Ateneo de Manila Law School, one of the top law schools in the Philippines, is the first University in the country to offer LLM in 4 specialisations 1) International Corporate and Business Law 2) International Economic Law 3) International Human Rights and 4) Intellectual Property.

The objective of the current administration is to build lasting academic partnerships with global universities and international organisations on the basis of consensus and mutual benefit.  This offers a tremendous opportunity for a UK University to get alongside Ateneo and develop further programmes based on this initial idea.

They are particularly keen to build relationships with the UK as some of their Deans were part of the Higher Educational Link Programme ran by British Council under DFID funding and recognise the quality of the UK education offer. Most particularly, they wish to establish international academic linkages in the 4 fields of specialisations indicated above, under their LLM course as they recognise these are areas where the UK has world class expertise. They want to identify a UK university capable of assisting  them in developing a world class LLM.

The first step is to identify suitable and interested parties in the UK. The proposal is for Ateneo de Manila Law School, under the guidance and supervision of the British Council Philippines, to conduct a 5 day UK study tour in which Ateneo Law School will visit and meet with UK Universities and to assess potential partners to design and deliver a programme for Ateneo's LLM course.

The Ateneo de Manila Law School would like to propose the following flexible schemes:

Scheme 1: Joint Degree Program

  • The Law School’s LL.M. program may be tied up with a law or non-law master’s degree program in a UK partner school, with priority to programs significantly related to (1) corporate and business law, (2) international economic law, (3) human rights and (4) intellectual property rights.  The Law School remains open to exploring other fields of study where a partnership is possible.
  • Qualified students determined through an agreed nomination and selection process spend a term or year, as the case may be, in the offshore partner school to take required courses.
  • Students earn double postgraduate degrees jointly conferred by both schools upon successful completion of agreed academic requirements.  An option may be offered for students to take certificate courses instead of full degree courses in either school.
  • Both schools may waive tuition and other fees or give fixed discounts.
  • The program is jointly implemented by both schools.

Scheme 2: Visiting Professorship

  • Faculty members nominated by their home school and accepted by the partner school deliver certain agreed courses, within the framework of the receiving partner school’s relevant program.
  • The Law School affords priority to courses with significant relevance to (1) corporate and business law, (2) international economic law, (3) human rights and (4) intellectual property rights.  The Law School remains open, however, to including other value-adding courses. 
  • Joint delivery of some courses by a professor of the Law School and a professor of the UK partner school may be considered.
  • Both schools may also agree on the reciprocal delivery of three-week foundational courses, with priority to those related to (1) corporate and business law, (2) international economic law, (3) human rights and (4) intellectual property rights.  The Law School has experts on board able to tackle these courses from an ASEAN perspective.
  • The Law School is further open to hosting professors of the UK partner school who can deliver a lecture series on topics of special interest, such as arbitration, competition law, financial regulations, good governance and access to justice.

Please submit your proposal to Alec Ladanga by 10 January 2014.