LLM in Advanced Legislative Studies

The LLM in Advanced Legislative Studies offers a unique opportunity to drafters, legal officers, policy makers, and those interested in the process of lawmaking and in drafting to study the legislative environment and legislation as a tool for regulation. The programme aims to promote an understanding of the principles of legislative studies, and an in-depth awareness of what constitutes legislative quality and how this can be achieved. The programme is no prescriptive and allows participants to naturalize their knowledge and apply it in their own national environments. Capped class numbers allow individualized tuition. Alumni are usually employed by governments and international organizations.

Legislative drafting is often perceived as a technical skill, which one learns on the job. The view of the Sir William Dale Centre, as eloquently put by its founder and its staff in numerous publications, has always been that legislative drafting is a phronetic discipline requiring awareness of the theoretical principles of drafting along with experience on the job. Legislative drafting has evolved to become the bedrock of political, economic and social transformation. It is still, however, relatively unexplored as an academic discipline. The LLM examines issues related to the policy process, the legislative process, and the drafting process. Legislation is viewed as a tool for regulation. Effectiveness of regulatory aims is the scope and aim of the drafting process.

The LLM is divided into 2 directions: the Common law Direction and the EU Direction.

• The Common Law direction offers the core modules Comparative Legislative Studies 1 and 2, Legislative Drafting 1 and 2, and Themes of Legislative Studies 1 and 2, plus a dissertation.

• The EU Direction offers the core modules EU Legislative Studies 1 and 2, the Jean Monnet Module "Legislating for EU Membership and Accession", the Jean Monnet module "Theories of European Integration", and the joint modules Themes of Legislative Studies 1 and 2, plus a dissertation.

Part-time students take four modules in the first year of study, and two modules and the dissertation in the second year of study.

Testimonials

Testimonials listed below are from former students studying for the LLM in Advanced Legislative Studies,

"Much gratitude to my lovely, most intelligent and blessed lecturers Helen and Constantin. I will forever remain grateful for the knowledge you imparted on me, I am a reference point, being called upon to aid where a difficulty looms. I would never forget the knowledge imparted on me by Dr. Constantin on Research Methodology and writing (read hypothesis and methodology), very very helpful, both at work while doing my well researched legal and legislative opinions and on my second masters. Thank you very much sir. (Ladies and gentleman, I footnote my opinions, I do a bibliography for them as well, my bosses love it. Guys lets show the world what IALS has to offer.) Dr. Helen, no words for you, just gratitude, gratitude and more gratitude, you gave me a reason to smile up high, I learnt a lot, the knowledge has significantly boosted my esteem as a drafter, I can confidently stand up and declare myself a competent drafter and an expert in the same."

"First and foremost, I want to thank both of you for being such wonderful teachers. I wish I'd had a chance to say a proper thank you in person to both of you. I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your class. Many thanks for your support and courage throughout the year. Well, I have just started working back at the Drafting Division and everything I have learned from both of you is very useful, helpful and valuable."

Contact:

Dr Constantin Stefanou,
Sir William Dale Centre for Legislative Studies,
IALS,
Charles Clore House,
17 Russell Square,
London WC1B 5DR
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 20 78625867
Fax: +44 20 78625855
E-mail: constantin.stefanou@sas.ac.uk

Distance Learning

The LLM in Advanced Legislative Studies has been offered by the IALS with considerable success since 2004. Students now have the opportunity to study this course in a more flexible manner, via distance learning. The LLM in ALS via DL includes a compulsory week-long intensive residential course in London. This gives students a chance to meet the tutors and other students, and to start their studies with the maximum level of support.

Teaching methods for the remainder of the course include extensive online materials per session, such as PowerPoint presentations, hand-outs, and a number of academic sources for essential and further reading; online discussions with tutors and fellow students on the traditional LLM and the LLM via DL; private reading and independent research; individual tuition and support via email for coursework and dissertation for which a dissertation supervisor is assigned.

The content for the DL programme is fundamentally the same as the content of the LLM in ALS. The LLM in ALS via DL is divided into two pathways: the Common Law Direction and the EU Direction.

• The Common Law Direction offers the core modules Comparative Legislative Studies 1 and 2, Legislative Drafting 1 and 2, 'Themes of Legislative Studies 1 and 2, plus a dissertation.

• The EU Direction offers the core modules EU Legislative Studies 1 and 2, the Jean Monnet module "Legislating for EU Membership and Accession", the Jean Monnet module "Theories of European Integration", the joint modules Themes of Legislative Studies, plus a dissertation.

The LLM in ALS via DL is offered on a part-time basis only over two years calendar. Application forms can be found at the top of the page.