Law & Finance Timetable and Modules
Note: Modules offered each academic year are subject to change. Listed below are the modules and timetable for 2022/23. This dissertation will be undertaken during the summer months.
- Corporate Finance and Corporate Governance
- EU Financial Services Law
- Electives (10 credits)*
Hilary Term
- Business Ethics
- Investment Theory
- Electives (20 credits)*
Trinity Term
- Dissertation: Choice of a dissertation supervised either by the Law School or by Trinity Business School, with interdisciplinary perspectives encouraged.
*During their studies, students must choose either 10 Finance credits and 20 Law credits of or 10 Law credits and 20 Finance credits.
Law Electives (each 10 credit modules):
- EU Aviation Law
- International Aviation Law
- International Business Tax Law
- International Economic Law
- International Trade Law
- Law and Risk
- Mergers and Acquisition
- Regulation of Alternative Investment Funds
Finance Electives (each 5 credit modules):
- Financial Econometrics
- Financial Markets and Institutions
- International Financial Statement Analysis
- International Finance
- Treasury Management
- Venture Capital
- Finance, Policy and Politics
- Private Equity
Module Descriptions
Corporate Finance
The module will provide a comprehensive understanding of financial management and will focus on analysing and evaluating financial products using various techniques.
It will analyse the fundamental financial decisions facing any firm, examining the forms and cost of capital and how to value both debt and equity using different methods.
It will cover topics related to financial management such as debt policy, dividend policy, maximising corporate value and financial risk.
Finally, it will look at corporate valuation and the use of discounting cash flow valuations to value the firm.
Corporate Governance
The module will focus in detail on the capital raising process (bond and equity financing, IPOs etc.) and its regulation, securities law as applicable to takeovers and insider dealing and market manipulation. Furthermore, the course will also focus on corporate governance. The corporate governance component of the course is intended to offer students an overview of the structure of corporations (the dynamics between board of directors, managers and shareholders) and focus more particularly on corporate governance in financial institutions. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, regulators have moved forward with imposing substantial corporate governance requirements on banks, including requirements with regards to board compositions and executive pay.
EU Financial Services Law
This module is a survey of the primary principles in the regulation of financial service providers within the EU (and Ireland). Current and future development of banking, securities, occupational pension and insurance regulation will be examined.
Business Ethics
This module aims to prepare students to understand, identify and shape the responsibility of businesses vis-à-vis society and the future generations. It seeks to help students to think critically about ethical issues that arise in the real business world and analyse the impact of business decisions on a variety of stakeholders. While there are no easy recipes for what corporations should and must do, our departing assumption is that learning to effectively manage ethical, social, and environmental issues can produce positive results for the manager, for the company, and for society at large.
Investment Theory
The module explores the basic foundations of investment choices, investors' behaviour and underlying theoretical models of investment returns. Risk returns interactions in broadly defined equity, alternative investments and fixed income investment markets will also be examined.
Financial Econometrics
This module is designed to enable students to understand a broad range of models and techniques within the field of financial econometrics. The course will explore the classical model, time series, choice models and panel data components. The module will be both applied and theoretical in nature and students will be exposed to the use of software and academic articles containing econometric output. Software such as EVIEWS and/or STATA will be used in class and students will be expected to submit assessments using such software also.
Financial Markets and Institutions
In this module we will discuss the role of a well-functioning financial system. The main types of financial institutions and financial markets are described. We will then cover the role of national and supranational financial institutions, and their involvement in recent events in financial markets. We will look at a number of financial crises that have occurred in recent decades, their causes and their effects. We will then examine the role of regulation and the regulatory changes that have been implemented to attempt to prevent future crises.
Financial Statement Analysis
This module explores all the sections of companies’ annual reports. The main emphasis is on the analysis and interpretation of basic financial statements. It also highlights the important contribution of narrative reports in carrying out a financial analysis and how the abuse of accounting flexibility affects those statements and the analysis of financial statement relationships.
International Finance
This module describes and analyses the operations of the main international financial institutions and markets, it demonstrates the essential elements of international risk management, and it provides practical examples of managing risk.
Treasury Management
The aim of this module is to gain an understanding of the ways in which corporations manage financial risks, funding and liquidity. The module is made up of two parts. The first part focuses on key functions of treasury departments in industrial companies: hedging of commodity and exchange rate risks as well as debt financing. The second part examines how banks manage liquidity and interest rate risk arising from their intermediation activities.
EU Aviation Law
This module aims to provide students with an overview of the regulatory structure of civil aviation in the European Union. Out of all transport modes in Europe, air transport has experienced the fastest growth in recent years. It makes a key contribution to the European economy and plays a vital role in regional development and integration of Europe, as well as ensures connectivity with the rest of the world.
International Aviation Law
This module aims to provide students with an overview of the international regulatory framework governing civil aviation. The history of international aviation law is examined and the international legal framework governing civil aviation is explored.
International Business Tax Law
The module aim is to examine key issues and developments in International Business Tax Law. Broad concepts and policy issues are explored. Students do not require a prior background in Tax. The module comprises three components:
- The public and private international law framework of taxation, with particular reference to the OECD Model Convention on Double Taxation and the role of tax havens;
- The E.U. framework for direct and indirect business taxes and the impact of positive and negative integration;
- The impact of international and E.U. developments on International Business Taxation with particular reference to intellectual property law and electronic commerce.
International Economic Law
International Economic Law concerns the legal rules relating to trade between states. The module focuses on the organisations put in place to regulate economic relationships between states most notably, the World Trade Organisation and the international treaties, which it enforces such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The module primarily examines trade in goods and also considers rules relating to international services provision.
International Trade Law
The module commences with a consideration of the issue of development and the special rules applicable to developing nations. It then moves on to look at the issues surrounding international trade and agriculture, issues surrounding the regulation of international intellectual property, rules relating to foreign investment and the conflicts that can arise between international environmental law and international trade law.
Law and Risk
The governance of risk balances a fundamental tension between the danger of the unknown on one hand, and the ability to anticipate and control the unknown on the other. Understanding and institutionalising the anticipation and control of the unknown requires hard theoretical, political and technical choices. This module concentrates on how law shapes and responds to the prevalence of risk in private and public action.
Mergers and Acquisition
The aim of this module is to equip students with a sound understanding of the business drivers of merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions and the legal regime governing them. The module will predominantly focus on the European and Irish M&A landscape. Topics covered include the market for corporate control, domestic and cross-border mergers and their regulation in the E.U., takeover regulation in the E.U. and Ireland and takeover defence tactics. The module will also include practitioner talks.
Regulation of Alternative Investment Funds
The aim of this module is to offer an introduction to the world of alternative investment funds, in particular hedge funds and private equity funds, and their regulation and equip students with a sound understanding of the business model of alternative investment funds and the regulatory regime governing them. The module will examine the benefits offered and the dangers posed by alternative investment funds and assess the rationales for their regulation. Furthermore, the module will focus on the regulation of alternative investment funds in the EU comparing the approach adopted by EU lawmakers with the one adopted by the US, the largest market for alternative investment funds. The module is designed for students interested in financial markets and the growing field of law and finance.