99

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)

Graduation de Quentin

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)

Témoignage de Jens

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)

Témoignage de Ginalin

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)

Témoigange d'Isabel

Isabel

from Germany - Lyon Track (promotion 2017-2018)

Isabel is currently doing an internship in an international organization.

Découvrez le
programme
détaillé

First Semester

Second Semester

First Semester

Second Semester (January to May, in St John’s University)

  • Business Organization (elective)
  • Legal Writing (elective)
  • Mergers & Acquisitions (elective)
  • International Business Transactions (elective)
  • International Commercial Arbitration (elective)
  • International Finance (elective)
  • International Litigation & Dispute Resolution (elective)
  • Securities Regulation (elective)
  • Transactions in Emerging Markets (elective)

Découvrir
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Nos autres formations

Licence de Droit à Lyon
LL.M. in International Business & European Trade Law (Master 1) Etudiants sautant avec des drapeaux