Academics
The Summer Program in International Business Law has a flexible course structure and allows you to customize your schedule by selecting coursework best suited to your personal interests and needs. You may select between three and six courses based upon your interests.


Schedule
The summer program is designed to be full-time if students choose the full course load.
- Minimum course load: 3 courses (3 ABA / 6 ECTS credits), students can choose to take all six courses (6 ABA /12 ECTS credits)
- Classes: Monday through Friday between 10 am and 5 pm for three weeks
- Extracurricular program: coordinated with the schedule as to not overlap with courses
Assessment and credit
Credits
- Although not accredited by the American Bar the program follows the ABA's standards for Student Study at a Foreign Institution
- Depending on the credit system at their home university, students can choose to earn US ABA or ECTS credits.
- Each course carries 1 ABA OR 2 ECTS credits
- The home institution decides which and how many credits to accept for transfer
Grading
- Grading scale: A+ to F
Assessment
- Exams, presentations and/or final projects, in-class participation
- Lecturers use the Socratic Method: preparation for classes through readings and short assignments, and in-class participation is expected
Certificate
Participants who successfully complete the program will receive a certificate of participation and transcript of grades.
Course List 2024
All courses
Corporate Governance in Publicly Traded Corporations
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Carsten Jungmann
Credit Load: 1 ABA / 2 ECTS
"I really admire the way in which Prof. Jungmann taught us complex theoretical concepts. It was really fun and well explained, which made the content covered easy to understand." - from evaluation
In addition to a short introduction to German stock corporation law, this course will deal in detail with (legal) questions of corporate governance. The problems addressed primarily concern the directors' fiduciary duties as well as the tasks and rights of those who are in control of the management (members of the supervisory board, shareholders, auditors, etc.).
As the clear focus of the course is on publicly traded corporations, you will also gain a sound knowledge of securities regulation provisions and the recommendations of the German Corporate Governance Code. Well-known financial scandals, e.g. Enron, will be reviewed in case studies.
International Business & Corporate Sustainability
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Loes Lennarts
Credit Load: 1 ABA / 2 ECTS
The course was going to be offered for the first time and had to be cancelled in 2023 due to illness.
Until quite recently, only soft law instruments, such as the ground breaking UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, incentivised multinational corporations to operate in a socially and environmentally responsible way in all the host states where they operate. Lately, the call for binding obligations for multinational corporations to respect human rights and the environment, no matter where they operate, is gaining ground. In the EU, this trend is reflected in legislative initiatives both at Member State and EU level, as well as in case law.
The aim of this course is to equip students with insight into these recent developments, by – inter alia:
- analysing and discussing tort law claims against multinationals for human rights violations in host states
- analysing and discussing the implications of the (draft) EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) for the governance of companies within its scope and all the partners in their chains of activities; and by
- analysing and discussing the question to what extent the CSDDD and national CSDD laws can improve the position of victims in host states.
International Business Transactions
Credit load: 1 ABA / 2 ECTS
2024 will be the first year that Prof. Hand teaches this course during the summer program.
Course description to be posted in December 2023.
International Commercial Arbitration
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Stefan Kröll
Credit Load: 1 ABA / 2 ECTS
"Professor Kröll is a teacher like no other. He is extremely knowledgeable about arbitration worldwide, has a wealth of experience working at the top of the field, and, above all, has the ability to explain concepts in an original, interactive and imaginative way." - from evaluation
This course covers arbitration as a dispute resolution process for international trade and business disputes. It analyzes the different forms, contractual and legal bases, and advantages of arbitration. Issues discussed on the basis of a case study include the arbitration agreement, jurisdiction of the arbitral tribunal, role of the courts during and after arbitration proceedings and the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards.
The course gives special attention to the international framework of arbitration, in particular the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, which forms the basis of the national arbitration laws in more than 100 states, as well as the New York Convention (UN Convention on Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards), which has been ratified by more than 170 states and regulates the recognition and enforcement of arbitration agreements and awards worldwide. Thus the course focuses on commercial arbitration as an international phenomenon and not on arbitration under any particular national system.
International Commercial Litigation
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Peter Huber
Credit Load: 1 ABA / 2 ECTS
"I was really impressed with Professor Huber´s knowledge, teaching approach and way of explaining tricky concepts. Professor Huber is really dedicated and makes sure that what he teaches is clear, even if the subject matter is inherently complex." - from evaluation
This course deals with cases where an international commercial transaction has given rise to a legal dispute between the parties and where this dispute is not decided by arbitration. In such a scenario, the parties have to litigate before the domestic court of a State. This raises a number of difficult issues, a selection of which will be dealt with in the course.
One part of the course will be devoted to the issue of international jurisdiction: In which state's courts can the plaintiff bring his lawsuit against the defendant? What if there are several states that offer a ground of jurisdiction? Why does it matter at all whether a dispute is litigated in one state rather than in another? Can the parties in their contract choose the forum in which future claims will be litigated (forum selection)?
A second part of the course will deal with a selection of specific issues that may arise in international commercial litigation: What if the court which is seized with the lawsuit regards itself as an inappropriate forum (forum non conveniens)? What if the same lawsuit is brought twice, but in different states (lis alibi pendens)? What are the so-called "torpedo claims"? Is it possible to prevent the other party from bringing a lawsuit in a certain state by way of an "antisuit injunction"? Will a judgment from the courts of one state be recognized and enforced in other states?
The course will address these issues primarily from a European (EU) and US perspective. A detailed reading list and a reader with materials covering European and US sources, e.g., cases, articles, will be available before the course.
Negotiation
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. René A. Pfromm
Credit load: 1 ABA /2 ECTS
"Professor Pfromm delivered the course in negotiation with full professionalism and dedication. The course has definitely sharpened my negotiating skills and sensitised me to the intricacies of this most useful art in the practice of any modern lawyer. The course was extremely well designed and I only wish it had been longer." - from evaluation
This course provides you with strategies, techniques and tactics of effective legal negotiations. You will learn how to strategically plan, prepare for, and conduct negotiations. The course prepares you for dealing with power imbalances, for achieving the other side's buy-in and getting to yes, and for designing outcomes that increase both the total value of the deal and one's own share. It also covers negotiation process design, team negotiations, dynamic and competitive negotiations, and dealing with deadlock situations.
The workshop will equip you with a practical and easy to use toolkit for legal and business negotiations. Content delivery builds upon interactive lectures, role plays (individual and team negotiations), case studies, and group discussions.
Participants' Voices

Rigorous and stimulating classes
"The International Business Law program is helpful for practicing lawyers looking for a refresher on corporate and commercial law, and even for those considering a mid-career switch to these areas. The faculty consists of experienced practitioners and renowned academics—classes with these tutors were rigorous and stimulating."

Engaging professors; continuous learning
"With engaging and demanding professors, this course offered me the opportunity to share three weeks of continuous learning with wonderful students from all backgrounds. Such an enriching experience has been beyond my expectations!"

Interconnected courses
"The quality and variety of the summer program was beyond my expectation. Courses were well-designed and interconnected — I truly benefited from taking all six of them and am sure that the knowledge I learned and friends I made this summer will stay with me for a long time."
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