Law and Finance Courses

What is Law and Finance?

Finance law focuses on the contractual relationship between lenders and borrowers. In all financial transactions, the main aim is to negotiate and manage this relationship to ensure the represented party’s interests are met both legally and commercially.

A Finance lawyer arranges loans to buy other companies or to finance new business ventures. They also give legal advice and work on a variety of corporate and finance-related cases. Finance law often plays a large role in mergers and acquisitions of corporations, stock purchases and investments by both individuals and companies, and tax audits of bank accounts.

What 3rd level courses are available?

Universities and colleges in Ireland are offering courses in Law and Finance in the following subject areas:

• Law and Finance (M.Sc.) – This course will allow you to develop the skills to apply theory to practice, solve business problems and help organizations continuously grow and improve their performance across the discipline of Financial Law.
• Diploma in Finance Law – A comprehensive understanding of finance law and legal regulations/directives that relate to specific financial services sectors.
• Finance (M.Sc.) – Develop the analytical and technical skills required to succeed in modern finance.
• Diploma in Investment and Finance Management at QLS Level 3 – Have an in-depth look at topics such as taxation, inflation, working capital, amortization of loans, evaluation of loans, evaluation of other credits, financial planning and many more.
• Certificate in Business and Finance – An introduction to business and finance.

Studying Law and Finance

There are many courses in Law and Finance that may take place over a few days, weeks or even 1 year to 4 years depending on the course and modules selected. There are also part-time courses and night courses available so you can be sure to fit in your studies no matter what your schedule is like.

Courses will cover theory work through lectures, assignments, tutorials and taught modules. Assessments will take place on a continuous basis with written examinations and practical assignments combined in order to achieve a qualification.

You could also consider work experience or a work shadow in the industry. Work experience with banks, accounting firms or any other company demonstrating an interest in finance would look good for this career path and also give you the chance to develop commercial awareness. Relevant work experience is a good way of demonstrating a genuine interest in the field and is regarded favorably by employers.

Work Experience will not only give you the opportunity to obtain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the industry, it will also give you a chance to do some essential networking with other industry professionals and gain valuable contacts for the future.

Career options

After completing a Law and Finance course you will be able to get started in a career that uses specific knowledge of financial laws and processes.

Finance lawyers typically work for either a borrower who may be an individual or a company, or a lender that is usually a bank. Finance lawyers usually work on deals as part of tea so they must be good communicators, quick thinking, commercially aware, and have an intricate knowledge of financial law. Other issues that some banking and finance lawyers deal with include insolvency proceedings, fraud and money-laundering regulations.

Outside of the legal profession employers can include banks and building societies, insurance companies and HR departments of large firms.

If you work in a law firm, you’ll be constantly learning and developing working alongside senior lawyers. You may realize your career ambitions better through having an open, inquiring mind, and the desire to learn from other experts.

Once you reach a certain level in a firm you can expect greater autonomy and decision-making opportunities.

Working hours will depend on whether you are self-employed, employed by a company with set business hours or if you are contracted to various businesses or companies. Long working hours can be expected, especially when a deal is going through completion, during busy periods you could be expected to work 12-hour days and weekend work may be occasionally required.

Related jobs include:

• Finance lawyer
• Costs lawyer
• Licensed conveyancer
• Arbitrator
• Barrister
• Barrister’s clerk
• Chartered legal executive
• Company secretary
• Paralegal
• Solicitor
• Advice worker
• Chartered accountant
• Civil Service administrator
• Stockbroker
• Trading standards officer

Further study

After completing a course in Law and Finance you may choose to pursue further study in a specialist field to increase your knowledge base and skill set. Postgraduate study can also be used as a means to change career focus or to gain professional qualifications required to practice in certain career areas such as law, accountancy, banking and finance, public services and administration.

FAQ

What skills could be helpful for a career in Law and Finance?

Some key attributes would be:

• Excellent attention to detail and the fine print of agreements
• A good understanding of the different types of loans and the way that banks structure them
• The ability to understand the ambitions and goals of your client in order to advise them on whether the risks and benefits of a deal are worthwhile and ultimately in their best interests
• Good personal skills to build and maintain relationships with clients as well as being able to condense complex information into practical advice that a client can understand and act on.

Where can I study Law and Finance?

Explore your options here

 Did You Know?

• Warren Buffett, considered the world’s most successful investor, made 99.6% of his $87.5 billion fortune after the age of 52. As much as $72 billion of his wealth came after he turned 65. He started investing at the tender age of 11 and filed his taxes for the first time when he was 13. The UK’s official unit of currency was introduced in the eighth century during the reign of Anglo Saxon King Offa of Mercia and is the oldest currency still in use.
• The motto on the first US coin was “Mind Your Business”. This wise piece of advice featured on the first one cent ‘Fugio’ coin designed by Benjamin Franklin in 1787. The famous “In God We Trust” motto didn’t appear on American coins until 1864.
• The vast majority of the planet’s currency exists in electronic form – banknotes and coins make up just 8% of the global total.
• Taking into account commodity prices, machinery costs, labor and so on, each US penny costs around 2.41 cents to make, more than double its face value.
• A recent Oxford University study found that the average European banknote contains 26,000 bacterial colonies, including virulent strains such as E.coli and salmonella.