Course Summary

The exploration, extraction, sale and distribution of natural resources, including fossil fuels and minerals, is a massive undertaking. It is a highly regulated industry with legal implications at every stage of the process. This new course gives a comparative, socio-legal approach. This distinctive master’s course examines upstream and downstream regulatory trends in oil, gas and minerals in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, placing this in the context of the broader economic, technological and environmental and sustainability issues that have an impact on the industry. You will learn how the law interacts with business, politics and finance in a sector that is under constant scrutiny.

If you are a law graduate, legal professional, or graduate in another subject who works in – or is hoping to work in – the mining, energy or natural resource sector or a related field, this master’s degree will be a wise choice. If you want to keep on working and earn while you learn, you can do so, as all of our classes take place in the evening and lectures are also made available as podcasts and posted online.

Your Future Career

This specialist LLM is a very useful and sought-after qualification if you have studied law before and want to take the next step in becoming a solicitor or barrister. If after taking this master’s course you decide that a legal career is for you but you did not study law as an undergraduate, you will have to take a law conversion course to embark on your journey. This LLM course is not a qualifying law degree. As a graduate in LLM Energy and Natural Resources you will be well placed for a career in the energy or minerals industry. Your options include oil or mining corporations, law firms, regulatory or standards bodies, finance or research institutions or environmental groups. You could help to draw up contracts, advise on mergers and acquisitions, ensure regulatory compliance – or take an associated role in the industry, such as structuring of projects or operations management. As a graduate from this course, you will have strong research skills and the ability to analyse and apply critical thinking to any legal or business problem.