International Business Law

Climate change threatens humanity. The purpose of law is to protect legitimate human interests. You want to join the new generation of lawyers who engage constructively with these problems. They see practicing law in the context of the wider developments in society -- such as climate change and sustainability -- as the way forward for the legal profession.
Anyone running a business successfully today, cannot ignore sustainability. And, anyone wanting to devote themselves to tackling climate change must have knowledge of how businesses function. VU Amsterdam is the first university in Europe to offer an International Business Law degree that combines an outstanding, all-round Master’s programme in Business Law with a specific focus on one of the most complex legal challenges of our day: climate change.
During this Master's programme, you will be seeking answers to highly important, yet complex, questions such as: What are the legal means to fight climate change? What rights and responsibilities do businesses and governments have in terms of sustainability? Can states be forced to bring their policies in line with the Paris 2015 Agreement? How can corporate law facilitate green startups?

In the wake of the global financial crisis and today's economic upheaval due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increasing awareness that finance and corporate law should not only be studied in terms of its doctrine, but include a wider perspective of its social function.You are well aware of these new legal schools of thought. You want to become a "T-shaped lawyer" also known as Lawyer 2.0. That means someone with a deep legal knowledge (the upright in the T) combined with soft skills and broader business knowledge (the crossbar of the T).
Clients today demand lawyers who are both fully versed in the letter of financial and corporate law, but also have a broader view on the context of that law: society itself. This demands a multidisciplinary approach. The innovative curriculum of International Business Law: Markets and Behavior at VU Amsterdam answers that call.
Although this master’s programme is modern in its approach, you will still study the legal basics of Corporate Law, Contract Law, Tort Law, Insolvency Law and Financial Law. This course in international in its outlook, therefore it focusses on the principles of these various tools, and not Dutch positive law. This makes the curriculum equally interesting for Dutch and international students.

The legal challenges facing today's international companies are more complex than ever before. More global interconnectedness means more international communication and commerce. Do you want to be among the world's sharpest legal minds, crafting deals with the latest knowledge at hand to navigate your clients through transactions and trade in this dynamic juridical landscape?
Today's organizations -from tech scale-ups to multinational corporations and governments- need legal advisors with a deep understanding of the laws governing global transactions and trade. As their legal counsel, you need to comprehend both the legal requirements of those operations, and the impact which the rule of law has upon them in order to negotiate the best agreements.
This International Business Law (IBL) Master’s programme in Commercial Transactions is a thorough legal education of the black letter law of international trade and commercial transactions. You will study the main legal areas and the interaction between the parties involved in business transactions.