LL.M. Law in a Digital Economy

Digital technologies are reshaping virtually every field of law. The emergence and rapid development of technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain and the metaverse have been testing the boundaries of existing legal rules and sparking debate on whether they are fit for purpose. The aim of this programme is to prepare students to understand and anticipate these challenges and to become skilled practitioners in a digital economy.

With that goal in mind, the programme is designed to provide students with the necessary technical knowledge on the functioning of emerging technologies, starting with an intensive one-week bootcamp run by experts in engineering and computer science. We believe that our graduates will only be able to competently engage with the stakeholders of a digital economy – be they regulators, start-up entrepreneurs or major tech companies – if they grasp how the technological context shapes the legal issues they are faced with.

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 programmes offered by Católica Global School of Law, the courses taught within the LL.M. Law in a Digital Economy will have a global focus, instead of a strictly domestic or regional one.

Students will be able to choose from a variety of modules on topics like intellectual property, data protection, platform regulation, and many others. These are courses that will require students to actively participate in class discussions and group projects. Pro-active learning is essential to develop students’ critical thinking and adaptability – two skills that are crucial for those who will practice in a field of law that is in relentless evolution.

Program Information

Attendance and ECTS
This LL.M. is a one-year full-time program, running from September to July. The academic calendar is structured into three terms. The students’ schedule depends on the courses that they have elected to follow, but, typically, on a given day students will have classes on either the morning or the afternoon. Also, since some courses are taught in a concentrated fashion (e.g., over the course of three days), some periods of the semester may be busier than others.

Students who wish to combine their LL.M. studies with a full-time professional activity are advised to enroll as part-time students, dividing the coursework over two academic years.

Semester Abroad
Following their LL.M. year in Lisbon, students are encouraged to spend an additional semester abroad, taking advantage of the exchange agreements that Católica Global School of Law has with a select group of top law schools from Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Each of these schools reserves a specific number of places for students from Católica Global School of Law to spend a semester. The semester abroad allows our students to have contact with different pedagogical and research methods, as well as to experience life in another country, while carrying on studying at a top law school.

Under these agreements, admission to our partner schools begins with the semester abroad application process at Católica Global School of Law, which takes place between November and December. Each student nominated by Católica for a semester abroad will then be subject to the approval of the host institution.

Master’s Thesis
Following the one-year LL.M. programme, research-driven students have the option of enrolling for a third semester and produce a masters’ thesis. The students that successfully write, submit, and defend their thesis will be awarded the Master of Transnational Law diploma, according to the Bologna Declaration.

Double Degrees
Católica LL.M. students have the opportunity to extend their studies earning a second LL.M. degree in one of the following prestigious partner Universities.

• King’s College London – The Dickson Poon School of Law
• Fribourg Law Faculty
• Cornell Law School
• University of Michigan Law School
• University of Illinois College of Law
• Boston University School of Law