Reading lists
We provide preparatory reading lists for each programmes and for those who either have a law degree from a different jurisdiction, outside the UK or have never studied law before.
If your law your degree is from a different jurisdiction, outside the UK or if you have never studied law before, we would strongly advise you to do some introductory reading on legal skills before you arrive. It is also crucial that you are familiar with the – potentially very different – expectations on you as a law student in the UK.
In particular, we recommend that you familiarise yourself with some basic legal skills by reading at least one of the following books:
- ATH Smith, Glanville Williams: Learning the Law, Sweet & Maxwell, 17th edition, 2020, Sweet & Maxwell (A clear and concise introduction),
- James Holland and Julian Webb, Learning Legal Rules: A Student’s Guide to Legal Method and Reasoning, 11th edition, 2022, Oxford University Press (A comprehensive introduction – recommended)
- Emily Finch and Stefan Fafinski, Legal Skills, 8th edition, 2021, Oxford University Press (A clear and concise introduction)
- Ian McLeod, Legal Method, 9th edition, paperback 2013, ebook 2020, Palgrave Macmillan Law Masters, Bloomsbury Publishing (A comprehensive introduction – recommended)
These books will give you a good understanding of the sources of law, legal method and reasoning and other legal concepts and will provide you with the requisite starting point from which to commence your legal studies at Edinburgh.
Introduction to Commercial Law
A clear and comprehensive work dealing with modern commercial law written by a leading commercial lawyer is Goode and Mckendrick on Commercial Law, 6th Edition, 2021, Penguin.. This is a classic work, which covers multiple topics. In particular, we recommend that you familiarise yourself with issues relating to the nature and function of commercial law, the sources of commercial law and the philosophical foundations of commercial law by reading chapter 1.
Reading that chapter (chapter 1) will give you a basic understanding of some of the key issues and concepts which all commercial lawyers need to grasp and it will provide you with an excellent starting point from which to commence your studies at Edinburgh.
If you cannot get a copy of this book, you could alternatively read chapter 1 in another book on commercial law, such as Sealy and Hooley, Commercial Law: Text and Materials, 6th edition, 2020, Oxford University Press.
Introduction to Company Law
If you are doing Company Law as one of your courses, then you may wish to look at one or more of the following books to obtain a general idea of what Company Law in the United Kingdom is like:
- Lord Eassie, HL MacQueen & Ors, Gloag & Henderson: The Law of Scotland 15th edition, 2022, Ch 46 (Companies), W Green & Son Ltd
- A Burrows, English Private Law, 3rd edition, 2013, Ch 3 (Company Law, by John Armour), Oxford University Press
These books give a general overview of UK Company Law in a single chapter (although some aspects may be a little dated).
If you are looking for a fuller treatment, the following books are suggested:
- N Grier, Company Law, 5th edition, 2020, W Green & Son Ltd
- Mayson, French & Ryan, Company Law, 38th edition, 2023, Oxford University Press
- P Davies, Introduction to Company Law 2020, 3rd edition, Clarendon Series, Oxford University Press (a conceptual treatment of key areas of company law)
At a more introductory level, you may find the following books helpful:
- J Dine and M Koutsias, Company Law, 9th edition, 2020, Bloomsbury Publishing
- A Dignam and J Lowry, Company Law, 12th edition, 2022, Oxford University Press
There is a considerable amount of literature in the field of Comparative and European Private Law and you will be required to read widely in the course of your studies. You will need to be selective and build up your knowledge gradually.
For that reason, we strongly encourage you to do some introductory reading before you start in September so that you can make the most of your studies from the very beginning. You can find some recommendations in the list below.
For an introduction to the various dimensions of comparative private law see especially:
- K Zweigert and H Kötz, Introduction to Comparative Law (OUP, 3rd Edition, 1996 transl T Weir)
You may also want to consult various chapters in
- M Reimann and R Zimmermann (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Law (Oxford: OUP, 2nd edition 2019). This book is a good point of entry. It contains a combination of general and subject-area related chapters offering an overview of current issues.
