Faculty of Law

On 13 September 2023, the work groups of Prof. Dr. Pia Lange and Prof. Dr. Lars Viellechner visited the Federal President's Office.

On 14 and 15 September 2023, the Centre of European Legal Policy (ZERP) with directors Prof. Dr. Pia Lange and Prof. Dr. Lars Viellechner and the Bremen Senator for Justice and Constitution organized the 4th Bremen Talks on the Constitutional State on the topic of "Opinions and Judgments: End of Freedom of Expression or Start of the Debate" at the Bremen Representative Office in Berlin.

The Faculty is pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Katharina Reiling will join the teaching staff from winter semester 2023/24.

Following two training events in the years 2012 and 2013 on the fundamental changes to the Insolvency Code brought about by the ESUG (Act on the Further Facilitation of the Insolvency Procedure), which focussed primarily on the judiciary, the Faculty of Law in cooperation with GÖRG Lawyers organised the Bremen Insolvency Law Day for the fourth time on 1 Septemer 2023.

The 7th Conference on Maritime Law is concerned with two highly topical subjects: autonomous navigation and the resilience of maritime infrastructures.Unmanned ships steered by algorithms pose great challenges for the international legal framework of the shipping industry, however, they also have siginificant potential, in particular, to make short-distance maritime transport economically profitable. International lectures on liability and the coexistance of conventional and autonomous ships will be followed by a discussion of the most pressing (regulatory) issues with practicioners. The focus of the second day will be on the vulnerability of maritime infrastructures. Practice-orientated and legal lectures will present answers to the questions of how to define and strengthen resilience.

Our new field of specialisation on “Transnational Law” started this summer term 2023. It is the first and only of this kind in Germany. You may still join in the winter term 2023–2024.

With Anna Himmelskamp returning to the FEU from maternity and parental leave, this year's FEU excursion to Bunker Valentin took place on 3 August 2023. Former and new colleagues took part in a bike ride from the faculty along the rivers Wümme, Lesum and Weser into the North where the group visited the submarine bunker. The rain didn't dampen the good spirits, however, the visit to the memorial left a deep impression.

As part of a DAAD study trip, a delegation from Istanbul Kültür University visited the Faculty of Law. They were interested in the new Master's program “Transnational Law” and future possibilities to cooperate.

The Research Centre for European Environmental Law (FEU) organised a seminar on "Climate Litigation Cases in Comparison) on the North Sea island Langeoog from 17 to 21 July 2023, sponsored by the Bremen lawyer firm BBG and Partners. The participants discussed famous decisions, among others the Climate Decision of the Federal Constitutional Court, the potential of climate litigation for the management of the dangerous consequences of climate change and mutual learning between the courts. In addition, a lot of time was spent on the beach profiting from great weather and good water temperatures, with an excursion on the bike to the seal banks as a highlight of the seminar.

On 8 June 2023, the VIR summer party took place at the Institut français. Following a lecture by Prof. Dr. Birgit Spießhofer on „Recht – die schwarze Katze im Sack der Jurisprudenz“, Ms Michelle Radvan was awarded the prize for the best final paper in the area of specialisation "environmental and public economic law" sponsored by VIR. A convivial get-together in the garden of students of the year and teachers concluded the event.

In accordance with the principle of "one examination regulation, two degrees", the Faculty of Law is planning to introduce an integrated Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree programme as part of the law study programme with the First Law Examination (state examination) as of the winter semester 2024/25.

On 31 March 2023, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Dieter Grimm, former judge at the Federal Constitutional Court, was a guest in Bremen. At the invitation of the Centre of European Law and Politics (ZERP), he held a lecture on the meaning of constitutional identity with respect to the European Union and what it might consist in.

A very special item on the agenda of the Professorium today: on behalf of the Mayor Dr. Andreas Bovenschulte, the Dean Prof. Dr. Gralf Callies paid tribute and expressed his thanks to Prof. Dr. Felix Herzog for 40 years of work in the public service. In the presence of his colleagues, the Dean presented Professor Herzog, who has been teaching criminal law at the faculty since 2005, with the anniversary certificate.

The results of the student survey within the framework of the current CHE ranking prove that that the faculty’s targeted efforts to improve the study situation have been successful. In particular in the categories “study organisation“, “support by lecturers“, “IT equipment” and “library”, which are of outstanding importance for students, the faculty is now ranked in the top group in Germany.

As of 1 April 2023, the Amendment of the Bremen Legal Education and First Law Examination Act enters into force. This is of importance not only for new students but, in some cases, also for those who were admitted to the course of study under the JAPG of 2003.

On 1st December 2022, Prof. Dr. Pia Lange and Prof. Dr. Lars Viellechner became members of ZERP. Together with Prof. Dr. Christian Joerges and Prof. Dr. Christoph Schmid, they form the new Board of Directors of ZERP.

The Faculty is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jörg Schnitzler as Honorary Professor for social law.

The Conference deals with legal and practical questions regarding the conversion to zero-emission mobility in public transport and motorised individual transport. It is aimed at practitioners as well as scientists in the fields of transport and climate protection and will take place at the Haus der Bürgerschaft in Bremen.