Our Free Law Dissertation Topic Examples
How will the United Kingdom Ensure the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Post-Brexit? A Return to the Lugano Convention?
Suggested Reading:
Nyombi C, Dickson MO. ‘Replacing Lis Pendens with Forum Non Conveniens: A Viable Solution to Tactical Litigation in the EU?’ (2017) 38 European Competition Law Review 491
Simpson M, ‘Pan-European Litigation After Brexit: A Return to the Italian Torpedo?’ (2017) Corporate Disputes (Jan-Mar) 2
Sophia-Tang Z, ‘UK-EU Civil Judicial Cooperation After Brexit: Five Models’ (2018) 43 European Law Review 648
The Growing Threat Posed to the Common Law by the Continued Proliferation of Arbitration Agreements: How International Commercial Arbitration Has Stolen the Common-Law’s “Cutting Edge” internationally when compared to the Civil Law.
Suggested Reading:
Pislevik S, ‘Precedent and the Development of Law: Is It Time for Greater Transparency in International Commercial Arbitration?’ (2018) 34 Arbitration International 241
Santens A, Zamour R, ‘Dreaded Dearth of Precedent in the Wake of International Arbitration – Could the Cause Also Bring the Cure?’ (2015) 7 Arbitration Law Review 74
Thomas J, ‘Developing Commercial Law Through the Courts: Rebalancing the Relationship Between the Courts and Arbitration’ The Bailii Lecture 2016, Delivered on 9 March 2016
The Growing Prominence of Investor-State Dispute Resolution Clauses and Public Backlash: How Can Investment Treaties Regain their Legitimacy in the Eyes of the Public?
Suggested Reading:
Langford M, Behn D, ‘Managing Backlash: The Evolving Investment Treaty Arbitrator?’ (2018) 29 European Journal of International Law 551
Polanco R, ‘The Rise and Backlash against Investor-State Arbitration’ in Polanco R (ed), The Return of the Home State to Investor-State Disputes: Bringing Back Diplomatic Protection? (1st edn CUP 2019) 29
Samples T, ‘Winning and Losing in Investor-State Dispute Settlement’ (2019) 56 American Business Law Journal 115
International Law and the Pre-Emptive Use of Force against Non-State Actors: Has the Bush Doctrine Had its “Grotian Moment”?
Suggested Reading:
Gray C, ‘The Use of Force Against Terrorism: A New War for a New Century?’ in C Gray (ed), International Law and the Use of Force (4th edn OUP 2018) 200
Scharf MP, ‘How the War against ISIS Changed International Law’ (2016) 48 Case Western Reserve University School of Law 1
Scharf MP, ‘Seizing the “Grotian Moment”: Accelerated Formation of Customary International Law in Times of Fundamental Change’ (2010) 43 Cornell International Law Journal 440
International Law and the Use of Force: Assessing the Legality of the United State’s Drone Strike on Iraqi Territory against Qassem Soleimani and the Legality of the Iranian Retaliatory Strike.
Suggested Reading:
Arend AC, ‘International Law and the Preemptive Use of Military Force’ (2003) 26 The Washington Quarterly (Spring) 89
Darcy S, ‘Retaliation and Reprisal’ Weller M (ed), The Oxford Handbook of the Use of Force in International Law (1st edn OUP 2015) 879
Milanovic M, ‘The Soleimani Strike and Self-Defence against an Imminent Armed Attack’ (2020) Jan 7 2020, EJIL Talk, available online at; < https://www.ejiltalk.org/the-soleimani-strike-and-self-defence-against-an-imminent-armed-attack/> accessed 22 January 2020
Have We reached the End of History for Corporate Law? Assessing Convergence and Divergence amongst Corporate Law and Governance 20 years after Hansmann and Kraakmann’s Paper Suggested the End of Corporate Law had been Reached.
Suggested Reading:
Hansmann H, Kraakman R, ‘The End of History for Corporate Law? (2000) Yale Law School Working Paper No 235
Hansmann H, Kraakman R, ‘Reflections on the End of History for Corporate Law’ in A Rasheed, T Yoshikawa (eds), The Convergence of Corporate Governance (1st edn Palgrave MacMillan 2012) 32
Welsh MA, and others, ‘The End of the End of History for Corporate Law?’ (2014) 29 Australian Journal of Corporate Law 147
Should the UK Ratify the Vienna Convention on the International Sale of Goods (CISG) Post-Brexit? What Advantages could this Bring to British Businesses and Traders?