Other books of interest that you will encounter are:
- HP Glenn, Legal Traditions of the World (OUP, 5th Edition, 2014)
- M Siems, Comparative Law (CUP 3rd Edition, 2022),
- J Gordley, Foundations of Private Law: Property, Tort, Contract, Unjust Enrichment (Oxford: OUP, 2007)
- M Graziadei and LD Smith (eds), Comparative Property Law. Global Perspectives (Elgar, 2017)
- R Zimmermann, The Law of Obligations: Roman Foundations of the Civilian Tradition (Oxford: OUP, 1996)
Besides the works already mentioned above, the Ius Commune Casebooks for the Common Law of Europe series offers a comparative introduction to many subject areas within European private law (published by Hart Publishing, see here). Equally the Common Core of European Private Law Series published by Cambridge University Press also offers an interesting approach.
Another important source of reference and starting point for future research are the Commentaries on European Contract Laws edited by N Jansen and R Zimmermann and published by OUP in 2018.
Books on Individual Legal Systems
If you would like to do some reading on individual legal systems, the following references will help you. Again, you will need to be selective in your reading.
For an introduction to Scottish private law and the Scottish legal system:
- M Dewart, Scottish Legal System (6th ed., Haywards Heath: Bloomsbury, 2019)
- K Reid and R Zimmermann (eds), A History of Private Law in Scotland (Oxford: OUP, 2000)
English private law and the English legal system:
- J Cartwright, An Introduction to the English Law of Contract for the Civil Lawyer (4th edition, 2023, Hart Publishing). This book might be particularly helpful if you take the course ‘Contract Law in Europe’
To go further into the history behind the modern law:
- D Ibbetson, A Historical Introduction to the Law of Obligations (Oxford: OUP, 1999)
For an introduction to French private law and the French legal system:
- J Bell, S Boyron and S Whittaker, Principles of French Law (2nd edition, Oxford: OUP, 2008), esp. chs 1-3 and 13 (French legal system), chs 9 (property) and 10 (obligations)
- J Bell, French Legal Cultures (CUP, 2008) chs 2-3 and 7
- S Rowan, The New French Law of Contract (OUP 2022)
- E Steiner, French Law: A Comparative Approach (OUP, 2nd edn 2018)
For an introduction to German private law and the German legal system:
- N Foster and S Sule, German Legal System and Laws (4th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2010)
- B Markesinis, H Unberath and A Johnston, The German Law of Contract: A Comparative Treatise (2nd edtion, Oxford: Hart, 2006)
- BS Markesinis, J Bell and A Janssen, Markesinis’s German Law of Torts: A Comparative Treatise (5th edition, Oxford: Hart, 2019)
- G Dannemann, The German Law of Unjustified Enrichment and Restitution: A Comparative Introduction (Oxford: OUP, 2009)
References on Individual Subject Areas
Besides the works already mentioned above, the Ius Commune Casebooks for the Common Law of Europe series offers a comparative introduction to many subject areas within European private law (published by Hart Publishing, see here). Equally the Common Core of European Private Law Series published by Cambridge University Press also offers an interesting approach (https://common-core.org)
Another important source of reference and starting point for future research are the Commentaries on European Contract Laws edited by N Jansen and R Zimmermann and published by OUP in 2018.
We strongly encourage you to do some introductory reading before you arrive so that you can make the most of your studies from the very beginning. Particularly if you have a law degree from another country, if law was not the core subject of your degree, or if English is not your first language, you may find the recommended sources useful to familiarise yourself with the relevant terminology and the expectations of law students in the UK. This will help you make the most of your studies while you are here and in deciding on taking a course in a subject area new to you. You can find some recommendations in the list below:
- R. Ian Tricker, Corporate Governance: Principles, Policies, and Practices, 5th ed (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2025)
- Lee Roach, Company Law Concentrate, 7th ed (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023)
- Financial Reporting Council, The UK Corporate Governance Code (2024), available online
- Financial Reporting Council, The UK Stewardship Code (2020), available online
The LLM Criminal Law and Criminal Justice at Edinburgh Law School has been designed for an international cohort. It does not require detailed knowledge of the criminal law or criminal justice system of any particular jurisdiction. However, it is a postgraduate law degree, designed for advanced students, and so does not provide an introduction to either field. I strongly encourage some preparatory reading before you arrive, especially if you have studied a discipline other than law at undergraduate level, or if you are joining us from a non-English-speaking jurisdiction.
