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Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Lisbon): Single tier structure
https://catolicalaw.fd.lisboa.ucp.pt/applications-2025-26
Why Católica Global School of Law
Católica Global School of Law was established in 2009 and it has since become the epicenter of Católica's growing focus on transnational legal education. Based in Lisbon – a geographical and strategic bridge between Europe and the United States –, Católica Global School of Law was created with the fundamental purpose of preparing future generations of lawyers to practise in the context of multiple jurisdictions and diverse legal sources.
Every year, Católica Global School of Law attracts a remarkable groups of scholars, both resident and visiting, and cohorts of graduate students from more than 50 different nationalities, both coming from prestigious law schools from all over the world. It has launched four state of the art programmes: the LL.M. Law in a European and Global Context, the LL.M. International Business Law, the LL.M. Law in a Digital Economy, and the Global Ph.D. in Law. The quality of these programmes was consistently recognized by the Financial Times for many years, which has selected Católica Global School of Law as one of the most innovative law schools in the world, and by Eduniversal, which has ranked Católica’s LL.M. programmes among the best in Western Europe and the world.
Among its alumni, Católica Global School of Law boasts lawyers in top firms around the world, officers at European institutions and international organizations, and academic leaders both in Europe and in the US.
Our Programmes
LL.M. Law in a European and Global Context
This is a programme like no other offered in Europe. It is not simply one more programme focusing on European and International Law. Its purpose is to teach Law in a European and Global Context, employing innovative teaching methodologies and giving students access to a stellar international faculty.
The programme adopts the approach to teaching that Joseph H. H. Weiler has coined as Total Law™ – a bold pedagogical and intellectual break with the traditional ways of teaching law.
We believe that law can only be fully understood and properly and effectively practiced in its context. Our aim is to make students better – much better – lawyers by explaining how the economic, social and political context shapes legal problems and impacts the thinking about their solutions. The discipline is law. The focus is law. But the premise is that law cannot be understood, nor practiced competently without understanding its wider context.
LL.M. in International Business Law
This is a programme specifically designed for graduates who seek to develop a career in global business law. It offers an innovative approach to International, Anglo-American and European business law, covering a wide range of topics, such as corporate law, commercial and investment arbitration, cross-border transactions, financial law, and international tax law.
It exceeds the expectations and demands of both recent graduates, who want to enhance their opportunities of pursuing an active and international career in business law, and young lawyers, who want to deepen their skills and knowledge. It also provides an environment in which those who seek an academic career can hone their analytical and research skills.
Moreover, our outstanding faculty includes prominent scholars from prestigious American and European universities and top practitioners from leading law firms. Using highly interactive teaching methods, our faculty is able to apply Católica’s extensive track-record in the field of business law to engage students in an exciting and meaningful way.
LL.M. Law in a Digital Economy
The LL.M. Law in a Digital Economy aims to prepare students to understand and anticipate the challenges raised by digital technologies and to become skillful practitioners in this new economy. The emergence and rapid development of technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Blockchain and the Internet of Things have been testing the boundaries of existing legal rules and sparking debate on whether they are fit for purpose. This programme is designed to provide students with the necessary knowledge on the functioning of these technologies, starting with a pre-LL.M. Bootcamp on “Tech for Lawyers”, offered in partnership with a leading technical university in Europe.
Technology lawyers need also operate in the context of multiple jurisdictions and feel comfortable working with legal sources from different origins. In keeping with the approach of the other LL.M. programmes, the courses taught within the LL.M. Law in a Digital Economy have a global focus, instead of a strictly domestic or regional one.
Executive LL.M. Regulation and Compliance
A cutting-edge programme designed for professionals seeking to deepen their expertise in regulatory frameworks and corporate compliance strategies.
Offered in partnership with Miles in the Sky, the programme employs a challenge-based learning methodology. Each course is structured around a set of missions with clear goals and specific deliverables. Throughout each mission, students will obtain knowledge that enables them to solve real-world problems.
Community interaction is another key component of the programme, fostered through two on-site weeks and regular live online sessions.
Master in Transnational Law
Following the curricular year of the LL.M. programmes, students may enroll in our Master in Transnational Law (MTL) programme. This will allow them to submit and defend a masters’ thesis, in order to obtain a Masters Diploma.
As MTL candidates, students are encouraged to do a semester abroad, by taking advantage of the agreements that Católica Global School of Law has with top American and European schools, such as Cornell (USA), Washington University (USA), Leuven (Belgium) or Tilburg (The Netherlands).
Students also have the opportunity to extend their studies and earn a double degree in one of our partner institutions:
- King’s College London (UK)
- The University of Michigan Law School (USA)
- Boston University School of Law (USA)
- University of Illinois College of Law (USA)
- University of Fribourg (Switzerland)
- Cornell Law School (USA)
Partnerships
Since its foundation, Católica Global School of Law has been successful in achieving a number of goals, rapidly becoming a crucial center of legal teaching and research in Continental Europe. It has developed an extensive network of partnerships with business organizations and academic institutions worldwide, being a founding member of the Law Schools Global League and having also recently joined the European Law School Network.
Scholarships
Católica Global School of Law has a variety of financial aid options available for our applicants. Most scholarships are granted on a need basis. For more information, please contact our Admissions Team (catolica.law.sede@ucp.pt).
Admission Requirements
All law graduates or students in their final year of undergraduate studies can apply for our LL.M. programmes. In exceptional cases, we accept applications from students whose undergraduate degree was not in Law, but which had a relevant legal component.
Our LL.M. programmes are fully taught in English, so you will need a high level of fluency. During your application process, you may prove your English proficiency either through an online interview or by submitting one of these exam scores:
- TOEFL (recommended score): 600 (PBT), 250 (CBT), or 100 (IBT);
- IELTS (recommended score): 7.0
Application Procedures
Candidates will be selected on a rolling basis. Vacancies are limited, so we advise you to apply as early as possible. The application period will be running until 30 April.
Contact Details
For further information about Católica Global School of Law’s programmes, please contact us at:
- Email: catolica.law.sede@ucp.pt
- Telephone: +351 214 269 860
Available courses
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