English commercial law is an extremely important area of legal study. It is most commonly chosen as the governing law in international commercial transactions, even if the subject-matter and parties to the transaction are entirely unrelated to the UK. Polish entrepreneurs are often parties to contracts governed by English law and, for tax or regulatory reasons, may wish to register a business in the UK.

The rules governing certain sectors of the global economy are heavily influenced by English commercial law, including: international trade agreements, M&A, banking and finance, shipping and dispute resolution (inc. international arbitration). Moreover, many countries’ national laws are based on legal principles derived from English law, including many of the 56 Commonwealth countries and the USA.

At a time when the rule of law is the subject of considerable political and legal debate, the reputation of the English judiciary and court system remains impeccable. Commercial parties value not only the independence of the UK court system, but also the efficiency and speed with which commercial cases are resolved.

In summary, English commercial law is extremely useful for anyone conducting international business or intending to advise others on how to do so. It also provides an interesting comparative legal perspective to anyone familiar with Polish law.

Candidates

These postgraduate studies are aimed at university graduates (with a master's or bachelor's degree or an engineering degree). It is not necessary to have any pre-existing knowledge of Polish or any other national law, but such pre-knowledge will help candidates to make comparisons between their own law and that of the UK. Candidates should be able to understand and read English to at least B2 level, as the teaching is conducted entirely in English.

Description

Programme of studies

The programme comprises 180 hours of studies, divided into six thematic blocks:

Lecturers

The study programme is taught entirely in English by native speakers with academic and professional experience in commercial law (inc. experience of teaching for Cambridge University).

The three UW WPiA lecturers who deliver most of the lectures and classes are also staff members of the British Law Centre:

• Dr Stephen Terrett (adwokat),
• Ruairi O'Neill (barrister),
• Will Odogwu.

Academics and lawyers from the UK, including Cambridge and other renowned universities, also teach on the course, as do lawyers from leading Polish and international law firms.

Mode of study and frequency of meetings

The course is taught via lectures and workshops.

Lectures: Participants can access pre-recorded lectures online, and watch them at a time which fits in with their other obligations. In addition to on-demand (asynchronous) lectures, there are also some live (synchronous) lectures and Q&A sessions, to enable interactive discussions, which are generally possible to attend either in person or online. Any synchronous lectures are organized outside regular work hours (i.e. weekdays at 18:30-20:00).

Workshops: There are 8 x 4-hour workshops (one each month from November until June) which can be attended either in person (in Warsaw) or online. These happen on Saturdays from 10:00-14:00 in accordance with the following workshop timetable).

Course completion

In order to graduate the studies, candidates must pass a test in each of the above-mentioned course blocks. In blocks consisting of two parts (i.e. Company Law and  Commercial Transactions) a single test is set for both blocks, rather than one test for each separate part. In total, candidates complete 4 multiple-choice tests, which are conducted during lectures or workshops. The course lecturers prepare candidates for each test in advance.

Graduates

Graduates of the course will have a significantly enhanced knowledge of core principles and documents of English commercial law. They will be able to advise clients on a wide variety of legal and practical issues that may affect their business. They will also gain a new comparative perspective on familiar Polish commercial law.

Recruitment

The studies are conducted in English. Candidates should have a document certifying their knowledge of English to at least B2 level. If a candidate does not possess such a document, he/she may undertake the Studies if their linguistic ability is confirmed by the Head of Studies, inter alia during a recruitment interview.

Admission to the studies is determined by the order of application via the IRK system. A candidate for studies must have a university degree (at least at level VI PRK), register in the IRK system and pay a recruitment fee of PLN 85.

Required documents

After registering in the IRK system, each candidate must submit the following documents:

• signed application for admission to studies - generated via the IRK system;
• original or certified copy of higher education diploma: Master's diploma or Bachelor's diploma or Engineer's diploma or an equivalent diploma issued abroad¹⁾, in order to make a copy and certify that it is a true copy of the original or a certified copy, or an original certificate of graduation containing information about the level, field and profile of studies, the degree obtained and a written confirmation of the result of such studies, together with a declaration that the candidate undertakes to present the original or a certified copy of the higher education diploma within 30 days of its issuance, and that failure to do so shall result in the candidate being removed from the list of participants in the Studies;
• a signed agreement on conditions of payment for postgraduate studies (in two copies, or in three copies in the case of an agreement on conditions of payment for postgraduate studies financed/co-financed by a third party) - generated via the IRK system;
• a signed undertaking to pay the tuition fees (in two copies) - generated via the IRK system;
• a signed declaration of e-the candidate’s e-mail address - generated via the IRK system.

  ¹⁾ If the candidate’s higher education diploma was issued outside Poland, he/she must supply:

1. certification of the higher education diploma in a legalized or apostillized form;
2. a sworn translation of the diploma into Polish;
3. certificate confirming that the higher education diploma was awarded outside Poland or a declaration by the candidate confirming that he/she is obliged to submit such a certificate within 30 days of it being awarded (if the higher education diploma is subject to nostrification - a certificate of nostrification of the diploma or a declaration by the candidate that he/she is obliged to submit a certificate of nostrification of the diploma within 30 days of it being awarded).

The complete set of documents should be submitted in person or by post to:

Postgraduate Studies in English Commercial Law

Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Warsaw

Collegium Iuridicum IV

ul. Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 47

00-347 Warsaw

Key dates

Registration: 08.07.2024 -  24.10.2024

Deadline for paying registration fee: 25.10.2024

Information on whether a candidate has been accepted to the Studies: by 31.10.2024

Period for receiving application documents: 08.07.20243 - 25.10.2024

Fees

5 000 zł – one-off payment, payable by 31 October 2024

5 800 zł – two instalments, payable as follows:

• I instalment of 2 900 zł payable by 31 October 2024
• II instalment of 2 900 zł payable by 17 January 2025

6 000 zł – four instalments, payable as follows:

• I instalment of 1 500 zł payable by 31 October 2024
• II instalment of 1 500 zł payable by 17 January 2025
• III instalment of 1 500 zł payable by 14 March 2025
• IV instalment of 1 500 zł payable by 16 May 2025