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Unit of study_

LAWS5138: International Commercial Transactions

2025 unit information

The objective if this unit is to introduce students to international and cross-border business law and business transactions and provide them with a basis which will allow them to study some of the issues presented by international commercial transactions in more detail. The course will begin with an overview of the scope of the law relating to international trade transactions. The core topics are the regulation of international trade and investment, at both the international and domestic level. We will look at international sales of goods, carriage of goods, international payments and financing on international sales, digital trade and commerce and the regulation of international trade. We will also examine different methods of doing business in foreign markets and discuss the availability and use of available business structures and methods such as direct foreign investment. Under investment, we will look at structural issues, and both domestic and international considerations (such as international treaties on corruption and bilateral and multilateral treaties in investment promotion and protection). We will conclude by considering dispute resolution in cross-border trade and investment. As part of the discussion of doing business in foreign markets and use of available business structures, students will also look at the structure and drafting of international commercial agreements and may participate in a skills exercise.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Sydney Law School

Study level Postgraduate
Academic unit Law
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
LAWS5002
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
LAWS3072 or LAWS3438
Assumed knowledge:
? 
None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Critically evaluate the application of core legal concepts to cross-border contexts and analyse the emergence of new concepts in international (commercial transactions) law.
  • LO2. Critically analyse the evolution of commercial law in the context of globalisation.
  • LO3. Apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to complex legal problems and devise alternative strategies for achieving commercial objectives
  • LO4. Communicate legal principles and logically structured arguments clearly and succinctly to diverse audiences including in collaboration with peers.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.