The modern lawyer: not just the law, but finance and behavior as well

Lawyers used to only deal with the law. Advise your client on the rules, if need be litigate, and you do a good job. In our changing world, this is no longer true. For a lawyer, to live up to the expectations of clients and society, you need to have broader skills. Lawyers also have to understand the underlying economic principles of transactions and procedures they are involved in. Furthermore, behavioral perspectives are key in the actual dynamics of the governance of a company, mergers and acquisitions and the formation of contracts and lawyers need to understand these dynamics. In other words: lawyers will fall short by just knowing the legal rules, even if they know them very well.

This Master delivers lawyers who know their way in the wider arena of the future. The law still is pivotal. Tort law, contract law, corporate law, regulatory law and insolvency law are subjects at the heart of this master and the anatomy of these fields will be explored in depth. But further perspectives are added. We will examine the legal side of corporate finance and also delve into the underlying balance sheets and profit and loss accounts; we will examine the regulatory framework in which banks operate and also question their role in society as a whole; we will examine the structure of contract law and also focus on the psychology behind contract-negotiations and dispute resolution.

In short, we offer a multidisciplinary Master's that both deepens your understanding of the law and fosters your knowledge of the fields with which the law interacts, such as corporate finance, psychology and ethics.

A joint UVA-VU programme

The law faculties of the UvA (University of Amsterdam) and the VU (Vrij Universiteit) have combined their expertise to cover the wide range of the programme. The programme is selective.

More information

More information on this programme will be published soon. If you have detailed questions about the contents of the programme or the admission process, please contact the programme directors:

• dr. R.J. de Weijs (r.j.deweijs@uva.nl, personal page)
• prof. J.L. Smeehuijzen (j.l.smeehuijzen@vu.nl, personal page)

The application process for this master will be administered by the VU. Please consult the following website for information on the application process and further information on the program: website VU