This Master of Laws concentration prepares students to work in international economic law, dispute settlement and global economic policy. Delivered in person in Ottawa, the program places students in the heart of a dynamic trade and investment law community in Canada's capital. Students engage with specialists, practitioners and guest lecturers involved in international disputes and interstate economic relations. The concentration builds knowledge of trade and investment agreements, treaty negotiation, the defence of national interests and dispute settlement, while developing expertise relevant to legal practice, government, international organizations, NGOs and doctoral research.
Master of Laws (LLM) and Concentration International Trade and Foreign Investment
Program Overview
DURATION
LOCATION
LANGUAGE
Options
Why Choose This Program?
The program stands out for its international reputation and depth of faculty expertise. The LLM Guide ranks it among the world's top LL.M. programs in international trade law and WTO law. The Faculty has the largest number of professors specialized in international trade and investment law in North America, giving students access to a distinctive pool of experts.
In Ottawa, students also benefit from proximity to Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, law firms with trade and investment practices, and NGOs focused on global issues.
Program Options and Structure
- Overview: Master of Laws with Concentration in International Trade and Foreign Investment Law.
- Format: course work and research paper.
- Status: full-time, 12-month program.
- Start: September.
- Delivery: courses taught in person in either French or English.
- Program requirements and course descriptions
- Application deadlines
- Apply
Admission Requirements
Undergraduate law degree or equivalent.
What You Can Do With Your Studies
- Trade treaty negotiator.
- International trade litigator.
- Trade and investment policy adviser.
- Trade or investment dispute specialist.
- Government professional working on international economic relations.
- Lawyer in a law firm with a trade or investment practice.
- Adviser in an international organization or NGO.
- Doctoral program candidate.
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees vary according to your status (Canadian or international student) and your enrolment (full-time or part-time).
For current amounts, visit the University of Ottawa's tuition fees page, select your academic year, then choose "Regular student."
Admission scholarships are awarded each year by the Faculty of Law and the Office of the Vice-Provost, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, with no separate application on your part (recommendations are submitted by the Law Admissions Committee). Other donor-funded scholarships, as well as graduate funding resources, are also available.
Testimonials
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, LL.M. Concentration in International Trade and Foreign Investment Law 2020
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, LL.M. Concentration in International Trade and Foreign Investment Law 2016
Meet the Professors
Wolfgang Alschner
Hyman Soloway Chair in Business and Trade Law, full professor in the Common Law Section, cross-appointed to the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. His work focuses on international economic law, computational legal analysis, international investment agreements, investor-state dispute settlement and WTO law. He heads the uOttawa Legal Technology Lab and co-founded Mapping Investment Treaties and the EDIT database
Patrick Dumberry
Full professor, specialist in international law, investor-state arbitration and international responsibility. Before joining the University of Ottawa, he practised international law and international arbitration in Geneva, Montreal and at the Government of Canada's Trade Law Bureau. He has authored more than 90 publications and 10 books.
Geneviève Dufour
Full professor and holder of the Research Chair in Sustainable, Responsible and Inclusive Trade Law: her research focuses on free trade and the interactions between trade, environmental law and human rights. She collaborates with many actors in international trade law and sustainable development, and regularly appears in the media on issues within her fields of expertise.
Céline Levesque
professor: associated with DCL 6350, International Economic Law Case Studies. The course addresses complex questions in international economic law through real-world disputes, including the investment chapter of Canadian international economic agreements such as CUSMA, CPTPP or CETA.
Contact us
Office of Graduate Studies
57 Louis-Pasteur st.,
room 301
Ottawa, On K1N 6N5
Tel.: 613-562-5774
[email protected]