Ganado & Associates, Advocates have set up an Institute of Legal Studies which is intended to act as a vehicle for the dissemination of information about law in Malta. It is felt that a demand for such information exists amongst the legal and commercial communities in Malta and it is the Institute?s objective to help meet this demand by providing a platform for the dissemination of practical legal information.

The Institute of Legal Studies thus aims to provide courses on relevant legal topics. It also plans to support research and to publish studies in topical legal areas. The Institute is drawing upon Ganado & Associates? resources, namely the expertise of the lawyers practising within the firm and the firm?s extensive law library to provide its services. However, the Institute is also making use of external lecturers, researchers and legal specialists, both foreign and Maltese, so as to make available a wide spectrum of legal knowledge and information which would not otherwise be easily accessible.

The Institute of Legal Studies has already delivered several practical courses on a number of legal topics, including Company Law, Trusts Law and Insurance Law. It also plans to deliver courses in other areas such as Taxation, Prevention of Money Laundering Law, Labour Law, European Union Law, Maritime Law, Dispute Resolution, and others. The courses run by the Institute are generally open to the public but the Institute also tailors its courses to the specific requirements of its clients if requested. This will address the growing need for education and training which may be required for compliance reasons or may be otherwise relevant for a client?s business. The blend of academic and practical knowledge in each course depends upon the interests and requirements of the participants.

Apart from providing these services in Malta, the Institute of Legal Studies is also seeking to develop cross-border links, particularly by encouraging networking amongst similar Institutes within the EU and in other countries. By developing these links, the Institute is seeking to encourage the cross-fertilisation of ideas and the development of educational and research projects on a cross-border basis.

As noted above, the Institute of Legal Studies has provided a number of courses to its clients and the general public since its inception in 2005 of this year which included:

• courses on Company Law which were run in association with the Malta Financial Services Authority
• courses on Trusts Law and Insurance Law for local companies
• workshops on drafting in plain legal language which were run in association with Professor Peter Butt from the University of Sydney

Further details on these courses and on forthcoming courses may be found in the appropriate sections of this website.