Master's Degree in Magistracy and Judicial Law

STRUCTURED PATH

INITIAL TRAINING MODULE

• Theories of Judicial Law
• Constitutional and international standards for the institutional strengthening of the Judiciary
• Judicial responsibilities
• Organization of Justice. Government, role and structure of the Judiciary and the Public Prosecutor's Office.
• Judicial reasoning applied to the correct structuring of the judgment
• Effective Judicial Management. Artificial Intelligence and Justice 4.0
• Applied Judicial Ethics
• Political function and institutional models of Supreme Courts

SPECIFIC TRAINING MODULE

• Methodology of legal research and writing
• Control of Constitutionality and Conventionality
• Current problems in the process and techniques for its improvement: orality and innovation
• Study of expert evidence under the standards of evidentiary reasoning
• Applied Social Ethics
• Oral and written expression techniques. Argumentation and clear language in judicial decisions.
• Access to Justice with a Gender Perspective: Alternative Means of Conflict Resolution

UNSTRUCTURED PATH

COMPLEMENTARY TRAINING MODULE (IN-PERSON AND/OR ONLINE)

• International and Comparative Judicial Law
• International and regional dimension of the judicial function: Human Rights, International Law and Integration
• Judiciary, Communication and Society: Judicial Journalism, Open Government and Judicial Communication
• Free-configuration seminars
• Access to Justice and Vulnerability
• Gender Violence
• Jury trials and oral litigation strategies
• The role of the Public Prosecutor's Office in the Constitutional Rule of Law
• In-depth evidentiary reasoning
• Justice 4.0 deepened
• Judicial Expert Reports
• In-depth Judicial Reasoning and Argumentation
• Comparative Judicial Law
• Plain language in judicial decisions

Final Research Paper

During the second year of the Master's program, students must complete a final research project in applied law or legal theory, under the supervision of a research project advisor. Upon completion, the project must be presented to a panel for approval and subsequent graduation.

Final Research Paper in Applied Law

The final research project in Applied Law must consist of a serious, university-level, practical, individual assignment. Under the guidance of a Research Project Director, the student will demonstrate to a panel, by applying their knowledge to a specific case, their proficiency in the theoretical, conceptual, methodological, and analytical framework corresponding to the current state of knowledge in the relevant field. The project will also demonstrate the student's ability to effectively communicate their knowledge, geared towards the practice of law or the improvement of their professional role. To complete the project, the student must address the questions, instructions, and practical challenges of a highly complex case or problem assigned by the Executive Director of the Master's program. The project must adhere to best professional practices and methods for the specific type of work undertaken.

By way of example, the final research paper in Applied Law may deal with the preparation of a legislative or administrative regulation, the elaboration of the relevant theoretical and practical arguments to solve specific legal problems of the professional reality of special complexity, whether from the point of view of the lawyer who rules or litigates or of the judge who sentences, the realization of a business plan related to Law, a project for the improvement of institutions or the preparation or study of organizational structures or processes linked to the legal phenomenon, etc.

The General Regulations, in compliance with the provisions of Ministerial Resolution No. 1168/97, stipulate the obligation to defend the research work before a Jury for the final Master's research project. This Jury will be composed of three members holding a Doctoral or Master's degree, or who are researchers of recognized scientific standing or professors from an Argentine or foreign university with extensive knowledge in the field of study corresponding to the topic of the final research project.

In order to submit the final research paper for evaluation, it is a formal requirement, according to the Regulations, that it be between eighteen thousand and twenty-five thousand words (approximately forty-five to sixty pages). The word count includes the text and footnotes, but excludes the bibliography and any supporting documentation. The paper must be written in Spanish; however, in special cases, provided the student demonstrates sufficient knowledge and a specific interest in writing in Spanish, it may be written in Portuguese, English, Italian, French, or German. Finally, the writing should be characterized by elegant style, well-developed arguments, and clear and concise presentation.

The defense of the final research paper will be graded with a score between the numbers “1” and “10”, with “4” being the minimum required to pass.

Final research paper on Legal Dogmatics

Students who have achieved an average grade of 8 (eight) in their first-year courses before December 28th of their first year may choose to complete a final research paper on legal theory, of a scientific nature, instead of the final research paper on applied law. Taking into account the student's personal and professional characteristics, research and legal writing skills demonstrated in practical assignments, and their specific circumstances, the Executive Director of the postgraduate program may discourage the student from completing a final research paper on legal theory and suggest that they opt for a final research paper on applied law instead.

The final research project in legal doctrine must consist of an original and rigorous personal work of scientific research. Under the supervision of a supervisor, it must focus on a strictly defined aspect of any of the subjects studied during the Master's program and be evaluated by a panel of examiners. It may not address general or panoramic aspects. Final research projects in legal doctrine will be dedicated specifically to investigating particular issues within the field of legal science, and may include approaches from the philosophy of law, sociology of law, political science, administration, and economic analysis of law.

It is a condition of its suitability to pass that the final research work of legal dogmatics be structured on the basis of an adequate methodology of scientific work and that it contain a central final research work that constitutes a contribution within the chosen field of Law, without achieving such purpose one that is merely compilation.

