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Master of Laws Concentration in International Trade and Foreign Investment Law

The Master of Laws Concentration in International Trade and Foreign Investment Law has been ranked as one of the world’s top-ranked LLM programs in international trade law / WTO law by the LLM Guide to master of laws programs worldwide. With the largest number of professors specialized in international trade and investment law in North America, the program will give you access to a unique pool of experts. You’ll be immersed in a dynamic trade and investment law community in Canada’s capital, with professionals involved in international disputes and interstate economic relations regularly invited as guest lecturers.

trade container

The Master of Laws Concentration in International Trade and Foreign Investment Law will allow you to:

  • Gain a thorough understanding of trade and investment treaties and dispute settlement, including how to negotiate treaties and defend national interests.
  • Develop the expertise you need to work as a trade treaty negotiator, litigator or trade and investment policy adviser in government, law firms, international organizations or NGOs.
  • Build a professional network in the nation’s capital, home to Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, private law firms with trade and investment practices and NGOs focused on global issues.
  • Learn about cutting-edge research and prepare for a doctoral program
  • Overview: Master of Laws with Concentration in International Trade and Foreign Investment Law
  • Course work and research paper
  • Full-time, 12-month program
  • Courses taught in person in either French or English
  • September start
  • Admission requirement: undergraduate law degree

Application deadlines

University fees: Select your academic year in the Fee Calculator and then “Regular student” from the list.

Questions on admissions? Email us for more on graduate studies at the Faculty of Law.

Agata Zwolankiewicz
Agata Zwolankiewicz

“It was a great experience to work within a small group of students, taught by professors who provided relevant feedback. I also improved my writing, a skill greatly valued by big law firms.”

Agata Zwolankiewicz, Associate at Clifford Chance

— LLM Concentration in International Trade and Foreign Investment Law ’20

Dean MacDougall
Dean MacDougall

“The LLM exposed me to the key areas and principles of this field. The degree helped me obtain my current position practising in WTO litigation, trade negotiations and trade law.”

Dean MacDougall, BEng, LLB, LLM, Counsel, Trade Law Bureau, Government of Canada

— LLM Concentration in International Trade and Foreign Investment Law ’16

Program highlight: Study and discuss the implications of real-world disputes

DCL 6350 
International Economic Law Case Studies (3 units)
Professor: Céline Levesque

Some of the most challenging issues of international economic law arise in litigation. This course will allow you to think through issues in the context of an actual dispute, borrowing from the case method developed in MBA programs. The course typically uses the investment chapter of one of Canada’s international economic law treaties (e.g., CUSMA, CPTPP, CETA) as a backdrop. As a student, you will enjoy being an active participant. You will get to know an investment arbitration claim and go through the stages of the claim, including evidence gathering, preliminary research, claim assessment, in-depth research, elaboration of a theory of the case and drafting the outline of a memorial.

Concentration-international-trade