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Welcome to the ILF

The Institute for Law and Finance is a non-profit foundation established in 2002 by Goethe University Frankfurt am Main with the support of many prominent institutions. Leading commercial banks and international law firms, the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the City of Frankfurt and the State of Hesse, as well as the European Central Bank and the Deutsche Bundesbank have been actively involved in the ILF right from the planning stages until today.

Recognizing that young professionals require advanced training in both law and finance so as to excel in today’s financial world, the ILF offers a unique postgraduate program leading to a Master of Laws in Finance (LL.M. Finance). This Master’s program is aimed at students interested in combining theoretical knowledge and practical training in the specialized fields of law and international finance. Major banks, international law firms and public institutions, including the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, the German Bundesbank and leading financial regulatory institutions, play a significant role in the development and implementation of the program.

Frankfurt plays a central role in European and global finance. The ILF, which is located in Frankfurt, the major financial center in Europe, provides the ideal location to train young professionals to deal with the legal and financial challenges facing a Europe with 27 states in the European Union and beyond.

In addition to its educational role, the ILF is also a center of competence for research and policy-making in the areas of law and international finance.

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Goethe University Frankfurt am Main

The Goethe University Frankfurt am Main is proud to bear the name of the brilliant thinker, scientist and poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe, who was one of Frankfurt’s greatest citizens.

Goethe University is one of Europe’s leading institutions of higher education. Although the current organization was founded as a university in 1914 by prominent citizens of Frankfurt, its actual origins go back to 1763. The Faculty of Law and Faculty of Business and Economics are among the largest and best known in Germany. Frankfurt has earned an excellent reputation in the field of international business law. The well-known Institute of Foreign and International Business Law, which was founded in 1953 by Helmut Coing, Walter Hallstein, Heinrich Kronstein and Hans-Jürgen Schlochauer, has now been integrated into the ILF. Its extensive library has been incorporated into the ILF library.

With currently more than 37,000 students, including over 4,000 international students, the University prides itself on a rich tradition of intellectual and cultural excellence. Numerous Nobel Prize winners in science and medicine, including Max Born, Paul Ehrlich and Max von Laue, were among the students and teachers of the University. It is home to the world-renowned Frankfurt School, the Institute for Social Research of Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, and has enjoyed the teaching of philosophers and theologians such as Paul Tillich and Martin Buber, and currently, Prof. Jürgen Habermas.

Mr. Hans Eichel, Member of the Federal Parliament of Germany, former Federal Minister of Finance, Germany, Member of the ILF Board of Trustees:

"With the Institute for Law and Finance and the Center for Financial Studies, Frankfurt am Main has created a center of competence in finance that is of national importance."

Prof. Dr. Rudolf Steinberg, former President of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Member of the ILF Board of Trustees:

"The ILF marks an important step forward for Frankfurt as a center of learning and finance. We offer students a community of excellence that focuses on training tomorrow's leaders in the world of business and finance. Goethe University is proud to have founded the ILF as a vital part of our far-reaching commitment to interdisciplinary teaching and research in finance."

Prof. Dr. Andreas Cahn, Executive Director of the Institute for Law and Finance:

"The ILF has a teaching faculty that comprises both distinguished academics and outstanding professionals. Therefore, students from all over the world who study at the ILF are offered an ideal environment to engage in both the theoretical as well as the practical aspects of legal and financial education. With its international and interdisciplinary focus on training coupled with its prime location in Frankfurt, the European financial center, the ILF furnishes its students with the much desired head start in careers of their choice."

Testimonials from our Graduates

"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."

Maxime Colle, Belgium

Class of 2004, Nauta Dutilh, Brussels

"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."

Sanjay Agrawal, India

Class of 2003, Credit Markets Department, JP Morgan, London

"The ILF experience has proven to be an ideal setting to gain both a high quality 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."

Shengzhe Wang, China

Class of 2004, Baker & McKenzie, Frankfurt