Mar 28, 2024  
2007-2008 Academic Catalog 
    
2007-2008 Academic Catalog [Published Catalog]

International and Comparative Law (LL.M.)


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Academic Organizations

The Ibrahim Shihata Memorial LL.M Program in International and Comparative Law

Dr. Ibrahim Shihata, in whose memory this LL.M has been established, made significant contributions to the development of international economic law.   In addition to his positions of Senior Vice President and General Counsel with the World Bank, Dr. Shihata also served as Secretary-General of the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes; he was principal architect of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and he was responsible for the World Bank Guidelines for the Legal Treatment of Foreign Investments.  Other positions included first Director General of the OPEC Fund for Economic Development and General Counsel of the Kuwait Fund.  He was instrumental in establishing the Inter-Arab Investment Guarantee Agency, and he was the founder of the International Development Law Institute in Rome.  Indeed the entire career of Dr. Shihata was devoted to the infrastructures that assisted development.  The LL.M program itself, as well as individual courses, are directly concerned with law and development.  In Dr. Shihata’s words: “Law, as the formal instrument of orderly change in society, plays a pivotal role, even though this role has not always been readily recognized.”

The Master of Laws (LL.M) Degree in International and Comparative Law is intended for law school graduates who seek legal training that will enable them to work effectively in Egypt’s developing free market economy, whether in courts, government offices, the foreign service, or public and private business sectors, with commitment to the rule of law from increased knowledge about the laws that govern market economies and liberalized societies, nationally and internationally.  Accordingly, the new program offers basic courses and courses in specialized areas designed to increase capacities to promote economic, social, and legal development.

Admission

Students seeking to enter AUC to work for the LL.M degree must have a first degree in Law with a grade of gayyid (or 2.7 / B- grade point average) or its equivalent for full admission.  Students lacking this level may be eligible to be considered for provisional admission (as specified in the AUC catalogue supra).  Acceptance is by decision of the Law Faculty Committee, which may prescribe prerequisite work.  English proficiency is required as demonstrated on the TOEFL test.

Requirements


The LL.M degree requires eight courses (24 credit hours) as well as a thesis of sufficient depth and length for the topics addressed therein and prepared under the supervision of a faculty member of the department. Students are required to register for the following courses while fulfilling their thesis requirement.

Additional Requirements


For the remaining courses, students have free choice from among those offered each semester, including a maximum of two IHRL courses. Fulfilling the LL.M. degree normally calls for two years of study.

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Academic Organizations