LAW49315: Financial Products and Contracts

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• To introduce students to the financial structure, main objectives, and legal aspects of selected financial products.
• To provide advanced knowledge and understanding of the principles of law applicable to loans, derivatives, shares, bonds, securitisation and other more complex financial instruments.
• To enable students to understand the legal risks associated with specific financial instruments.
• To provide an advanced understanding of the main clauses found in financial contracts.

• Nature and functions of collateral, security interests, and other property rights in
• English law
• Shares (legal and financial aspects, contract design, main clauses)
• Bonds (legal and financial aspects, contract design, main clauses)
• Derivatives (legal and financial aspects, contract design, main clauses)
• Loans (legal and financial aspects, contract design, main clauses)
• Loan securitization (legal and financial aspects, contract design, main clauses)
• Trade finance (legal and financial aspects, contract design, main clauses)
• Project finance (legal and financial aspects, contract design, main clauses)
• Conflict of laws issues and dispute settlement

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Students will gain an advanced understanding of the nature and function of selected financial products.
• Students will gain an advanced understanding of the principles of law applicable to selected financial transactions and products.
• Students will learn the secondary literature on contract law and transactional aspects of financial law.
• Students will gain an advanced knowledge of the main contractual clauses found in selected financial products.
• Students will gain an advanced knowledge of selected conflict of laws and adjudication principles applicable to international financial transactions

Subject-specific Skills:

• Students will be able to identify the core legal issues relating to the drafting of financial contracts.
• Students will be able to articulate and apply the core principles of financial law to real financial transactions.
• Students will be able to engage in informed debates on the evolution of the law of finance.
• Students will be able to identify the main strategies to address problems in international financial transactions.
• Students will be able to develop expertise in conducting research on legal materials from a variety of national and comparative sources.
• Students will be able to formulate complex legal arguments.

Key Skills:

• Advanced research skills
• Advanced writing skills
• Ability to work independently and take responsibility for their learning.
• Ability to analyse and comment critically on laws, regulations, and policies
• Ability to engage with the academic literature

• The teaching will be based on seminars supported by substantial but targeted reading assignments before each seminar to provide a deeper understanding of the issues. The readings are selected from established doctrinal sources and cutting-edge scholarship in the area.
• The assessment supports the aims of the teaching methods. The summative essay will assess the ability of the students to analyse the subject material, conduct research, and present a structured and articulate argument on the subject.

The formative will entail the analysis of a legal issue on a topic covered by the syllabus. The analysis will be 1000 words in length.

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