On criminal law, I recommend:
J Horder, Ashworth's Principles of Criminal Law (10th edn, Oxford University Press 2022)
JJ Child, AP Simester, JR Spencer, F Stark, and GJ Virgo (eds), Simester and Sullivan’s Criminal Law: Theory and Doctrine (8th edn, Hart Publishing 2022)
C Wells and O Quick, Lacey, Wells and Quick, Reconstructing Criminal Law (4th edn, Cambridge University Press 2012)
PR Ferguson and C McDiarmid, Scots Criminal Law: A Critical Analysis (2nd edn, Edinburgh University Press 2014)
On criminal justice, I recommend:
L Campbell, A Ashworth and M Redmayne, The Criminal Process (5th edn, Oxford University Press 2019)
L Welsh, L Skinns, and A Sanders, Sanders & Young’s Criminal Justice (5th edn, Oxford University Press 2021)
JV Roberts, Criminal Justice: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press 2015)
L Zedner, Criminal Justice (Oxford University Press 2004)
You may also wish to consult the most recent issues of the leading academic journals in order to develop a sense of the topics that are currently being debated in the field. I recommend the Criminal Law Review, which is the leading criminal law journal in the UK and targeted at both academic and practitioner audiences, as well as Criminal Law and Philosophy and Criminology and Criminal Justice for philosophical, socio-legal, and criminological insights.
Please direct any queries to the Programme Director:
Dr Gabrielle Watson, gabrielle.watson@ed.ac.uk
There is no single book which you should read before you begin your MSc at Edinburgh, and you do not have to do any preparation at all. However, the following are a suggestion of titles which you may find interesting if you want to start exploring some key issues before you arrive.
- Liebing A, Maruna S, and McAra, L. (2023) (Eds) The Oxford Handbook of Criminology (7th edition). Oxford: OUP
This is an excellent, up-to-date review of research in criminology, the author of each chapter proving a detailed, state-of-the-art map of their respective topics. This is really a collection of essays, and it is the only ‘textbook’ that is worth buying.
- Becker, HS (2020, or earlier editions): Writing for Social Scientists: How to start and finish your thesis, book or article.
This is a brilliant book by one of our most important sociologists/ criminologists, about why academics find it so difficult to write, and what to do about it. Every student and academic should read this.
- Bosworth, M and Hoyle, C (2011): What is Criminology? (Oxford, OUP)
A collection of essays by interesting leading thinkers about what this subject is, and how it should be done.
The following are a small selection of famous books which have shaped the field of criminology, and you are likely to encounter some of these during the course. These are merely a start of a list – if you have any particular interests, please email me and I will recommend some additional readings for you.
- Cohen, S (2011, and earlier editions): ‘Folk Devils and Moral Panics: the creation of the Mods and Rockers’. This book introduced the term ‘moral panic’ and is very important.
- Cohen, S (1985): ‘Visions of Social Control’. A critical book about the hidden ‘industry’ of criminal justice work.
- Becker, HS (1963): ‘Outsiders: studies in the sociology of deviance’. A wonderfully written book about drug taking and subcultures in the 1960s
- Garland, D (1990): Punishment and Modern Society: a study in social theory. A brilliant analysis of core ideas about punishment
- Matza, D (1964, or other editions): Delinquency and Drift. A brilliant book about young people and offending, which introduced many important ideas that we still think about.
Dr Milena Tripkovic
Programme Director, MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice
To make sure you can ‘hit the ground running’ when start your LLM in European Law, we have created a self-paced, online course on the foundations of EU law. This will be made available to you close to the start of the programme. The course provides an introduction to the basic features of EU law and includes a series of quizzes for you to test your knowledge, as well as suggestions for further reading. This will be especially useful to you if you have no prior knowledge of EU law, but you can also use it to refresh your memory of the basics before beginning your studies.
If you have no background in EU law and are keen to get started sooner, here is a list of the most popular textbooks:
- Marios Costa and Steve Peers, >Steiner & Woods EU Law, 15th edition (Oxford University Press 2023);
- Robert Schütze, An Introduction to European Law, 4th edition (Oxford University Press 2023);
- Paul Craig and Gráinne de Búrca, EU Law: Text, Cases, and Materials, 7th edition (Oxford University Press 2020).
