International Law Summer School
International Law Summer School 2025
The courses will take place on 5 May – 13 June, 2025 at Vytautas Magnus University Faculty of Law.
Pick the course(s) – 4 ECTS each:
5 – 16 May MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS (prof. Arkadiusz Radwan, Vytautas Magnus University)
Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) are pivotal moments in the life of companies. They involve a number of challenges for senior executives, shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders. They also raise a number of legal questions and require compliance with rules and regulations governing the deal preparation & structure, the acquisition process and the protection of various corporate constituencies. The course covers the key legal aspects of the M&A activity, including negotiated share deals, statutory mergers, merger alternatives, leveraged transactions (including MBO), hostile takeovers of listed companies, cross-border corporate reorganisations as well as some aspects of post-acquisition integration and follow-up disputes. The primary focus is on legal issues with other questions (financial, strategic, tactical) being integrated into the main thread. The course deals with M&A of European companies with some comparative (US) and some sectoral (financial, technology) add-ons.
5 – 16 May DIGITAL CONSTITUTIONALISM AND DUE PROCESS OF LAW (prof. Joao Paulo Lordelo, Brazilian Institute of Education, Development and Research (IDP))
This course examines the challenges derived from the so-called “fourth industrial revolution” from the perspective of due process of law, a constitutional clause so relevant that it is commonly confused with the rule of law itself. To this end, possible solutions arising from digital constitutionalism are exposed. Foreign law contributions will be brought, not only from the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Court of Human Rights and the Supreme Court of the United States, but also from the constitutional courts of countries like South Africa, Germany and Brazil.
19 – 30 May INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW (prof. Jay Erstling, Mitchell Hamline School of Law)
The purpose of intellectual property law is to protect the rights of those who create original works. It encompasses everything from original plays and novels to inventions and product or service identifiers. The goal of intellectual property law is to encourage new technologies, artistic expressions, and inventions while promoting economic growth.
The objective of this course is to provide a general background in the major areas of intellectual property, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, geographical indications, and unfair competition. The concepts covered will include the nature of the different intellectual property rights, the scope of protection, exceptions to and limitations on the rights granted, enforcement, and the relationship between intellectual property and development. In addition, the course will examine some of the issues of current concern in intellectual property protection and the most significant treaties and agreements that attempt to regulate intellectual property on a global scale.
19 – 30 May CYBERCRIME (Aurelia Mari, EPPO)
2 – 13 June FINANCIAL CRIMES (Kurt Caestecker, tax inspector and instructor)
This course will cover the following topics: Cryptocurrencies, an introduction and criminal abuse; Cryptocurrencies, illicit finances and criminal investigations; Money laundering and the war on drugs; Enablers; VAT and tax crimes; Tax fraud and terrorist financing; Corruption and bribery; How to get away with…money laundering.
2 – 13 June ENERGY LAW (Prof. Christopher S. Kulander, South Texas College of Law Houston)
This course introduces students to some of the basic legal and economic principles needed to counsel entities that develop energy worldwide. By the end of the class, students will have been introduced to a survey of the past, present, and future of energy use worldwide, followed by a survey of oil and natural gas exploration, use, and regulatory law in North America, Europe, and beyond. Students will also be exposed to a discussion of the development of coal, nuclear, and renewable energy sources. A survey of laws and concepts related to international energy agreements, sanctions law, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, sovereign immunity, and the international law of the sea will follow. In addition, 1-2 in-class drafting and negotiation exercises may be conducted as time permits.
Fee: 1 ECTS = 50 EUR.
Application: The deadline for submitting the application is 30 April, 2025.
Contact person:
Assoc. prof. Aušrinė Pasvenskienė
Jonavos st. 66, LT-44191 Kaunas
+370 37 327925
ausrine.pasvenskiene@vdu.lt
International Law Summer School 2022
