Law and Finance

There are two core finance courses, Finance and First Principles of Financial Economics, and a core interdisciplinary course, Law and Economics of Corporate Transactions. There are also pre-sessional courses in maths and financial reporting.

In addition to these core MLF courses, students selecting the Law Stream will take two law electives from a tailored list of about 10 law courses that are available to students on the Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL). The list of law electives comprises courses that are business law-oriented and thus are intended to complement both each other and the MLF course as a whole. In taking these electives, you will be joined by students taking the Law Faculty's other taught graduate courses, the BCL and the Magister Juris (MJur).

Currently, as an alternative to taking two law electives, MLF students can select the Finance Stream. By selecting the Finance Stream, you will take only one law elective. In lieu of the second law elective, you will take a mandatory finance course, Corporate Valuation, in the second term and one finance elective in the third term. The menu of finance electives has been selected from those offered by the Saïd Business School for the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and MSc in Financial Economics (MFE), comprising finance courses intended to complement the MLF programme. The electives are studied at the Saïd Business School alongside MBA and MFE students. It is anticipated that the Finance Stream will be available in future years, subject to notice.

Finance, a core MLF course, is taught during the first and second terms and is assessed by a combination of a group work exercise and a timed examination.

First Principles of Financial Economics, another core course, is taught during the first term through weekly three-hour classes and is assessed by a combination of a group work exercise that takes place during the term, and an assessed essay and a timed examination at the end of the first term.

Law and Economics of Corporate Transactions, the MLF core interdisciplinary course, is taught through lectures and seminars during the second and third terms. It is assessed during the third term by means of a group work exercise involving the analysis of transactional case studies, including the preparation and presentation of proposals, and by an assessed essay submitted during the third term.

Law electives from the BCL may be taught by a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials over the duration of the academic year, except for the dissertation option, which involves one-to-one sessions with an assigned supervisor. Outside of the seminars and tutorials you will be expected to read extensively in order to acquire the necessary knowledge to engage with course material at an appropriate level.

Each law elective, except for the dissertation, is assessed through a timed, three-hour examination at the end of the third term. Those taking the dissertation option are instead required to submit a 10,000- to 12,500-word dissertation in the third term.

Finance Stream courses are taught by interactive classes at the Saïd Business School during the second and third terms, and assessed by formal coursework and/or practical work and/or a timed examination during and/or at the end of those terms.

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Law Faculty and/or the Saïd Business School and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Law Faculty and/or the Saïd Business School.

Typically, over half of each class of MLF graduates go on to employment within the legal sector in London or internationally, usually at large, corporate law firms, at training contract or associate level, as well as in a variety of in-house roles. Others go on to work in fields such as investment banking, private equity, consulting and policymaking. Each year, a small number of students also embark on a career in academia.

As an MLF student, you will have access to the University Careers Services as well as to some relevant support from the Saïd Business School’s Careers Service, and to a dedicated MLF Careers Officer to support you as you consider your career strategy and move into the application and interview processes.

Additional speaker events are run to complement the MLF programme, which facilitate contact with senior practitioners of law and finance, and MLF students will be a member of both the SBS and wider University alumni networks.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. In certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information, please see our page on changes to courses.

Other courses you may wish to consider

If you're thinking about applying for this course, you may also wish to consider the courses listed below. These courses may have been suggested due to their similarity with this course, or because they are offered by the same department or faculty.

Courses suggested by the lead faculty

Bachelor of Civil Law BCL
Magister Juris MJur
Master of Business Adminstration MBA
Financial Economics MSc

All graduate courses offered by the Faculty of Law

Bachelor of Civil Law BCL

Criminology DPhil

Criminology and Criminal Justice MSc

Intellectual Property Law and Practice PGDip

Law DPhil

Law MPhil

Law and Finance MSc

Magister Juris MJur

Socio-Legal Research MPhil

Socio-Legal Studies DPhil

Taxation MSc

All graduate courses offered by the Saïd Business School

Executive MBA EMBA

Finance DPhil

Financial Economics MSc

Financial Strategy PGDip

Global Business PGDip

Law and Finance MSc

Major Programme Management MSc

Management DPhil

Master of Business Administration MBA

Master of Business Administration Oxford 1+1 MBA programme

Organisational Leadership PGDip

Strategy and Innovation PGDip

Oxford 1+1 MBA programme

This course can be studied as a part of the Oxford 1+1 MBA programme. The Oxford 1+1 MBA programme is a unique, two-year graduate experience that combines the depth of a specialised, one-year master’s degree with the breadth of a top-ranking, one-year MBA.

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Entry requirements