The field of Global Crime, Justice and Security is one that can be approached from a number of angles, reflected in the diversity of interests of teaching staff and the spread of courses across the Schools of Law and of Social and Political Science. The reading list here reflects this diversity. The first two texts represent good introductions from different perspectives (criminological and legal). They are really good places to start, and I’d particularly recommend looking at them if you have never studied criminology or law before. It’s absolutely not necessary for you to look at all of the other readings identified here before you start the programme. I’ve included them more to give you a flavour of the breadth and reach of the programme, and to stimulate your curiosity!
- Katja FRANKO 2019. Globalization and Crime. London: Sage.
An accessible text on the relationships between globalization and crime, the text covers theoretical perspectives on globalization, specific cross-border crimes such as human trafficking and crimes in cyberspace, and related issues such as state sovereignty.
- Rosalyn HIGGINS 1994. Problems and Pr ocess: International Law and How We Use It. Oxford: Clarendon.
A great introduction to international law for those without a firm background in the subject, the book deals with the origins, functions and institutions of international law. See also her Themes and Theories: Selected Essays, Speeches and Writings in International Law from 2009.
- Mangai NATARAJAN (ed.) 2019. International and Transnational Crime and Justice. Cambridge University Press.
An extensive series of short papers on topics core to the Global Crime programme. While quality is somewhat mixed, the book is included for range.
- Ben BRADFORD, Beatrice JAUREGUI, Ian LOADER and Jonny STEINBERG (eds) 2016. The SAGE Handbook of Global Policing. London: SAGE Publications.
An extensive set of essays covering diverse issues around global policing and responding to global crime, including: post-colonial and post-conflict policing; the relationships between police and states; rule of law and Human Rights; policing in war and armed conflict; and, policing and environmental governance.
- Peter ANDREAS and Ethan NADELMANN 2006. Policing the Globe: Criminalization and Crime Control in International Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
The text examines the origins of international crime control, particularly from the perspective of Europe and US, and gives an account of developments in this field in the wake of the end of the Cold War and the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.
- Nancy Amoury COMBS 2006. Guilty Pleas in International Criminal Law: Constructing a Restorative Justice Approach. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Plea bargaining is often thought of as a rather grubby feature of domestic criminal justice systems, accepted on pragmatic rather than principled grounds. But the cost pressures on international criminal tribunals have seen the practice become established there also, raising difficult questions about the purpose such tribunals are meant to serve. This book is an important attempt to grapple with an emerging problem.
- Den Boer, M. (ed) (2018), Comparative Policing from a Legal Perspective. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar PublishingDen Boer, M. (ed) (2018), Comparative Policing from a Legal Perspective. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing
Grounded in legal approaches to policing the book includes general chapters providing comparative framing along with more detailed thematic chapters (e.g. gender, technology, borders…)
- Max DU PLESSIS and Stephen PETÉ 2007. Repairing the Past? International Perspectives on Reparations for Gross Human Rights Abuses. Antwerp: Intersentia.
A selection of essays offering a range of perspectives, legal, political and anthropological, on the question of dealing with historical wrongs.
- Tim NEWBURN and Richard SPARKS (eds.) 2004. Criminal Justice and Political Cultures: National and International Dimensions of Crime Control. Cullompton: Willan.
A series of essays which examine the growth in cooperation and the question of transfers of policies and ideas between jurisdictions facing similar or shared crime problems.
- Tom DAEMS, Dirk VAN ZYL SMIT and Sonja SNACKEN (eds.) 2013 European Penology? Oxford: Hart.
This collection explores to what extent we can see a common frame of penal policy and common understanding of punishment in Europe.
- World Prison Brief, URL: https://prisonstudies.org/
Resources on prisons across the globe, including numbers detained. Also a great site for links to international publications on the topic.
- Vincenzo RUGGIERO, Nigel SOUTH and Ian TAYLOR (eds.) 1998. The New European Criminology: Crime and Social Order in Europe. London: Routledge.
There are a variety of interesting essays in this collection dealing with Europe as an ideal and as a set of institutions, dealing with new developments in criminality following the cold war and offering comparative studies within Europe. Part 4 of this collection handles links between international developments and crime and people’s sense of crime as a phenomenon with local effects.
