Directors' duties, boards and modern compliance for legal professionals
Online only
Corporate governance failures destroy value and public trust. This LLM equips lawyers, company secretaries, compliance officers and governance professionals with rigorous knowledge of directors' duties, board systems, financial services conduct regulation, ESG disclosure law and corporate investigations. Teaching combines doctrinal analysis with board case clinics and comparative governance systems. The dissertation enables specialisation — from financial crime to data governance or sustainability law. LLM Corporate Governance & Compliance is taught as one award, not a list of unrelated modules. The published length is 12 months, and the credit total is 30. Students move from Corporate Law & Boardroom Dynamics through Corporate Law & Boardroom Dynamics; ESG & Sustainability Reporting; Executive Remuneration & Shareholder Rights; Financial Crime & Anti-Money Laundering; Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Law; Risk Management & Internal Audit, and finish on Dissertation & Research Portfolio. Each course has a question, a method, and a submission. In this field, students say who decides, under which rule, and draft a note a professional could read. Reading is a statute or instrument, a case or policy paper, and a commentary. The artefact a marker expects is a memo or draft clause with sources and a revision note. The award is built so that a graduate can do the following in practice: Advise boards on directors' duties and conflicts of interest Design governance and compliance systems proportionate to risk Interpret conduct and market regulations affecting corporations Teaching assumes the student can read a source, attempt a problem before the seminar, and revise after feedback. Attendance at live seminars is part of the design. The capstone or final course must use the methods of the earlier courses; a project that ignores them does not pass. This course is academic. It does not admit the student to practise law and it is not a qualifying law degree. The pages for each course name the topics that are examined. Those topics are the syllabus. A brochure line is not a substitute for them.
Complements the LLM International Commercial Law for candidates focused on internal corporate control rather than cross-border commercial contracts. Practising professionals can study entirely online around full-time roles.
Faculty spotlight
Practising counsel and academic lawyers co-teach board clinics; financial regulation specialists lead conduct and financial crime modules.
Interactive modules, weekly readings, recorded and live seminars, and collaborative discussions with peers worldwide.
Module assignments, proctored examinations, and capstone projects designed to demonstrate mastery of the field.
Modules are assessed through a published mix of coursework, applied projects, and examinations. Exam windows are announced in advance so students in other time zones are not forced into overnight sittings. Alternative arrangements are available where documented.
The published duration is 12 months. Teaching language: English. Actual time-to-complete depends on mode and any recognised prior learning.
This is a fully online award. You study from your country. No student visa and no campus relocation are required.
Degree tuition for this award is published as £0 / tuition-free on the online pathway. Examination or administrative fees may apply at checkout — never an annual tuition invoice. Check the Fees page for any extras.
Requirements are grouped on this page (academic, English, documents). Equivalent qualifications are considered. English may be waived after prior English-medium study.
Assessment is typically a mix of coursework, projects, and examinations. Doctoral awards include a thesis or dissertation and an oral examination. Details sit in the programme specification and module outlines.
Recognition of the award for local employment, professional licence, or ministry attestation is decided by your employer or regulator. Pulse College publishes verification pages for certificates. We do not claim automatic equivalence in every country.
Start an application on this website. Progress is saved from the first step. Admissions: admissions@acapulse.com.
Study online
Online tuition is free. Online examinations are free. There is no exam fee for online study. Dublin studio tuition and studio examinations are charged separately.
Accreditation & recognition
