Law Courses

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

The module introduces core issues of legal philosophy and critical approaches to legal practice and legal thought. The programme of learning provides students with core skills of critical analysis and with the opportunity to reflect critically at an advanced level on core legal material, including topics covered in other first year law modules and in later stages of the degree (e.g. the reading of criminal cases in order to identify the philosophico-political matters in them). The module starts with a reflection on two central questions that shape our thinking about law: 1) “what is law?” and 2) “how we think about law?”. Further subjects examine the relationship between law and morality, law and politics and how legal philosophy shapes legal practice. In addition, it examines how socio-political and historical events (such as the Nuremberg Trials) and legal practice, more generally, shaped, significantly, modern legal philosophy (theory).

To that extent, students will be in a position to observe that theory of the law and its practice are closely interconnected, being part of a dynamic relationship. with the one shaping and informing the other and vice versa.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

The course is aimed at introducing the students to the basic concepts and principles of constitutional law. Constitutional law is concerned with the organisation of the state, and the relationship between the state and the individual. Constitutions, among other things, help to resolve conflicts within state’s structures and among its organs and also conflicts between the state and the individual. Human rights of the people are ordinarily primarily guaranteed by constitutions and implemented by using constitutional mechanisms. The course will address issues related to the formation and transformation of constitutional law as well as its practical application, primarily on the basis of examples from the Germany, Latvia and the United States of America. The second part of the course will be based on the general constitutional theory with the references to the regional, Central and Eastern European, constitutional normative solutions and constitutionalism. The theoretical part will be focusing on the presentation of the basic concepts related to the formation of the constitutional political and legal order, general mechanisms of functioning of the constitutional liberal democracy and the specificity of the regional (CEE) transitional constitutional reality.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

Similarly, the course will focus on new challenges that the development of Europeanization brings to administrative bodies. As well, due to the excessive influence of European Union level law in national systems of administrative law, the course also introduces on how the European Union law is amending some of the basic aspects of public and administrative law of its Member States and how legal practitioners can apply the European Union law in national legal orders. The course presents vital and practical picture on the relationship between national and the European Union law.

The course consists of lectures supported by and combined with problem-solving seminars. Seminars include participation in practical exercises e.g., preparation of appeals of decisions of various state institutions (e.g. State Revenue Service and Competition Supervision Authority) and case studies. Students will have the opportunity to conclude the course by participating in a simulation based on the subjects discussed at classes.

The course will be examined on the basis of two mid-term tests and an exam.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

This course examines the evolution, actors, mechanisms and principles of public international law. In particular, it addresses the key features of the international legal system, its sources and subjects, the notion of statehood, state responsibility, the use of force and the peaceful settlement of disputes. Contemporary challenges of international law are also being discussed during the lectures.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

This course will provide an understanding of the establishment and functioning of the EU internal market and the effect this has on Member States. The aim of the course is to introduce the students to the EU Internal Market. The primary aim is a comprehension of the legal framework and the primary law of the EU but in some particular topics a closer look will be taken at secondary legislation.

The course will have a special focus on the free movement of goods and services, but will also introduce issues related to persons, establishment and capital. Likewise, issues related to EU citizenship and equal treatment will be introduced.

The course consists of 9 lectures on a particular topic followed by 7 seminars on the corresponding topics. Seminars are aimed at developing the students’ problem solving skills. For seminars students are expected to analyse and discuss real and fictional cases.

CREDITS 6 ECTS - 64 Contact Hours

This course offers a general introduction to European Union law. It aims to give a basic knowledge of the main features of the EU’s legal-institutional framework and the most important aspects of the Law of the European Union.

The course covers the principles governing the functioning of the European Union, its objectives and the core values that have inspired and prompted the European integration process. It deals with the European institutions, as well as with other EU relevant institutional bodies, focusing on their role, mutual interactions and functioning, including the different decisional procedures in place within the EU law-making process. The hierarchical and functional systematisation of the legal sources forming EU law is also addressed, focusing on how EU rules are adopted and enforced at EU and national level.

Additionally, the course provides the basic instruments to approach questions concerning the relationship and the interaction between EU law, national law and other legal systems, especially with regard to the protection of human rights in the European legal context (such as, in particular, the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights).

