Roche International Business Transactions LLM

It pays to pursue a graduate degree aligned with your career ambitions. The flexibility of the Roche International Business Transactions (IBT) LLM program and the variety of course offerings allows students to tailor the degree to their specific interest and career goals.

The Sturm College of Law's IBT program produces practice-ready graduates who will have a strong grasp of international business and transactional law gained through an extensive curriculum in the areas of trade, commercial arbitration and dispute resolution, international intellectual property, banking, investment and finance. Our graduates are well-prepared to take their place in the world of international transactions law.

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  • Degree Requirements

    The flexible structure of the IBT LLM program permits students to choose their coursework with respect to interests and goals. Students may pursue a concentration within the IBT LLM curriculum by selecting at least 4 courses within a clearly defined category. 

    A full-time student may earn the degree in one academic year (or over 2 consecutive semesters); a part-time student may earn the degree in 2 years. Generally, the time limit for completing the program is 3 years from the time of matriculation.

    All international students on student visas should plan to complete the program as full-time students. International students must be enrolled in at least 9 credits per term, except for the final term, and have up to 18 months to complete the program.

    All IBT LLM students are required to complete a minimum of 24 semester credits in the IBT LLM curriculum, not to exceed 30 semester credits. Coursework must include:

    International Business Transactions (L4315),  and at least one of the following drafting/negotiation courses: Contracts Drafting (L4178), Corporate Drafting Seminar (L4181), Negotiation and Drafting in an International Business Transactions Context (L4182), International Commercial Arbitration Moot (L4341), Negotiating Natural Resources Agreements (L4462) or another course focused on drafting and negotiation skills approved by the Director of the IBT LLM. 

    Additionally all students who obtained a primary law degree outside of the United States must also take Introduction to the American Legal System (L4064). This counts toward the required 24 semester credits.

    For the remaining elective course requirement students may customize their course of study from the list of approved found in the Graduate Bulletin (found here), depending upon individual professional goals. The College of Law offers over forty courses in advanced degree programs, divided equally between international and domestic issues.

    All students in the IBT LLM must maintain an overall GPA of 2.7 to remain in good standing.

  • Approved Course Offerings

    The flexible structure of the IBT LLM program permits students to choose their coursework with respect to individual interests and goals.

    A student may pursue a concentration within the IBT LLM curriculum by selecting at least 4 courses that fall into a clearly defined category, either from a previously approved list or with permission of the Program Director. (Please note: this concentration will not appear on student’s official academic records given by the Registrar).

    The program will recognize concentrations (unofficial) in the following categories: International Environmental and Natural Resources Law; Trade and Investment Law; Intellectual Property Law.
    For course offerings available through the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and Daniels College of Business*, please scroll to the bottom of this page. 

    *Please note that any courses offered outside of SCOL require prior approval by the Director of the IBT LLM, as well as the course instructor; both schools are on a Quarter system).

    Please note that not all courses are offered every semester. Please click here for the latest schedule.

    Courses offered by the Sturm College of Law:

    • Accounting for Lawyers | L4006
    • Introduction to the American Legal System | LAWS 4700 International Students Only
    • Legal Writing (Advanced) | L4651 LLM credit for International Students Only
    • Agency, Partnership & the LLC | L4048
    • Antitrust and Unfair Competition | L4070
    • Bankruptcy | L4090
    • Basic Tax | L4100
    • Business Entities | L4185 (Formerly Corporate Taxation)
    • Business Legal Research I L4702BL
    • Capital Formation
    • Commercial Law Survey | L4131 LLM credit for International Students Only
    • Commercial Paper | L4143
    • Comparative Corporate Law Seminar | L4129
    • Comparative Law | L4135
    • Conflict of Laws | L4160
    • Contracts | L4175
    • Contracts Drafting | L4178
    • Corporate Drafting Seminar | L4181
    • Corporations | L4190 LLM credit for International Student only
    • Corporate Social Responsibility | L4133
    • Doing Business in Latin America | L4383
    • International and Comparative Legal Research
    • International Business Transactions: Federal Regulation | L4318
    • International Business Transactions: Survey Course | L4315
    • International Commercial Arbitration | L4341
    • International Dispute Resolution
    • International Investments
    • International Investments Arbitration Practice and Procedure | L4707
    • International Law | L4320
    • International Mergers and Acquisitions
    • International Sales | L4707IS
    • International Trade Law | L4379
    • Multinational Corporations, Corporate Social Responsibility, & International Law | L4703M
    • Negotiation and Drafting in an International Business Context
    • Oil and Gas Law
    • Protecting Intellectual Property in International Transactions
    • Secured Transactions | L4350
    • Securities Law | L4528
    • Taxation of International Transactions | L4600
       

    Trade and Investment Law Concentration

    • International Investments
    • International Mergers and Acquisitions
    • International Sales | L4707IS
    • International Trade Law | L4379
    • Sustainable Development and International Trade | L4556
       

