Bucerius Law School - Hochschule für Rechtswissenschaft

Graduation Day

A Professional Advantage

The Master of Law and Business Program (LLM/MLB) in cooperation with WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management, is the ideal program for young professionals who wish to obtain a professional advantage in a highly-competitive job market. In today's global economy, professionals in all kinds of industries are regularly confronted with international issues that involve both legal and economic aspects. The MLB Program's one-year curriculum is designed exclusively for young professionals who strive to be at the forefront of these developments.

Guiding Theme: The Company Life Cycle

The MLB curriculum takes a single theme - the founding and development of a business enterprise - and pursues both the legal and business aspects of that development. The courses allow students

• to analyze the realization of an entrepreneurial idea,
• to investigate the founding of a business enterprise, and
• to evaluate the international growth and development of that enterprise.

Elective modules as well as three specializations allow students to deepen their knowledge in many additional areas of law and business. A mandatory internship and drafting of a master's thesis add hands-on and research components to the program.

As a result of this curriculum, MLB graduates boast an impressive set of skills and knowledge with direct relevance for work in international companies, law firms, and other organizations. They belong to that group of cutting-edge professionals who have been systematically trained to take an interdisciplinary approach to legal and management questions.

Read and watch MLB Graduate Stories

Two Degree Options: LLM or MLB

Depending on the focus of their studies, graduates are awarded one of two possible degrees, either a Master of Laws (LLM) or a Master of Law and Business (MLB). All students, independent of their academic background, can obtain the MLB degree. Students with an academic background in law have the additional option of obtaining and LLM instead. 

Small Classes, International Classroom

Enrollment is limited to some 50 program participants in order to ensure individual attention, allow easy access to course instructors and encourage intensive discussion. Program participants generally represent over 25 countries worldwide and bring with them their diverse cultural backgrounds and broad ranges of professional experience in law, business, politics, journalism and development. This student body fosters an intercultural understanding of legal and business questions and helps prepare the students for their international careers.

The MLB program takes place in Hamburg, Germany, a major hub of international commerce and a beautiful city. In light of Germany's strong economy, many MLB alumni choose to stay in Germany for some time after the program.

The Bucerius Law School

Bucerius Law School is Germany's leading private and state-accredited law school and has been referred to as a German "Ivy League" institution.

Life on campus

Bucerius Law School is Germany's leading private and state-accredited law school and has been referred to as a German "Ivy League" institution. In Germany, Bucerius Law School is the first choice of law students and law firms alike. The academic community at Bucerius Law School distinguishes itself by its courage to endeavor in new and innovative directions as well as its common goal of striving for unparalleled excellence in legal education.

What differentiates Bucerius Law School?

Bucerius Law School is the first private, non-profit law school in Germany. Established and funded by one of the country’s largest private foundations, Bucerius Law School honors its namesake, Gerd Bucerius, by focusing on the importance of community service and responsibility for others in society. This visionary institution consistently ranks among the top law schools in Germany educating the best and brightest new legal minds today. Bucerius students excel on German state exams and go on to work with leading national and international law firms and corporations, governmental departments and universities.

What does Bucerius Law School offer?

In the heart of Europe, Bucerius Law School connects the world – it offers the legal education, the practical experience and the international network to set its students on a successful and fulfilling career path in today’s increasingly globalized world. Bucerius recognizes the importance of an international education and cultivates an expansive international network of nearly 100 partner universities worldwide and its own representative office in the United States. Bucerius attracts renowned scholars and instructors from the best legal institutions in the world to lecture in its English-language Summer Programs, the Master of Law and Business and its International Exchange Program.

Excellent study conditions

The conditions for students seeking the MLB or LLM degree at Bucerius are excellent. The school is located in a park-like environment in the center of Hamburg. All Bucerius buildings are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, allowing students to follow their individual study habits. Small-group study rooms facilitate students' working together outside of class; a mensa, coffee lounge, a napping room and small fitness center encourage students to relax and socialize. Because of its location and the quality of its facilities, Bucerius is the site of a wide range of conferences, external lectures, and other international events.

The program's lecturers - both full-time academics and members of the practicing legal and business communities - are approachable and willing to share their experience with students and offer advice whenever needed. As graduates often emphasize, MLB Student Support Office are dedicated to providing strong administrative and personal support to the MLB students.

INFO DAYS ON CAMPUS

We cordially invite you to attend one of our Master Program Info Days. Meet our staff and students and get answers to any questions you may have about Bucerius Law School and the Master of Law and Business. Explore the academic side of the program during an introductory case study and get personal study advice during a meeting with a member of our staff team.

Group Work

The Master of Law and Business draws on the faculty resources of both the Bucerius Law School and other German and international universities and brings in adjunct professors from the practicing legal and business community. Instruction is internationally and comparatively oriented; the teaching style is characterized by open dialogue and intensive support of students by faculty.

Networking

Bucerius has an active alumni association which provides good network opportunities. 

Personal Coaching

The Bucerius Master of Law and Business is a full-time Master's program for young professionals with an undergraduate degree and an interest or experience in the fields of law and business. The program is a non-consecutive Master, which means that work experience is required.

