The Department of Company Law and Financial Law provides education and conducts research in areas including the law of legal entities and corporations, financial contract- and liability law, corporate governance, sustainability, Dutch and EU financial regulatory law, mergers and acquisitions, insolvency law, and international business law. 

Adequate corporate and financial legislation is of great importance for the economy and financial stability. Company law and financial law are areas of law that are at the heart of society and are in line with developments in legal practice and society. These include sustainability, corporate social responsibility, the impact of digital innovations, the development of new legal forms as well as appropriate rules for companies and banks in financial difficulty.

Growing internationalisation

A strong focus on the European and international perspective is in line with the current dynamics of company law and financial law. These areas of law are continuously evolving in response to the dynamics of a globalised society and economy.

Within financial law, the international dimension is also essential due to the impact of European law on financial law. In addition, the Hazelhoff Centre for Financial Law has a special focus on Anglo-American law. The namesake of the Hazelhoff Centre for Financial Law, Rob Hazelhoff (1930-2010), was convinced that one cannot operate in an international banking environment without a solid understanding of Anglo-American financial law. His legacy to the Hazelhoff Van Huet Foundation made the establishment of the Hazelhoff Centre for Financial Law possible.

Teaching

Our department is responsible for teaching in various degree programmes including the bachelor’s Rechtsgeleerdheid (Law), the English-taught bachelor’s specialisation International Business Law, Leiden Law Courses for exchange students, specialisations within the master’s in Law: Financieel recht (Financial Law), Ondernemingsrecht (Company Law) and Recht en Bedrijfskunde (Law and Business Administration), the advanced master’s programmes International Civil and Commercial Law and Law & Finance, as well as various post academic courses.

Research

The research conducted by the Business & Law Research Network is part of the research programme Coherent Private Law and focuses on sustainable business law, corporate governance and insolvency law. Special attention is paid to the comparative law perspective and European company law.

The Hazelhoff Centre for Financial Law conducts research within the research programme Securing the Integrity of Financial Markets in Times of Crisis. This programme focuses on the topical issue of how financial market regulation should be designed. The focus of this research programme is on financial integrity: ensuring a healthy financial market.

Team

Our activities are carried out by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable team of lecturers and researchers. By combining various areas of expertise, we offer high-quality education and research across various fields and levels.