Finally, the course provides an introduction to some specific areas of EU law, such as the internal market (free movement of persons, goods, services, capitals), competition law, EU external Relations, the Area of Freedom Security and Justice. The course is designed to be interactive: theoretical issues will be confronted with practical cases (i.e. case-law of the EU Court of Justice and the European Court of human rights) in order to allow the students to understand and verify how EU law is actually implemented and understood by major EU actors. Particular attention will be devoted to the recent and current challenges faced by the EU and its Member States (e.g. the refugee crisis, Brexit, the COVID-19 emergency, the conflict in Ukraine, and rule of law issues in Poland and Hungary).

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

Diplomatic law is that area of international law which governs: (I) the conduct of international diplomacy, (ii) the relationships between sovereign States, as well as (iii) the relationships between States and International Organisations (IO’s). It does so by providing a procedural framework and a ‘machinery’ through which States and IO’s conduct diplomacy. These, in turn, rest on a set of multilateral treaties containing specific rights and obligations of States, most of which rely on principles ‘steeped in history’ and based on customary international law, such as the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR) and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR).

This course builds on what RGSL students have already learned in the course Introduction to Diplomacy about certain concepts and principles of diplomatic intercourse although that course is not a prerequisite for this course. Both RGSL and Erasmus students will solidify their knowledge and enhance their understanding of these concepts and principles by delving deeper into their significance and their effect by  examining a number of domestic and international court cases including the ICJ case US Diplomatic and Consular Staff in Tehran.

Teaching is based on (the modern American law school version of) the “Socratic method” blurring the distinction between lecture and seminar.  The course is, from beginning to end, interactive and classes require preparation in order to participate. Students are expected to review the mandatory reading material explained in their assignments and should be able, when called upon, to recite the essence of that material in a clear and coherent fashion.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

The aim of the course is to provide foundational knowledge on the most important aspects of IPR such as history and rationale of intellectual property, types of intellectual property rights, justification theories, main principles, sources of laws, granting authorities, granting or validity requirements for the different IP rights, scope of protection and rights granted, exceptions and limitations. A last section will deal with new developments in the legislation as well as in the case law, such as for instance the establishment of a transnational court specialised in patent law (Unified Patent Court) which should come into operation in 2023.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

The aim of the course is to introduce the students to the external relations of the European Union by focusing on developing the problem-solving skills of students but also on giving them a broader and deeper understanding of EU external relations. The primary aim is comprehension of the legal framework and the primary law of the EU, as well as the interaction with international law, but in some particular topics a closer look will be taken at secondary legislation and policy making. External relations include a political aspect, which is to be identified throughout the course, thus explaining the intersection between the legal and political frameworks of the EU.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

The course offers a broad introduction to international environmental law, a complex and rapidly evolving area of law. It will open with an examination of the notion of the environment and the tools used for its protection. After a brief overview of the historical development of international environmental law and the analysis of the general principles of international environmental law, the course will provide oversight of the leading subfields of environmental law. Likewise, the course will cover the intersections of international environmental law and human rights, trade, and investment. After providing insight into the current litigation tendencies, the course will look at the future, namely, the contemporary challenges and legal responses to them.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

This course provides an introduction to the basic foundations, guiding principles and key elements of alternative dispute settlement methods and arbitration from fundamental theoretical to legal and practical aspects. The course will include a brief overview of arbitration’s significant features, its role in the broader context of dispute resolution by comparing and contracting it to the other forms of dispute resolution – litigation, mediation and negotiation.

The course will introduce students to mediation.

The course consists of lectures and seminars. Lectures in a particular topic will be followed by seminars which aim at developing the students’ problem solving skills.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

This course is designed as a comprehensive foundation course introducing and explaining the key concepts of banking and covering regulatory, supervisory and transactional areas from Latvian and European perspective. A step-by-step review of each subject-matter is followed by in-class seminars enabling students to strengthen their practical legal skills in selecting, interpreting and applying respective legal acts and norms.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

Data flows do not stop at national borders. At the same time, the threat level for data protection and cyber security continues to rise. To make matters worse, large transnational corporations are making the legal regulation of technology more difficult by exploiting their market power. The lecture will provide an overview of current European regulation on cybersecurity and data protection, address Member State implementation, and compare measures internationally. In addition, the principles in data protection management will be conveyed.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

This course offers students an introduction to European legal history. It illustrates how the beginnings of the civil law tradition in Europe can be traced back to the rediscovery of Roman law and the emergence of classical canon law around 1100 AD. It then explores how in the subsequent centuries, up to and including the eighteenth, a sophisticated legal science of a distinct European dimension developed. Since that time different European states have constructed their own legal systems but, with the exception of England and Ireland, they are all heirs to this tradition of the jus commune. The course covers Roman law in antiquity, the revival of Justinian’s law, Roman law & the nation state and Roman law & codification. It takes us from before AD 565, to a sequence of historical periods, viz. circa 500 -1000, 1000 – 1453, 1453 – 1648, 1648 – 1914, and 1914 - present.