    Intellectual Property Concentration

    • Intro to Intellectual Property | L4310
    • Patent Law | L4096
    • Protecting Intellectual Property in International Transactions
    • Trademark Law | L4115
       

    International Environmental and Natural Resource Law Concentration

    • International & Comparative Mining Law | L4342
    • International & Comparative Petroleum Law | L4343
    • International Environmental Law | L4317
    • Renewable Energy and Project Finance Law | L4501
    • Sustainable Development and International Trade | L4556
       

    Courses offered by the Korbel School of International Studies

    • INTS 4210 Multinational Corporations (IPE)
    • INTS 4320 International Monetary Relations (IPE)
    • INTS 4557 Cross Cultural Communications
       

    Courses offered by Daniels College of Business

    • IMBA 4141: Managing Exports
    • FIN 5610: Multinational Finance & Investment
  • IBT Experiential Learning

    The Sturm College of Law has long been recognized as a pioneer in experiential learning, opening the nation’s first law school clinic in 1904. We have earned an A+ for Practical Training form preLaw Magazine for many consecutive years. Our Experiential Advantage Curriculum combines live-client clinics, high-quality externships—including a our Semester in Practice Externship—and legal simulation courses.

    The Sturm College of Law Chair in Modern Learning and the Modern Learning Committee have developed criteria for a series of classroom simulation and experiential learning courses that effectively incorporate all three Carnegie apprenticeships: analytical thinking, expert practice and professional identity formation. A number of existing, traditional law courses have been modified for integration. More of these “Carnegie Integrated Courses (CIC)” are being added every year.

    As part of the IBT LLM program curriculum, students are strongly advised to take the Drafting and Negotiation in International Business Context, which was designed to address all the CIC criteria.

    Legal Externship Program
    With approximately 500 placements each year, Denver Law’s Legal Externship Program effectively bridges the gap between classroom learning and the application of legal skills in the workplace. The Legal Externship Program is organized into 10 clearly defined programs specifically focused on practice areas ranging from private firm practice to nonprofit work. Each of the programs requires students to earn fieldwork credits through work in a legal setting. Students in each program also participate in an accompanying 1-credit seminar taught by Legal Externship Program faculty that focuses on legal skills and professional identity. During the semester, students obtain valuable feedback from a supervising attorney in the field while actively reflecting on their work experience under the oversight of an externship faculty member.

    International Law Society
    The International Law Society (ILS) was one of the first student organizations in the country dedicated to international law, in addition to its distinction as one of the largest student member groups in the International Law Student Association (ILSA). It has been repeatedly recognized by the ILSA as the top student organization in the U.S., and DU students are frequently among ILSA’s national executive leaders.

    Lawyering In Spanish
    Fluency in Spanish opens doors to a world of legal opportunities. Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the U.S. and one of the three most commonly used languages in the world. Increasingly, law schools are internationalizing their curricula through the teaching of foreign languages in the classroom. The University of Denver Sturm College of Law is proud to be one of the first institutions in the country to pioneer an immersion method of language and law learning. Effective legal representation of Spanish-speaking clients in the U.S. and overseas requires a sophisticated set of legal, cultural and language skills that can only be taught by experienced legal professionals. Courses offered through the Lawyering in Spanish program include International Business Transactions in Spanish, Labor Law in Spanish, Immigration Law in Spanish and Counseling and Negotiation in Spanish.

    Bilingualism is a valuable credential for global professionals. Recognizing this, the Lawyering in Spanish program consistently develops new opportunities for law students to develop the tools necessary to thrive in today’s competitive legal market.

    Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot
    Every year, students from the Sturm College of Law travel to either Vienna or Hong Kong to compete in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. The Vis Moot competition provides a unique learning experience to Sturm College of Law students. Not only must students master a complex, but ubiquitous, body of international law (the CISG), they have the opportunity to hone their oral presentation and advocacy skills in a truly international setting. Students interact and compete with talented students from all over the world at the Vienna and Hong Kong competitions. It is a truly international experience. The Sturm College of Law values student moot court experiences and provides many opportunities for in-depth student learning through such competitions. However, the Vis Moot is the only one focused on the private side of international law. In a world in which commerce, trade, and arbitration are indispensable elements of modern legal practice, the Vis Moot is truly a great experience for any law student.

    For more information, students should contact Professor and team coach Todd Wells at todd.wells@gleasonwells.com.
     

Message about the Program

This degree program leverages the strengths of Denver Law’s international legal studies program, the corporate and commercial law program, and the University of Denver’s nationally ranked graduate schools of business and international studies.

Courses are taught by expert academic faculty and practitioners who are committed to providing an advanced legal education with an emphasis on Sturm College of Law's integrative experiential learning approach. Through the attention, support and guidance given to each student, as well as the high standards of academic excellence and our rigorous practical learning, IBT LLM graduates will competitively position themselves regionally, nationally and globally.

The program is able to provide ascendant education thanks to the support provided by a generous gift from the Roche Family Foundation and Denver Law alumnus Robert Roche, JD ’88.