News

Cover "Die Geschwisterbeziehung – Eine rechtsdogmatische und interdisziplinäre Analyse"
The recently published dissertation of former Institute research associate Luise von Kügelgen examines questions surrounding the inner orientation of the law in its treatment of sibling relationships. Her study reaches across legal fields, taking account of various areas of civil and criminal law.
Cover of the book "Initiative für einen handlungsfähigen Staat"
As part of an effort under the aegis of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the non-partisan “Initiative for an Effective State” has published its final report in book form. Institute Director Anne Röthel is one of roughly 50 experts in the fields of politics, administration, business, education, and science who contributed to the formulation of the proposals presented in the report.
Institute Director Prof. Dr. Anne Röthel
As of 1 October 2025, Institute Director Anne Röthel will be taking over the chair of the Max Planck Law academic network. With this step, she is succeeding Stefan Vogenauer, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory in Frankfurt and chair of the network since its inception.

New Releases

Contribution to a Festschrift
Holger Fleischer, Michael Zeller, Der Favag-Skandal und die Geburtsstunde der Abschlussprüfer: Skandalgetriebene Regulierung in der Weimarer Republik, in: Barbara Grunewald, Eberhard Vetter, Kai Wallisch, Harm Westermann, Rüdiger Wilhelmi (eds.), Festschrift für Walter G. Paefgen, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2025, 121–140.
Journal Article
Reinhard Zimmermann, Juristische Bücher des Jahres – Eine Leseempfehlung, Juristenzeitung 80 (2025), 868–874 (als Koordinator eines Kollegenkreises) .
Journal Article
Valentin Pinel le Dret, Culpa est immiscere: The Evolution of Negotiorum Gestio in French Law (1804-2016), Edinburgh Law Review 29 (2025), 355–381.
Conference Paper
Vincent Hoppmann, Nachhaltigkeitsmitbestimmung: Übertragung des Mitbestimmungsmodells auf weitere Nachhaltigkeitsbelange, in: Simon Ewerz, Leonard Soldo, Adnan Tokic (eds.), Markt als Paradigma: Beiträge zur 2. Wirtschaftsprivatrechtlichen Nachwuchstagung, Verlag Österreich, Wien 2025, 327–349.
Contribution to a Collected edition
Felix Aiwanger, Verträge mit der Natur. Ein Modell zur Internalisierung externer Effekte?, in: Stephanie Nitsch, Marielle Domig, Daniela Ecker, Hannah Grandits, Nikolaus Handig, Lukas Herndl, Sebastian Krempelmeier, Fabian Pollitzer, Emanuel Ponholzer, Florian Rathmayer, Alexander Rimböck, Stephan Schmid, Monika Stempkowski, Cornelia Tscheppe, Julia Wallner, Teresa Weber (eds.), Nachhaltigkeitsrecht im Konflikt, Nomos, Baden-Baden 2025, 253–270.
Contribution to a Collected edition
Vincent Hoppmann, Unternehmen als Enforcer des Klimaschutzes: Zur Inpflichtnahme von Unternehmen für ihre direkten und indirekten Emissionen (Scope 1, 2 und 3) durch den Emissionshandel, in: Stephanie Nitsch, Marielle Domig, Daniela Ecker, Hannah Grandits, Nikolaus Handig, Lukas Herndl, Sebastian Krempelmeier, Fabian Pollitzer, Emanuel Ponholzer, Florian Rathmayer, Alexander Rimböck, Stephan Schmid, Monika Stempkowski, Cornelia Tscheppe, Julia Wallner, Teresa Weber (eds.), Nachhaltigkeitsrecht im Konflikt, Nomos, Baden-Baden 2025, 67–84.

Events

Third Chinese-European Law Symposium: Latest Developments in Private Law in China and Germany

Symposium
Oct 17, 2025 09:30 AM - 06:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law

Pascal Sierek: Datentreuhand und das Recht der Interessenwahrnehmung

Colloquium
Nov 3, 2025 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law

1985–2025: 40 Years of Research on Japanese Law at the MPI. Time to Add New Voices

Jubilee Event
Nov 13, 2025 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany) - Nov 15, 2025 01:00 PM
hybrid event

Dieter Borchmeyer: Thomas Mann und die Suche nach dem verlorenen Gott

Honorary lecture to celebrate the 90th birthday of Hein Kötz
Nov 17, 2025 04:15 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law

The Institute

About Us
From the European Single Market to the global interweaving of multi-national businesses or financial firms to our increasingly international everyday lives, the world around us is steadily converging. At the same time, our laws are encountering the limits of their application. The Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law embraces the task of critically studying the social, economic and legal challenges of globalisation.
Library profile and holdings
The Institute library is Europe’s largest library specialising in foreign and international private law and is recognised worldwide for its scope and services. It has a collection of specialist literature from more than 200 countries around the world. The library has a particular focus on acquiring literature from countries that are not easily accessible, such that these can be gathered and made available at one location.

In the Spotlight

A Springboard for the Circular Economy: Private international law supporting a sustainability transformation of the fashion industry
Antonia Sommerfeld, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute, and Verónica Ruiz Abou-Nigm, Professor at Edinburgh Law School, University of Edinburgh, are investigating the legal framework for sustainable solutions in the fashion industry. Toward this end, they are focusing on circular business models which allow sustainability and economic efficiency to merge together within a circular economy. What is the role of private international law (PIL) in this transformation process? How can PIL help to ensure that sustainable business practices prevail in global supply chains?
A call for the reform of German succession law
What happens to our assets after our death? Most individuals will face this question at some point in their lives – because they are considering who should one day receive their assets or because they themselves are beneficiaries of an inheritance. Yet few people have a detailed understanding of just what German succession law prescribes or of the problems it poses.
Complex Topics – Getting to the Heart of the Matter
Making the essential information about a research project quickly understandable by means of visualization: Research posters are increasingly being used for this purpose. Poster sessions complementing a lecture program have become a standard feature at academic conferences. As part of the most recent evaluation of the Institute by its advisory board, young researchers presented the topics addressed in their doctoral and post-doctoral theses in a poster session.
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