Professor Taisia Markus joins NaUKMA students for guest sessions on banking law
Second-year Master’s students in Law at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA) are exploring the legal aspects of cross-border lending with Taisa Markus, Adjunct Professor of Law at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Professor Markus has joined the teaching of the elective course Banking Law, where students examine the legal aspects of cross-border loan agreements and their potential role in attracting investment, particularly for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.
During lectures and seminars, students discuss contractual provisions designed to protect the interests of both lenders and borrowers, the choice of governing law, and the requirements of Ukrainian legislation. A significant part of the course is devoted to practical work with loan documentation and the analysis of situations that legal professionals may encounter in their practice.
One distinctive feature of the course is its bilingual format: Professor Markus teaches in Ukrainian, while students respond and participate in discussions in English. This allows them to combine their study of banking law with the development of professional legal English skills.
“I found the analysis of the term sheet and loan agreement from both the borrower’s and the lender’s perspectives particularly valuable. The classes helped me better understand the relationship between the commercial terms of financing and the requirements of Ukrainian law,” shares Master’s student Yaryna Zhybak.
Other students also highlight the opportunity to work with real-world examples, discuss the practical aspects of negotiations, and develop their ability to present and defend the legal positions of parties to loan agreements.
We thank Professor Taisa Markus for her engaging lectures, practical assignments, and insightful discussions with our students. We are also grateful to Nataliia Kravchenko, Senior Lecturer at the Department of General Legal Theory and Public Law at NaUKMA, for organising the classes.