In addition to the points mentioned above, the completion of the final research project in legal dogmatics will be geared towards enabling Master's students to achieve the following objectives:

a) Expand your knowledge of the chosen branch of Law and gain in-depth knowledge regarding the researched topic.

b) Know and evaluate the relevance of the methods applied in the scientific research of national and comparative law and of the different genres of legal literature, and, where appropriate, of other scientific approaches to the phenomenon of law, so that they are able to distinguish the appropriate ways to investigate an object, to choose among them the most convenient ones and to use them correctly.

c) Be able to achieve and demonstrate adequate conceptual handling and formulate original ideas regarding the research topic chosen as the final research work, avoiding mere collections of the science developed around a specific object of study.

Participants will have the right to choose elective seminars from among different academic activities in the field of updating that are offered each year at the University and must complete a workload of 50 hours throughout the Master's program.

Those who wish to pursue a Master's degree in Magistracy and Judicial Law with a focus on a specific branch of Law, for example: administrative, business, tax, criminal or intellectual property, may choose subjects from the academic offerings of the other Master's programs at the Faculty of Law.

Institutional awards
The best final research papers will be published in the Judicial Law Notebooks under an agreement signed between the Department of Judicial Law and the La Ley Publishing House in Argentina and under an agreement signed between the Department of Judicial Law and the Judicial School of the State of Mexico.

Study trips abroad
Graduates will be able to participate in study trips to different Judicial Branches (USA, Mexico and Spain) that will allow them to learn about the structure and operation of that Judicial Branch, as well as participate in oral hearings and meet Magistrates and officials.

Workload for structured segment: 424 h.

Unstructured workload: 124 h.

Total course hours: 548 h

Title awarded: Master's degree in Magistracy and Judicial Law.

Participants will have the right to choose elective seminars from among different academic activities in the field of updating that are offered each year at the University and must complete a workload of 50 hours throughout the Master's program.
Those who wish to pursue a Master's degree in Magistracy and Judicial Law with a focus on a specific branch of Law, for example: administrative, business, tax, criminal or intellectual property, may choose subjects from the academic offerings of the other Master's programs at the Faculty of Law.

La teaching methodology The Master's Degree in Magistracy and Judicial Law is eminently practical and participatory, with the use of case method.

If you are looking build learning on the participants' experienceThis approach allows participants to learn from both the previously provided material and their own perspectives, and to defend their analysis. The aim is to develop a synthesis of the opinions of the professionals attending the course and, naturally, those of the instructor, who leads the class.

Teachers seek to involve as many participants as possible in the development of the class, transforming it into a debate of diverse opinions and in the search for a solution to the case.They also moderate participation, giving the floor to participants, guiding their intervention, asking questions, organizing comments, and contributing their experience and points of view on the matter.

The classes end with a systematization of the conclusions reached during the studyeven though these may be diverse and contradictory, and where appropriate, with the appropriate conceptual specification of the topic discussed.

To make the most of classes and academic time, students need to read and study the material and cases provided beforehand.

TEACHING LAW FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE

The Faculty has been pioneer in Argentina and throughout the Spanish-speaking world in the use of active and participatory teaching methodsand especially the case method, both at the postgraduate level, where it began to use them in the area of ​​Continental Law, and where they are applied in two-thirds of the classes, and at the undergraduate level, where it is one of the few Latin institutions that uses them intensively.

In light of the above, its faculty employs various versions of the Socratic method in legal education. Specifically, the case method utilizes a multitude of pedagogical variations, starting from a common trunk that the Faculty itself developed and adapted to Continental Law based on the pedagogical methodologies used in American Law Schools and Business Schools.

In this way, all educational activities of the Faculty strive to put into practice the three principles postulated by Christopher C. Langdell, the Dean who revolutionized Harvard Law School and the entire American legal education system, when in 1870 he began teaching using the case method:

1) That the student's efforts are parallel to those of the teacher.

2) Qthat the study be designed in such a way as to obtain the greatest and most lasting benefits.

3) That the classes be in such a way that it is better for the student to attend than to stay at home reading a textbook.

WHAT IS THE CASE METHOD?

In light of the foregoing, and assuming as an indispensable basis a deep understanding of the theoretical aspects and the normative structure of the various legal institutions, The case method consists of analyzing judicial decisions and hypothetical situational cases, evaluating the different alternative solutions presented, and making decisions about the best course of action..

Therefore, the Faculty's legal teaching places strong emphasis on To train students in legal reasoning, researching sources to make decisions, and in the writing and expression skills of their arguments and ideas.

PREPARE FOR DEBATE THROUGH PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

The case study methodology is demanding for both students and teachers.To make the most of classes and academic time, students need to read and study the assigned materials and cases beforehand. For professors, the case method is demanding, requiring careful preparation of the materials and cases, as well as active participation in the class.

In postgraduate studies, the usual way of doing this begins with the professor presenting and discussing with the students the fundamental theoretical guidelines of the legal institution under analysis, which they have all previously studied from the materials. The doctrine is addressed, but not "theoretically", but through critical analysis, seeking foundations, reasons, applications, strengths, weaknesses, and needs for evolution...