- William A SCHABAS 2009. Genocide in International Law [2nd edn] Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lengthy but readable, this is an enormously detailed account of what the subtitle to the second edition describes as “the crime of crimes”.
- Barry VAUGHAN and Shane KILCOMMINS 2008. Terrorism, Rights and the Rule of Law: Negotiating Justice in Ireland. Cullompton: Willan.
Focusing on the republic of Ireland, the book examines the impact of globalization on state authority, particularly through the rise of alternative, often supra-state, sites of rulemaking and decision taking.
We strongly encourage you to do some introductory reading before you arrive so that you can make the most of your studies from the very beginning. Particularly if you have a law degree from another country, if law was not the core subject of your degree, or if English is not your first language, you may find the recommended sources extremely useful to familiarise yourself with the relevant terminology and the expectations of law students in the UK. This will help you make the most of your studies while you are here and in deciding on taking a course in a subject area new to you.
Preparatory Readings
If you have never studied law before, you should consider reading one of the following texts:
- Glanville Williams, Learning the Law (Sweet and Maxwell, 2020); or
- Catherine Barnard, Janet O’Sullivan and Graham Virgo, What About Law? Studying Law at University (Hart, 2011)
If you have never studied international law, the following texts will give you an introduction to some of the key concepts of the international legal system:
- Rosalyn Higgins, Problems & Process: International Law and How We Use It (Oxford University Press, 1994) 1-55; or
- Vaughan Lowe, International Law: A Very Short Introduction(Oxford University Press, 2015)
If you’d like to get a head-start on environmental law, consult one of the following texts:
- Elizabeth Fisher, Environmental Law: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2017); or
- Daniel Bodansky, The Art and Craft of International Environmental Law (Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2024).
If you’d like to get a head-start on climate change law, consult this UN 2019 online lecture (audio or video) by Lavanya Rajamani, The International Climate Change Regime: Evolution and Challenges: Lecture Series: Ms. Lavanya Rajamani (un.org)
For some current thinking on climate action, see the following [NB these are not endorsements, rather indications of some current interventions]:
- Amitav Ghosh, The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis (Chicago University Press, 2021); or
- Mike Berners-Lee, There’s No Planet B (Cambridge University Press, 2019); or
- Bill Gates, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster (Allen Lane, 2021); or
- Mark Carney, Values: Building a Better World (Harper Collins, 2021)
Finally, if you have not studied in the UK before, have a look at the University of Edinburgh study skills online training.
The following titles are suggested as preparatory reading in the event that you have not previously studied international law or human rights.
If you have never studied international law before:
International Law: A Very Short Introduction
Vaughan Lowe
Oxford University Press 2015
ISBN 978-0-19-923933 | Paperback
OR
Brierly’s Law of Nations
9th Edition (but previous editions will do going back to the 7th)
James Crawford
Oxford University Press 2019
9780198737445| Paperback
If you have never studied Human Rights before:
Human Rights: A Very Short Introduction
Andrew Clapham
Oxford University Press 2015
ISBN 978-0-19-870616-8 | Paperback
OR
International Human Rights Law, Rhona K.M. Smith
10th edition, Oxford University Press 2021 (or any of the three previous editions)
ISBN 9780192845382 | Paperback
A good general text on Human Rights that would be useful as a reference point throughout the programme:
Textbook on International Human Rights
International Human Rights Law
Rhona K.M. Smith
10th edition, Oxford University Press 2021
OR
International Human Rights Law
Olivier de Schutter
3rd edition, Cambridge University Press 2019
Finally, if you have not studied in the UK before, have a look at the University of Edinburgh study skills online training.
You may already have an idea of the area you wish to specialise in and it is worth looking around on the web to see what options for specialism are available but I would keep an open mind at this stage.
Check out online sources
There are many highly informative blogs and information sites that you may wish to explore relating to different specialisms. For example, if you are interested in the communications, human rights and media law field, Inforrm’s blog, is an excellent up-to-date and thoughtful resource.
TechnoLlama is also a recommended blog to take a look at:
The websites of leading newspapers can also be a very valuable source of information about technological and legal development or policy debates.