Teaching is based on the modern (American law school) version of the “Socratic method” — blurring the distinction between lectures and seminars. As a consequence, it is highly interactive with ample opportunity for classroom discussion and stimulating critical thinking.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

Regional and sub-regional human rights protection systems have been established to complement the United Nations human rights architecture. But regional systems vary considerably in their objectives, powers, structures, challenges, effectiveness, and even their recognized human rights norms. This course will analyze the mandates, decision-making and mechanisms of international human rights institutions at regional and international level, mainly focusing on procedural aspects of their work.

 The course will provide insight into the regional systems of the Council of Europe, the Organization of American States, and the African Union. Brief consideration is also given to newer and weaker systems, such as the League of Arab States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Further, the course will concentrate on the procedures, mechanisms and documents of the UN human rights bodies, both Treaty-based and Charter-based bodies.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

We live in times when argumentation in writing and speaking becomes critically important. Increase of the role of the social media makes it essential to learn how to make an argument and analyse the arguments of others. Skills to develop and convey arguments are essential in many settings. This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of argumentation and rhetoric, the approaches of persuasive writing and speech. The aim of the course is to introduce students with the core theories, concepts and approaches of argumentation. The study course is divided into two parts: theoretical approaches and concepts and argumentation trainings. The course will focus on theory and practice of the argumentation; students will be engaged in argumentation trainings, group discussions and creative tasks. Topics include argumentation development, argumentation methods, persuasive writing, argumentation in public speaking. The course is aimed at developing analytical, critical thinking and communication skills for developing argumentation and persuasion skills. During the course, students will be trained when and how to apply a variety of argumentation methods and rhetorical devices in writing and speaking. During the course, students will learn skills to analyse and explore rhetorical structure and style of the argumentation. This course will help students to analyse and apply argumentation, rhetoric and persuasive communication to persuade and recognize when others are trying to persuade students.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

Studiju kurss “Darba tiesības” ir izvēles kurss bakalaura programmu otrā un trešā kursa studentiem. Šajā  kursā detalizēti tiek apskatīts Latvijas Republikas Darba likums. Papildus teorētiskajiem jautājumiem studenti apgūst arī darba līguma sagatavošanai un izvērtēšanai nepieciešamās zināšanas un prasmes.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

Studiju kurss ,,Kriminālprocess” ir izvēles kurss bakalaura programmu kursa studentiem. Šajā kursā tiek apskatīta noziedzīgu nodarījumu pirmstiesas izmeklēšanas, kriminālvajāšanas un iztiesāšanas norise krimināllietās. Studenti iegūst izpratni par svarīgāko kriminālprocesuālo institūtu būtību un  to piemērošanas praksi.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

Elements of a student-centred teaching approach are adopted in this course.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

In their practical day-to-day activities, lawyers and citizens take and must take, much for granted, both about society in which they work and live and its legal order. Lawyers practice within established legal systems, with more or less settled institutions, techniques, traditions and rules. Citizens live, and the laws operate, in societies in which specific social arrangements, structures, roles, expectations and conceptions of what is possible and what is right, are widely held and shape our views about law and society.  Customarily, most of us think within these categories and arrangements, rather than about them. The theoretical investigation looks beneath what we all too often take for granted, to see what accounts for it, what its nature is, how it works, and how it changes.  Social theory is a particular way of asking theoretical questions. It tries to explain why things are as they are by examining the social practices and institutions that shape people's lives.  To study law and social theory is to explore theoretical issues that arise when we see the law as one part of this broader social context. 

This course introduces students to the theoretical study of law by asking questions about the relationship between law and other institutions and practices that shape society.  Some of the questions that will be addressed in the course include: what social functions are played by legal systems, and the modern legal system in particular? How does law intersect with other social systems, practices, and forms of power?  How, for example, is the legal system influenced by the economy, and how does it shape the economy in turn?  What is the relationship between the legal system and political actors, such as the state, bureaucracy, classes and social movements?  How does law shape, and how is it influenced by, socially dominant ways of thinking, such as ideology, rationality, or beliefs about class, gender, and race?  And what drives change in the legal system?  Is it, for example, the practices of lawyers?  Or politicians? The evolution of ideas? Or economic imperatives? 

