Prof. Klaus J. Hopt elected as member of Leopoldina
05.01.2009
Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Klaus J. Hopt, legal scholar and Director Emeritus at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg has been chosen for membership in the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. His selection to the Cultural Sciences Section resulted from the recommendation of prominent members of the Academy. Since its 2008 designation as Germany's National Academy of Sciences, the Leopoldina bears the responsibility of advising the government on scientific matters. Membership in the Leopoldina thus represents a profound tribute to Klaus J. Hopt's academic work.»Exploring nature to the benefit of mankind." This has been the motto of the Leopoldina since its inception in 1652. Until the 1990's, the Leopoldina members were divided into two departments: natural scientists and physicians. However, world-wide scientific developments and societal changes prompted the Academy to also include social, economic and psychological disciplines which were empirically founded and closely linked to natural sciences and medicine. Klaus J. Hopt's selection to the Cultural Sciences Section will support the Academy's efforts in these bordering fields through his contributions as an international and interdisciplinary legal scholar.
Prof. Hopt numbers among Germany's most significant jurists in the fields of corporate, stock and financial law. For 13 years Klaus J. Hopt served as one of three directors at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law; his tenure culminated on 1 September 2008 with the designation of Director Emeritus and the presentation of a Festschrift. As Director Emeritus Hopt will dedicate himself to continuing his foundational legal research at the Institute and also to the positions he holds in the Senate of the Max Planck Society, the Alexander-von Humboldt-Stiftung and the Ministry of Finance's Stock Exchange Expert Commission. Among his research emphases are German and European corporate law, capital market law, commercial law, banking law and business law. Furthermore, his commentaries on corporate governance, protection of investors and corporate stock law represent groundbreaking efforts. He is co-author of the Baumbach/Hopt, Kommentar zum Handelsgesetzbuch (Commentary on the Commercial Code), 33rd Edition, 2008.
About Leopoldina
The German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina is the world's oldest continuously existing academy and comprises primarily members drawn from medicine and the natural sciences. A structural reform in the 1990's broadened the spectrum of disciplines it encompasses and Leopoldina now also selects members active in the fields of social, cultural and behavioural sciences, engineering and the humanities. At the close of October 2008, the Academy claimed 1,313 members, including 33 Nobel Prize winners. The Cultural Sciences Section has 21 members.
As the German National Academy of Sciences, the Leopoldina advises the government, the parliament and the public about socially relevant scientific issues. To this end ad-hoc commissions and working groups are appointed to issue official statements and recommendations. A further emphasis of the Leopoldina is the training and support of junior scientists.