Suggested readings
Many of the courses studied on the programme are ultimately concerned with regulation and The Oxford Handbook of Law, Regulation and Technology by Robert, Eloise Scotford and Karen Yeung, Oxford University Press, 2016, is a very good starting point for exploring the field.
https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/27999?login=true
For anyone interested in a classic analysis of regulation and the impact of the internet Lawrence Lessig’s book 2, is accessible and thought provoking.
Alternative books include:
Andrew Murray: Information Technology Law: The Law and Society (5th edn)
https://www.oxfordlawtrove.com/display/10.1093/he/9780192893529.001.0001/he-9780192893529
Lilian Edwards: Law, Policy and the Internet https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/law-policy-and-the-internet-9781849467032/
The IP programme includes courses that cover substantive intellectual property law, the place and role of intellectual property within a domestic, regional and international context, and also the social, economic, ethical, cultural and commercial contexts within which intellectual property exists. As such, there is no one single source of reading that covers the range of our courses. However, if you have never studied Intellectual Property before then you are encouraged to use the reading list below in preparation of your studies at Edinburgh Law School.
Texts on Intellectual Property Law
- Peter Drahos, ‘The Universality of Intellectual Property Rights: Origins and Development’ [1999] available here
- WIPO, ‘What is intellectual property?’ [2020] available here.
- Abbe Brown, Smita Kheria, Jane Cornwell, and Marta Iljadica, Contemporary Intellectual Property: Law and Policy, Oxford University Press, 6th edition, 2023 (this core textbook is used on two of our core courses and you can familiarise yourself with it, if you wish)
All of our courses are highly topical, and we will be examining many and varied contemporary issues. You are invited to keep yourself up to date with developments in the IP field. You might want to familiarise yourself with the following websites:
- World Intellectual Property Organization
- World Trade Organization
- UK Intellectual Property Office
- European Commission, Intellectual Property
Texts on Legal Skills
Each year the programme welcomes students from the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and also other parts of the world. The programme also welcomes candidates with a legal background as well as non-law students with relevant studies and experience.
If you have a law degree from outside the United Kingdom, or if you have a non-law background, or if English is not your first language, then you must do some introductory reading before you arrive in Edinburgh so that you can make the most of your studies from the very beginning. We have recommended a list of books, and you are advised to read at least one of them. Please see the top of this page for the list of books.
This will give you a good understanding of the sources of law, legal method and reasoning and other legal concepts and will provide you with the requisite starting point from which to commence your legal studies at Edinburgh. These resources will also help you familiarise with relevant terminology, if English is not your first language.
If you have the time, then you could also look at any of the following specialist books on legal research methods and writing dissertations in law:
- Mike McConville and Wing Hong Chui, Research Methods for Law, Edinburgh University Press, 3 rd edition, 2024.
- Dawn Watkins and Mandy Burton, Research Methods in Law, Routledge, 2nd edition, 2017.
- Michael Salter and Julie Mason, Writing Law Dissertations: An introduction and guide to the conduct of Legal Research, Pearson, 2007.
Texts on Studying at Masters Level
There are a number of Study skills books that you could also consider looking at, depending on your own skillset and needs:
- Richard Pears and Graham Shields, Cite them right: The essential referencing guide, Bloomsbury, 13th edition, 2025 (recommended)
- Stella Cottrell, The Study Skills Handbook, Bloomsbury, 6th edition, 2024
- Stella Cottrell, Critical Thinking Skills: developing effective analysis and argument, Bloomsbury, 4th edition, 2023 (recommended)
- Louise Katz, Critical Thinking and Persuasive Writing for Postgraduates, Palgrave Macmillan, 1st edition, 2018
This is an indicative list of various suggested and optional sources which might be useful and of interest to some of you depending on your background knowledge, experience, and interests before your official start of studies.
This indicative list attempts to address your diverse background knowledge, understanding, experience, and interests in the respective field. So, please do not be overwhelmed by this list but instead tailor it to your own specific needs and interests. Especially, sources under the list on banking and financial law and regulation will also be analysed and discussed during the forthcoming academic year. Please kindly also be aware that this field of study is a constantly evolving one and therefore depending on the publication year of the respective source some information might be outdated.