We will explore these questions in both historical and contemporary contexts. The social theory was born as a response to the massive social, economic, scientific and intellectual changes of the nineteenth century, and contemporary society has inherited many of the ideas and institutions that came to dominate society at that time, from the market economy to liberal individualism.  To help gain an understanding of the relationship between law and society, and the concerns of social theory, we explore the course of the central questions through the work of classic social theorists, such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. Yet neither society nor the law has stood still since social theory first emerged - indeed, the pace of change in both is without precedent.  As such, the course also engages with thinkers whose work responds to the changing social and legal landscape of the 20th and 21st centuries, and who often have a critical relationship with the classics of social theory.  This may include the work of Michel Foucault, systems theory, feminist criticism, or theories of biopolitics.

Studying theories of law and society will hopefully lead us beyond our original, and usually quite unreflective views of what is important in law, what functions it plays, what it is for, whose interests it serves and how it serves them, and what causes legal change and how important law is in society. In probing these questions, we might come to confirm, modify or abandon our original assumptions; we will always, however, find these assumptions are more problematic, controversial and puzzling than they appeared at first to be.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

One of the most significant developments both in international law and international relations throughout the last three decades has been the (re-)emergence of an international legal order based on a robust interpretation of the concept of international criminal justice. By establishing both international and hybrid criminal courts addressing international core crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, the international community has demonstrated an ever more growing commitment to end impunity for the most heinous crimes affecting mankind as a whole and to hold those bearing individual criminal responsibility personally liable. 

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to international criminal law (ICL) and familiarizes students with a fundamental understanding of this increasingly important realm of public international law. In a first take, the course provides an overview both of international criminal law’s theoretical foundations as well its historical development before turning towards its fundamental principles, including individual criminal responsibility. Subsequently, the course will turn towards (some of) the key actors in past and present international criminal justice, most importantly the ad-hoc tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda as well as the International Criminal Court (ICC) before turning towards both the procedural and substantive dimensions of international criminal law, including an in-depth assessment of the four core international crimes genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. Subsequently, contemporary ICL-related developments – such as most importantly in the context of the War in Ukraine – will be addressed and complemented by an invited guest lecture.

The course relies on a dual approach where theory is followed by practice: thus, several lectures are followed by a seminar where the material of the preceding session is discussed and applied in concreto.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

This course takes a macro look at international adjudicative bodies. It covers the issues that these bodies deal with and the players involved. It addresses the multiplication of international courts and tribunals after the end of the Cold War and the related issue of “proliferation”. Against the background of the main functions of international adjudication, the course then examines the question of whether there has been a shift over time in the predominance of one or more of these functions.

Much of the material used in this course stems from new scholarship generated by the work of the Project on International Courts and Tribunals (PICT). Teaching is based on (the modern American law school version of) the “Socratic method”, blurring the distinction between lecture and seminar. The course is, from beginning to end, interactive and classes require preparation.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

Over the past decades, debates about the role of corporations in human rights abuses and the role of international law for ensuring corporate accountability have gained prominent relevance at the international, regional and national level.

CREDITS 3 ECTS - 32 Contact Hours

The course starts with recapitulation of EU functioning from the perspective of understanding of the place of Area of Freedom, Security and Justice of the European Union (AFSJ), and prepares for the tasks during the course. A particular attention is provided with respect to the Court of Justice and the interpretation methods of the EU law deployed by the Court. Further, the course covers introduction into AFSJ, discussing the Title V of the TFEU (constitutional foundation of AFSJ) and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The Charter is analysed from the perspective of fundamental rights relevant to Title V of TFEU and its impact on development of this area of law. The substantive part of the course is divided in two big groups – horizontal issues related to AFSJ: (data protection; citizenship and the principles of mutual trust and mutual recognition) and sectoral areas of law (migration and

asylum law, cooperation in criminal law, cooperation in civil law). The emphasis of the course is put on overall understanding of the EU law in this area and ability to search, interpret and apply relevant sources of the law, with particular attention devoted to ability to use ECJ case law. The course ends with a simulated oral hearing of a case before the ECJ. Thus, the course is based on even distribution of lectures and seminars- discussions.