Why study at the ILF?
The LL.M. Finance program offers the following unique combination of features:
- An all-finance curriculum with a great variety of courses
- Lectures in both law and economics
- A large faculty consisting of leading academics and practitioners
- A program that is open to graduates of law, business or economics faculties
- A two-month internship program in leading international institutions, offering work experience and an opportunity to establish professional contacts
- A location in Frankfurt, the financial center of continental Europe
- A small student body, which ensures an intensive learning experience
- A truly international curriculum, faculty and student body
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 Maxime Colle, Belgium |
"The ILF combines two important things for me. The first is a thorough study of both financial law and finance. The wide range of courses allows you to set up your own program and to build your expertise both generally in financial and corporate issues, as well as in a very specific area of your own choice. As a practitioner, not only having the legal knowledge in the sterile environment of an auditorium is important, even more important is knowing how to use that knowledge in real life situations outside the classrooms. The second point I want to draw attention to, is that having the bricks is one thing, knowing how to build a house with them, is quite another. The majority of the classes at the ILF is taught by some of the greatest respected specialists in their fields of business. This, combined with a two-month internship at an international organisation (investment bank, commercial bank, law firm), shows you how finance is done in real life. As a lawyer, every day you are working with clients, bankers and audit firms who have not necessarily studied law. Therefore, when advising a client, you must comprehend the financial part of the transaction, the commercial reason behind it, possible accounting issues and most of all, you have to be able to speak the language the CFO, the auditor or the investment banker uses. Also, in order to explain to them why a certain point in a transaction should legally be structured in a different manner, you must be able to think like them and show them that you understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. All these things I have learned during my LL.M. at the ILF."
(Photography credits to: Heijdendael & Annegarn)
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 Sanjay Agrawal, India |
“One of the things that impressed me most about the ILF was the interdisciplinary course structure and combination of law and finance. The classes were highly interactive in the sense that the students had the chance to challenge the lecturers and to engage in dialogue. That really stimulated me. The ILF’s high caliber teaching serves to produce a very high quality LL.M. course. I was impressed by the unique blend of recognized academics and practitioners among the ILF lecturers. Drawing students from all over the world, the ILF is the ideal institution for the pursuit of academic and professional development beyond any geographic barrier. The truly international community of fellow students allowed me, a student from India, to experience something invaluable – an intellectually and socially stimulating diverse environment and interaction. Through their diverse educational and professional backgrounds, the students contributed to an exchange of experiences. Coming from a non-legal background, the program also gave me confidence in legal discussions.”
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 Stefan Landolt, Switzerland |
“With a business and management background and having worked in insurance/investment management in Switzerland, I came to the ILF to broaden my professional qualifications. In product management and structuring, I feel it is indispensable to have a thorough understanding of legal aspects in finance, in particular, corporate, capital markets and securities law. The dynamics of legal and regulatory changes require a good grasp of the laws governing these areas. Having the LL.M. degree from the ILF in addition to my previous qualifications gave me an extra “edge” on the job market. After graduating from the ILF, I have started working for the Hedge Funds Department of UBS Wealth Management and Business Banking in Zurich.”
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 Shengzhe Wang, China |
“The one-year LL.M. program at Goethe University’s Institute for Law and Finance (ILF) has already left a broad and lasting impact on my life. Frankfurt as the European financial center has proven to be the ideal place for studying together with fascinating people from so many different backgrounds. At the ILF, I have been able to expand my economics background by putting together my own curriculum focusing on financial law in just the way I had envisioned. The ILF experience has proven to be an ideal setting to gain both a highquality academic education and many opportunities for practical training in well-known international law firms during as well as after completion of the program. I believe that my ability to see the bigger picture was improved a great deal, thanks to the opportunity to learn market practices from well-known practitioners from international law firms. This first-hand experience and the relationships I formed, have paved the road for me to work with Baker & McKenzie in Frankfurt. I feel confident that the ILF program has provided me with both the knowledge and the tools needed for a successful international career.”