If you have never studied banking and finance law before:
- R Cranston et al, Principles of Banking Law (Oxford University Press, 3rd edn, 2018)
- J Payne and L Gullifer, Corporate Finance Law: Principles and Policy (Hart Publishing, 3rd edn, 2020/ Hart Publishing, 4th edn, 2025)
If you have never studied law before:
- ATH Smith, Glanville Williams: Learning the Law (Sweet and Maxwell, 17th edn, 2020)
- James Holland and Julian Webb, Learning Legal Rules: A Student’s Guide to Legal Method and Reasoning (Oxford University Press, 11th edition, 2022)
If you want to expand your knowledge on finance and capital markets:
- St Valdez and Ph Molyneux, An Introduction to Global Financial Markets (Bloomsbury Publishing, 8th edn, 2015)
- D Hillier et al, Corporate Finance (McGraw-Hill Education, 2016)
- P Rose and M Marquis, Money and Capital Markets (McGraw-Hill Education, 10th edn, 2008)
- R Brealey et al, Principles of Corporate Finance (McGraw-Hill Education, 14th edn, 2022)
If you want to expand your knowledge on banking and finance law and regulation:
- E Avgouleas, Governance of Global Financial Markets: The Law, the Economics, the Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2012)
- P Hood, Principles of Lender Liability (Oxford University Press, 2012)
- S Gleeson, Gleeson on the International Regulation of Banking (Oxford University Press, 3rd edn, 2018)
- A Hudson, The Law on Financial Derivatives (Sweet and Maxwell, 5th edn, 2018)
- J Armour et al, Principles of Financial Regulation (Oxford University Press, 2016)
- D W Arner et al, Systemic Risk in the Financial Sector: Ten Years after the Great Crash (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2019)
- E Avgouleas and DC Donald (eds), The Political Economy of Financial Regulation (Cambridge University Press, 2019)
- Ph Wood, Law and Practice of International Finance (Sweet & Maxwell, 2008)
- E Avgouleas, The Mechanics and Regulation of Market Abuse: A Legal and Economic Analysis (Oxford University Press, 2005)
- E Ferran et al, Principles of Corporate Finance Law (Cambridge University Press, 3rd edn, 2023)
- P Davies et al, Gower: Principles of Modern Company Law (Sweet & Maxwell, 11th edn, 2021)
- N Moloney, EU securities and financial markets regulation (Oxford University Press, 4th edn, 2023)
- K Sergakis, The Law of Capital Markets in the EU Disclosure and Enforcement (Palgrave, 2018)
- I Chiu (ed), Research Handbook on Global Capital Markets Law (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023)
- A Rechtschaffen, Capital Markets, Derivatives, and the Law: Positivity and Preparation (Oxford University Press, 2019)
- B Rider et al, Market Abuse and Insider Dealing (Bloomsbury, 4th edn, 2022)
- P Ortolani and M Louisse, The EU Crowdfunding Regulation (Oxford University Press, 2021)
- C Brummer (ed), Cryptoassets: Legal, Regulatory, and Monetary Perspectives (Oxford University Press, 2019)
- R Smits et al, Sustainable Finance and Climate Change (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024)
If you have not studied in the UK before, please have a look at the University of Edinburgh study skills online training.
As you will see in the LLM programme structure on the International Economic Law web page, international economic law embraces a number of branches of international law and there is no one single textbook that will be used throughout the programme. Nonetheless, the readings suggested below should provide you with a good (and brief) introduction to the key legal instruments and institutions of the international economic system:
- Van den Bossche and Prévost, Essentials of WTO Law, (Cambridge University Press, 2021)
- Trebilcock, Advanced Introduction to International Trade Law (Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2015)
- M. Herdegen, Principles of International Economic Law (Oxford University Press, 2015) OR D. Collins, Foundations of International Economic Law (Edward Elgar, 2025, 2nd Ed) OR Charnovitz, ‘What is International Economic Law?’ 14(1) Journal of International Economic Law (2011) 3-22
- Jackson, ‘Global Economics and International Economic Law’ 1 Journal of International Economic Law (1998) 1-23 (which can be freely downloaded here)
If you would like to get a head-start on international economic issues:
While this is essentially a legal studies programme, knowledge of international economic policy issues will greatly assist you in understanding international economic law. The books indicated below are some of the classics (“light” and “good-value” readings) on economic globalisation, and should expose you to the divergent views on this topic and to the key challenges facing the international economic system. We would recommend that you familiarise yourself with these debates by reading at least one critical and one supportive piece on economic globalisation:
- Bhagwati, In Defense of Globalization, Oxford University Press, 2007.