Admission Requirements

In order to qualify for admission, applicants must fulfill the following requirements: 

• A 3-4 year undergraduate degree*
• At least 1-3 years of post-graduate work experience
• Interest or experience in the field of law and/or business
• Proven extracurricular interests
• Excellent English language skills

International experience is preferred but not mandatory.

* The Bachelor degree has to be valued at 240 ECTS (4 years) or equivalent. A 210 ECTS credit degree can be considered if the applicant has at least two years of post-graduate work experience.

Students are admitted on a rolling admission basis and admission is offered on a space-available basis. Therefore, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible, especially if you are planning to apply for a scholarship or if you need a visa to study in Germany.

Required Documents

An application consists of the following:

• A completed Online Application Form
• A Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• A compelling personal statement
• A writing sample
• Official transcripts of your degree-granting academic institutions,
• A statement of class rank (if available)
• Proof of your English-language skills (as evidenced by TOEFL, IELTS or CPE scores)
• A minimum of two letters of recommendation

Details on the required documents

There is no application fee and no age limit.

If you have any questions, please contact our Admissions officer Ms. Maite Anna Schewe: maite.schewe(at)law-school.de.

The tuition for the Master of Law and Business is EUR 25,000. This fee includes all study materials, study trips, extracurricular activities as well as public transportation in Hamburg and its greater area. A number of full and partial scholarships as well as reductions for early bird as well as early deposit payments are available. 

Graduation Day Class of 2022

Each year, some full scholarships as well as a number of partial scholarships and tuition waivers are available based on merit and need. Applicants need to send in their financial applications ideally by January 15 each year.

Students from the EURO zone may also want to consider the Brain Capital financing concept that allows tuition to be paid after graduation. Early applications submitted by February 28 each year will receive a EUR 2,000 discount on the tuition fees. Graduates from Bucerius Law School and WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management receive a EUR 7,000 discount on the tuition fees. We also offer generous discounts to alumni from our worldwide partner universities.

Hamburg historic "Speicherstadt"

Hamburg, described by many as "Germany's most beautiful city", combines a thriving port and strong media, publishing and other industries such as aerospace with a vibrant nightlife and a wealth of cultural and nature activities. The metropolitan region has a population of 3.5 million people for whom Hamburg is the shopping and cultural metropolis.

Despite being home to Europe's second largest port and over 350,000 companies of all sizes, Hamburg is a very pleasant city to live in. With its parks, promenades, imposing city center and leafy residential streets, Hamburg is known for its beauty. Culture thrives with renowned theatres, opera, ballet and a classical music scene worthy of Mendelssohn and Brahms, both sons of the city. The undercurrent to all this is the Hamburg mentality, understated but alert, meticulously polite but friendly - the product of centuries of internationalism.

The legal culture is also central to Hamburg life. Hamburg is proud of its political autonomy as a city state within the Federal Republic of Germany. This independence has a long history, with the earliest constitutional documents and legal statutes for Hamburg dating from the 13th century. Today Hamburg is host to legal institutions of national and global significance: the Hamburg state courts, the Max Planck Institute for Foreign Private and Private International Law and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

The beautiful Bucerius Law School campus, which successfully combines both traditional and modern architecture, provides a peaceful haven just minutes away from Hamburg's main commercial district, shopping areas, and the beautiful Inner and Outer Alster Lakes. Public transportation is just steps away. The main campus building, constructed in 1908, is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, as well as teaching and learning facilities which are accessible 24 hours a day. 7 days a week).

Hamburg Harbour

Even though finding an affordable student room or apartment in Hamburg is notoriously difficult, students of the Master of Law and Business need not be worried. Bucerius Law School actively helps you find accommodation.

The Master of Law and Business staff can help you find suitable accommodation. The earlier you apply, the easier it will be to find the kind of accommodation you are looking for.

More on accommodation

BLS Campus

MLB students can join a wealth of extracurricular activities on campus. There are sports and music groups, societies dedicated to Moot Court and Model United Nations, political groups and many others. Bucerius Law School is also host to many extracurricular lectures and events that expose students to issues beyond the classroom

The MLB Program also offers a number of activities particularly designed for MLB students. These include excursions to interesting historical and cultural sites, including a study trip to Brussels. Throughout the year, Bucerius Law School regularly invites MLB students to participate in additional lectures, conferences, and competitions. Company visits and presentations, as well as other get-together events, are offered to enrich the students? time in Hamburg. Students are also given the opportunity to take on-campus German courses tailor-made for the MLB students or other languages classes offered by the Bucerius Law School Language Center.

BLS Campus in Summer

Are you still a student or not sure if a full-year program is right for you?

Get a first taste of what Bucerius and Germany have to offer by participating in one of our 3-week summer programs which are offered every July!

The programs are geared toward upper-level law students and young professionals. You learn about the different topics, make friends from around the world and get a first impression of Hamburg.

• International Business Law
• Licensing Transactions in Intellectual Property
• Legal Technology and Operations

If you participate in the Legal Tech summer program, you can even transfer credits into the Legal Tech Specialization within the Master of Law and Business program afterwards.

Details about the Specialization in Legal Technology and Operations

Group of Summer Students

Bucerius Law School also offers a German LLB program, preparing students for the German State Examinations.