Top LL.M. Programs for Banking/Finance/Securities Law 2024

Through research venues such as the Center for Constitutional Governance, Columbia Law School has carved out niches in financial regulation and related topics. Although the school does not offer a specialized LL.M. in Finance, that hasn’t dissuaded graduate from pursuing careers the field: according to research done by LLM GUIDE, the school has the most LL.M. alumni working in the Banking/Finance/Securities Law fields at top law firms of any school surveyed.

Harvard Law faculty members have done a substantial amount of research in the area of finance law. The school’s Program on International Financial Systems, founded in 1986, looks at various topics in the field, including international finance, capital markets, financial regulation. Students interested in finance law can pursue Harvard’s LL.M. concentration in Corporate Law, Finance and Governance.

The school’s Law and Financial Markets Project puts on events and publishes a range of research in financial law and regulation. Students interested in the field can pursue LSE’s LL.M. in Banking Law and Financial Regulation and take advantage of its London location. According to research done by LLM GUIDE, of all the UK law schools, LSE has the most LL.M. grads working in Banking/Finance/Securities Law at top law firms.

Home to organizations like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Washington, Washington DC is an ideal destination for LL.M. students who are interested in studying the interface between finance and regulatory policy. Washington, DC is also home to George Washington University Law School, which offers an LL.M. in Business and Finance Law. The LL.M. leverages insights from the George Washington’s Center for Law, Economics & Finance think tank.

The Boston University School of Law has made Banking & Financial Law one of its core focuses. Established in 1984, BU's LL.M. program in Banking and Financial Law is the only one in the U.S. with its own faculty and a curriculum designed exclusively for graduate study. Students can customize their individualized area of study, comprising essential aspects of banking and financing law as well as electives including venture capital financing, risk & compliance management, and fintech & cryptocurrency.

Germany’s Institute for Law and Finance, established in 2002 by Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, publishes relevant research and puts on various events. It also runs an LL.M. Finance program, during which students can get hands-on experience during an internship. The school’s Frankfurt location means that LL.M. students can study in one of Europe’s biggest financial centers.

Although not an LL.M. in name, Oxford’s MSc in Law and Finance (MLF) addresses many of the same topics that an LL.M. in Banking or Finance would cover. The program is offered jointly between Oxford’s Faculty of Law and the Saïd Business School, which means that students are exposed to insights from multiple disciplines. Some MLF grads go on to careers as lawyers in law firms, some end up working in investment banks and others become entrepreneurs.

Taking full advantage of its location in one of the world’s financial centers, the University of Hong Kong has a long tradition of research in the finance law space: since 2000, the school has hosted the Asian Institute of International Financial Law (AIIFL). The AIIFL helped develop HKU’s LL.M. in Corporate and Financial Law program, which explores topics in financial law, corporate conflicts, corporate governance, and other areas. 

NUS’ LL.M. in Corporate & Financial Services Law allows students to study finance law in one of Asia’s biggest financial centers. The school also sports a specialized research hub—the Centre for Banking & Finance Law—which was launched in 2014.

Based on the University of Edinburgh's strong law, finance and fintech expertise, Edinburgh Law School's LL.M. in International Banking Law and Finance program produces graduates who can handle complex policy, compliance, and transaction challenges on the global marketplace. The rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum includes such cutting-edge topics as cryptoassets and fintech law, as well as the legal and regulatory implications of AI applications. Students also benefit from the networks of the Edinburgh Centre for Commercial Law, a research community focusing on Scots and UK commercial law in its comparative European or international context.