Suggested Reading:
Hayward B and others, ‘The CISG and the United Kingdom – Exploring Coherency and Private International Law’ (2018) 67 International and Comparative Law Quarterly 607
Hofmann N, ‘Interpretation Rules and Good Faith as Obstacles to the UK’s Ratification of the CISG and to the Harmonization of Contract Law in Europe’ (2010) 22 Pace International Law Review 145
Moss S, ‘Why the United Kingdom Has Not Ratified the CISG’ (2005) 25 Journal of Law and Commerce 483
Is the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Still the Jewel in the Crown? Assessing the Challenges for the WTO and Its Future.
Suggested Reading:
Bouet A, Métivier J, ‘Is the Dispute Settlement System, ‘Jewel in the WTO’s Crown’ Beyond Reach of Developing Countries?’ (2019) Review of World Economics 1
Creamer C, ‘From the WTO’s Crown Jewel to Its Crown of Thorns’ (2019) 113 AJIL Unbound 51
Reich A, ‘The Effectiveness of the WTO Dispute Settlement System: A Statistical Analysis’ (2017) EUI Working Papers Law 2017/11
What Now for the WTO? How the WTO Can Recover from the Trump Administration’s Boycott of the Appellate Body Appointment System.
Suggested Reading:
Brewster R, ‘WTO Dispute Settlement: Can we Go Back Again?’ (2019) 113 AJIL Unbound 61
Lehne J, Crisis at the WTO: Is the Blocking of Appointments to the WTO Appellate Body by the United States Legally Justified? (1st edn Carl Grossmann Verlag 2019)
Vidigal G, ‘Living Without the Appellate Body: Multilateral, Bilateral, and Plurilateral Solutions to the WTO Dispute Settlement Crisis’ (2019) 20 The Journal of World Investment & Trade 862
Has the Vienna Convention on the International Sale of Goods (CISG) Failed to Achieve its Aim of Representing the New Lex Mercatoria? Why Has Harmonisation of International Commercial Law Stalled?
Suggested Reading:
Explaining the Importance and Uniqueness of the Bill of Lading in a CIF Sale of Goods and Why No Other Document is Comparable.
Suggested Reading:
Todd P, Bills of Lading and Bankers’ Documentary Credits (4th edn Informa 2007)
Treitel GH and others, Carver on Bills of Lading (1st edn Sweet & Maxwell 2011)
Treitel GH, ‘The Legal Status of Straight Bills of Lading’ (2003) 119 Law Quarterly Review (Oct) 608
The Irrevocable Letter of Credit as the “Life-Blood” of International Trade: Should the “Fraud Exception” Be Extended?
Suggested Reading:
Alavi H, ‘Autonomy Principle and Fraud Exception in Letters of Credit, A Comparative Study between United States and England’ (2018) 15 International and Comparative Law Review 47
Richards K, ‘Revisiting the Fraud Exception: A Critique of United City Merchants v Royal Bank of Canada 40 Years On’ (2019) 39 Legal Studies 656
Carr I, Stone P, International Trade Law (6th edn Routledge 2018)
The Corporate Homicide and Corporate Manslaughter Act 2007 has proven to be a colossal failure since its coming into force in 2008 - Explaining the Failure to Successfully Prosecute in the wake of the Grenfell Tower Disaster.
Suggested Reading:
Field S, ‘The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 and Human Rights: Part 1 – Has Universal Protection of the Right to Life been Advanced?’ (2019) 30 International Company and Commercial Law Review 369
Roper V, ‘Grenfell Charge Delays Understandable, But Where Have All the Corporate Manslaughter Prosecutions Gone?’ (2019) 40 Company Lawyer 265
Roper V, ‘The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 – A 10 Year Review’ (2018) 82 The Journal of Criminal Law 48
The Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPA) allows corporate criminals to evade punishment and creates a two-tier system of criminal justice. In light of these criticisms, should the use of DPA’s be abandoned, or reformed?
Suggested Reading:
Grimes J, ‘Not “Why” DPA but “How” DPA – Deferred Prosecution Agreements: Finally a Reality?’ (2015) 39 Company Secretary’s Review 51
O’Shea E, Shafton E, ‘DPAs: Time to Extend the Regime?’ (2019) 169 New Law Journal (7851) 7
Reilly P, ‘Sweetheart Deals, Deferred Prosecution, and Making a Mockery of the Criminal Justice System: U.S. Corporate DPAs Rejected on Many Fronts’ (2018) 50 Arizona State Law Journal 1113
Should those who supply drugs to another person who dies as a result of their voluntary self-administration face criminal liability? Reconciling the position English and Scots Law.
Suggested Reading:
Farmer L, ‘Practical but Nonetheless Principled? MacAngus and Kane’ (2012) 13 Edinburgh Law Review 502
Ferguson P, McDiarmid C, Scots Criminal Law (2nd edn EUP 2014)
Williams G, ‘Gross Negligence Manslaughter and Duty of Care in “Drugs” Cases: R v Evans’ (2009) 9 Criminal Law Review 631