EVERYONE TEACHES, EVERYONE LEARNS

After studying the material, one moves on to case method, which occupies two-thirds of the sessiondedicated to each topic. In the same The aim is to build learning on the knowledge and experience of the participantsso that they are allowed to learn both from the material previously provided and from the viewpoints of other students, and not only from the contribution that the teacher can make, as in the lecture system.

Following the Roman idea that law arises from facts, The method demands that, given a specific factual situation, one investigates the principles that underpin appropriate solutions. to the same, critically analyzing them to see which ones respond to what the circumstances need.

The debate on specific applications of the law and on concrete facts that require a solution also leads to The involvement of everyone with the institutions under analysis is crucial. This is because the whole person, with their intelligence and emotions, is involved, leading to a better understanding of the principles of law. When seeing them in operation, do not forget the elements that have been analyzed and debated.

WHAT IS A CASE?

The case study typically consists of a court ruling or a situational narrative, usually based on real facts and circumstances. Other variations of the method include film clips, actual lawsuits and responses, out-of-court counseling scenarios, and so on.

Sometimes professors provide a whole catalog of preliminary questions for case analysis, and at other times they discuss it directly, leaving the student to face the problem alone, without previously outlined paths.

GROUP WORK AND GROUP DEBATES

The case analysis is first carried out in small groups of five to eight people, and then discussed in a plenary session of the entire class., dedicating approximately one hour to team discussions and one and a half hours to joint debate.

Teamwork is essential in the adaptation of the Anglo-Saxon case method carried out in the Faculty, since it allows exponentially multiplying the participation of everyone, and enriching itself enormously with the views of others, creating the habit of cooperative work, so necessary in the world of legal professions.

Both in teamwork and in the discussion session with the whole class, the teachers seek to involve as many participants as possible in the development of the teaching, transforming it, through questions, into a debate of diverse opinions on the factual and legal aspects of the situation under study and training them in the search for the best solution to the case.

RESULTS: ANALYTICAL AND DECISION-MAKING SKILLS

The educational methodology is based on studying the theory in order to apply it to real-world cases. It develops in master's students a deep critical sense in the analysis of institutions and situations in the world of Law. This produces that a deep-rooted critical legal mindset be instilled in them, leading them to analyze with scientific rigor and depth and to naturally resolve a multitude of complex legal problems.

The case method, understood in this way, has proven to be a An exceptional tool in practical training as a training tool in legal reasoning and argumentationYes, and it has been applied with excellent results within the Faculty For almost twenty years, both at the postgraduate level, in our Master's and Specialization programs, and at the undergraduate level, in our Law degree program.

Therefore, as all those who have done so can attest, having studied Law at the Universidad Austral es a unique and unforgettable experience, which leaves a profound mark and transforms, renewing and modifying the ways of approaching the legal phenomenon and professional activity.

SKILLS THAT STAND OUT AFTER THIS TRAINING

Some of the outstanding skills that master's students acquire at the Faculty through the constant application of analysis, group discussion, and decision-making that the case method leads them to are the following:

• IIntegration of a deep theoretical knowledge of Law with professional practice and the skills of a jurist.

• High degree of analytical and argumentative ability, based on the discussion of between 300 and 400 cases hypotheticals and court rulings.

• marked aptitude for the creative resolution of legal problems, encouraged by the drafting of dozens of reports, opinions and documents.

• Disposition for adapt quickly to constant changes from the world of Law.

• Ability to continuously promote interesting debates, enriching and of a high legal level.

• Breadth for understanding topics addressed in professional practice.

• Greater security for the customerwhich allows for better performance in conflict resolution.

• Greater willingness to accept more complex caseswith a broader vision that allows him to make more informed decisions.

Therefore, it is a source of pride that, after this training in legal thinking and mentality, almost all undergraduate and postgraduate graduates They have managed to position themselves as expert lawyers in the areas of law they have chosen..

Indeed, as a logical result of the remarkable theoretical and practical training provided to students, the Faculty constantly receives job offers from law firms, companies, and public sector institutions.

Thus, they find themselves working in the country's leading studies, both in Buenos Aires and in the main capitals of the interior, in law firms and in important national and multinational companies and in relevant positions in the public administration and the judiciary, or abroad, usually in international law firms.

Personal academic advising

Through the personalized academic advising system, a smooth relationship with professors is guaranteed. Each participant is assigned a professor with whom they meet regularly to discuss their academic and professional progress. In these meetings, professional and personal matters that affect academic performance often arise and are addressed appropriately.

Furthermore, the personal advisor's opinion on the student's abilities and potential is crucial when analyzing candidates to meet the demands for qualified lawyers in our programs, which are frequently submitted to us by companies, law firms, and other institutions.

For this reason, personalized academic advising of students is an important aspect of the educational function carried out in our Faculty. The objective is to help students in every way that can contribute to improving their academic performance and their participation in university life.

The Faculty of Law has an exhaustive and demanding Regulation of Master's and Specializations, which governs the life of the different actors in all its postgraduate programs: directors, professors, officials, students.

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