The Institute mourns the loss of Professor Dr. Jan Kropholler
19.01.2009
Jan Kropholler died on 16 January 2009 at the age of 70 in Hamburg. With his passing, the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law loses an outstanding international scholar who significantly influenced the development of harmonised law, private international law and international civil procedure.Jan Kropholler was a staff member of the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law from 1967 to 2003, first as research assistant and then later as a senior research fellow. After having completed his habilitation in 1974, he turned down a professorial post at the University of Passau in 1980 and continued his work at the Institute, simultaneously serving as professor at the University of Hamburg since 1990. Among his many professional affiliations, he was a member of the Deutscher Rat für Internationales Privatrecht (German Council on International Private Law), the International Association of Procedural Law and the German Society of International Law. On the occasion of his 70th birthday in 2008, a collection of Jan Kropholler’s colleagues, research associates and former students presented him with a Festschrift authored in his honour. Titled, „Die richtige Ordnung“ (The Right Order), the work reflected his scholarly efforts under the rubric of an increasing Europeanisation of the law.
Jan Kropholler’s research interests spanned a broad spectrum and focused, above all, on private international law and procedure, European civil procedure and harmonised private law. In each of these fields he authored seminal monographs and commentaries which have seen repeat publication and become standard reference works in the study of law. In the field of harmonised law his research has been groundbreaking. Additionally, Jan Kropholler was the long-time editor-in-chief for „Die deutsche Rechtsprechung auf dem Gebiete des Internationalen Privatrecht“ and also served on the editorial board of the Rabels Zeitschrift, the leading German law journal in the area of private international law. His efforts over the years have contributed profoundly towards enhancing the academic profile of the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law. His opinion carried great weight in the formulation of legal reforms and his counsel along with his balanced judgment were constantly sought out.
With the passing of Jan Kropholler we lose not only an eminent scholar whose reputation stretched far beyond the borders of Germany but, moreover, a deeply respected colleague. His memory will remain cherished in gratitude.