- Stiglitz, Globalisation and its Discontents, Norton, 2002.
- Stiglitz, Freefall: Free Markets and the Sinking of the Global Economy, Norton, 2010.
- • Anghie, Rethinking International Law: A TWAIL Retrospective, European Journal of International Law, 2023, 34 (1).
- Sands, Lawless World: Making and Breaking Global Rules, Penguin, 2006 (particularly chapters 4-6)
- Rodrik, The Globalisation Paradox: Why Global Markets, States and Democracy Can’t Coexist, Oxford University Press, 2011.
An international economic lawyer must be curious and interested on what is happening in the world. Almost every event that hits the news is likely to have economic or social impact regional or globally. Whether you want to understand the factual context of recent events or would like to access a light touch discussion of these events in the context of trade, investment or development, you may want to access podcasts, blogs, newspapers and specialised magazines. Have a look at the following sources:
- James Crawford & Martti Koskenniemi, The Cambridge Companion to International Law (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012)
Due to the breadth of the programme, it is impossible to suggest any specific readings to you.
However, if your law degree is from a different jurisdiction outside the UK, or if you have never studied law before, we would strongly advise you to do some introductory reading on legal skills before you arrive. It is also crucial that you are familiar with the – potentially very different – expectations on you as a law student in the UK.
In particular, we recommend that you familiarise yourself with some basic legal skills by reading at least one of the following books:
- ATH Smith (ed), Glanville Williams: Learning the Law, 17th edition, 2020, Sweet & Maxwell (A clear and concise introduction),
- James Holland and Julian Webb, Learning Legal Rules: A Student’s Guide to Legal Method and Reasoning, 11th edition, 2022, Oxford University Press (A comprehensive introduction – recommended)
- Emily Finch and Stefan Fafinski, Legal Skills, 9th edition, 2023, Oxford University Press (A clear and concise introduction)
- Steven J. Burton An Introduction To Law and Legal Reasoning, Aspen Publishers, 3rd Edition, 2007, Aspen Publishers (A basic and clear introduction)
- Ian McLeod, Legal Method, 9th edition, 2013, Palgrave Macmillan Law Masters (A comprehensive introduction – recommended)
These books will give you a good understanding of the sources of law, legal method and reasoning and other legal concepts and will provide you with the requisite starting point from which to commence your legal studies at Edinburgh.
Furthermore, if you are from outside the United Kingdom it would be very helpful if you familiarised yourself with the UK legal system. Recommended for this purpose are:
- Dewart, The Scottish Legal System, Bloomsbury, 6th edition, 2019
- Slapper & Kelly, The English Legal System, Routledge, 20th edition, 2024
- Malleson & Moules, The Legal System, Oxford University Press, 4th edition, 2010
- More academic, perhaps: Tom Bingham, The Rule of Law, Penguin 2011
Additionally, you might want to consult a book on studying law in the UK, e.g.:
- MacQueen, Studying Scots Law, Bloomsbury, 6th edition, 2022
- Barnard, O’Sullivan, Virgo, What About Law? Studying Law at University, Bloomsbury, 3rd edition, 2021
More advanced, and reflective of the outward looking scholarship at Edinburgh, you will also find this a very stimulating read!:
- Walker, Intimations of Global Law, Cambridge University Press 2014
Staff who teach you on this course are also the authors of one of the leading textbooks in the field published by Oxford University Press: Mason and McCall-Smith’s Law and Medical Ethics. The 12th edition was be published in July 2023.
You might also like to consider the following text to ground your studies in bioethics:
D Wilkinson, J Herring, J Savulescu, Medical Ethics and Law: A Curriculum for the 21st Century (Third Edition, 2019).
For those of you who are unfamiliar with law, and/or UK legal systems we recommend:
- Williams, G., Learning the Law (16th ed) (ATH Smith, 2016), especially Chapters 1, 6, 7, 9 and 12.
If you have not studied in the UK before, have a look at the University of Edinburgh study skills online training.
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If you have any questions about starting your studies with us please don't hesitate to contact us.