LLM Law (International Criminal Law and Practice)

How does the law respond to the most serious atrocities across the globe? What are the laws that govern war and armed conflict? To what degree is the Permanent International Criminal Court and other internationalised tribunals effective in holding individuals accountable for the most serious crimes; genocide, war crime and crimes against humanity?

These are just some of the crucial questions you address in a bespoke LLM equipping you with advanced knowledge and skills in the field of international criminal law. You will gain foundational knowledge in both international human rights law and the law on armed conflict. These modules offer much needed context and enable you to gain a holistic understanding of the international legal system. With this background, you will acquire specialist knowledge and skills in the principles of international criminal law and procedure often considering the law from various perspectives; prosecution, defence, and victims to name only a few. Recognising that in a globalised world crime is no longer confined to the territory of one State, you will also examine transnational criminal law given the increasing number of cross-border crimes such as terrorism, trafficking, and cybercrime. Your knowledge and skills will be informed by a diverse range of approaches to studying law; theoretical, doctrinal and comparative.

Taken together, this comprehensive course will help you understand and tackle the legal challenges in the course of establishing accountability, peace, and respect for human rights.

The course emphasises practical skills and how to overcome dilemmas frequently experienced by practitioners in client-facing and litigation settings, as well as examining the procedural difficulties that tribunals such as the International Criminal Court often face. During the course, you will undertake activities from the perspective of the prosecution, defence, victims counsel and the judicial bench (i.e., judges). There will also be several opportunities for you to listen to guest lectures and engage in interactive talks with external practitioners that have experience of working in internationalised tribunals.

Notably, teaching on this LLM and able to share extensive practical insight will be Sir Howard Morrison QC KCMG. Sir Howard is a Visiting Professor who has had an extensive judicial career both in the UK and internationally including serving as a Judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and as an Appellate judge at the International Criminal Court for over twelve years. During this time Sir Howard served as a judge in a number of high-profile cases involving the most serious crimes of international concern, such as the trial of Radovan Karadzic. He is currently an Independent Adviser to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova and will be providing independent and expert legal advice to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General in relation to the investigation and prosecution of war crimes committed in Ukraine.

Designed by a team of academics with a combination of research and practical experience, the LLM Law (International Criminal Law and Practice) is tailored to meet the needs of individuals who are currently employed, or indeed aspire to work in the field of international criminal law, but also other areas of domestic and international legal practice, including the Bar, with international organisations such as the UN, for civil society and non-governmental organisations, and at the civil service, as well as in academia should you be keen to engage in further doctoral studies.

It is not necessary to have an undergraduate law qualification and there are no jurisdictional restrictions, so you will be part of a diverse and intellectually stimulating cohort. You will learn from each other’s experiences in a relaxed and collaborative environment.

Northumbria Law School is one of the largest law schools in the UK, and you will be taught academics with an international reputation for research in the field of international criminal law and related fields. You will benefit from our strong links with the Northeast legal community and be able to seek guidance from staff that continue to be engage in legal practice.

See other similar courses you may be interested in: Criminal Justice