Postgraduate Module Descriptor


LAWM112: Financial Markets Law and Regulation

This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.

Module Aims

The underlying aim of this module is to identify and explore the fundamental principles of financial regulation relating to the selling of financial instruments and investment products as identified by statute (thus excluding deposit-taking banking business). The module covers international, EU and UK regulatory initiatives. Among the regulatory fields which are covered are: conduct of business, financial promotion and investor protection more generally; market abuse; issues of securities; and capital maintenance.

The more detailed aims of this module are therefore for you:

1: to analyse the principles of the law of finance as they relate to the overlap between norms of financial regulation and norms of substantive law;

2: to analyse the law governing the creation of contracts in high-volume financial markets between traders and between traders and retail customers;

3. to analyse the liabilities of financial institutions for wrongs and breaches of fiduciary duty in financial transactions;

4: to analyse the efficacy of the regulations in the FCA Handbook in the context of investment business;

5: to explore the policies underpinning the reforms to EU and UK regulatory structures in the wake of the financial crisis of 2007-09 and thereafter; and

6: to develop a critical understanding of standard market practice and the issues with transacting in compliance with financial regulation.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.

On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of principles of financial regulation and of the substantive law relating to investment contracts
2. Evaluate critically the effectiveness of financial regulation in the context of investment business
3. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of principles of common law and equity in relation to investment business
Discipline-Specific Skills4. Apply principles of the common law and equity to factual problems
5. Analyse critically the nature and objectives of the law in relation to investment business
Personal and Key Skills6. Analyse issues arising from the inter-action of principles of substantive law and financial regulation in a specific commercial context
7. Exercise critical judgment in relation to commercial issues