Luana Matoso, LL.M. (Hamburg)

Main Fields of Research

Private International Law, Comparative Law, the Law of Jurisdiction, International Dispute Resolution, Latin America Private Law

Vita

Luana studied law at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Brazil) and the Université d'Angers (France). After admission to the Brazilian bar, she earned an LLM in private international law and German civil law from the University of Hamburg, where she is currently pursuing her PhD under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ralf Michaels. 

Her research interests revolve around the question of how lawyers from different legal systems think and understand the law differently, and what happens when these different perspectives collide. 

Luana has been Head of the Centre of Expertise on Latin America since September 2026, having initially joined the Institute in 2023 as a research associate. Her research at the Centre explores the meaning and significance of the laws from Latin America both within and beyond the region. In this capacity, she also prepares expert opinions for German courts and public authorities. 

Her doctoral research explores how different legal systems tend to interpret international choice of court agreements as either exclusive or non-exclusive. As part of her doctoral studies, she completed a research stay at University College London and participated in the Programme in European Private Law for Postgraduates, which involved further stays in Münster, Krakow, Leuven, and Genoa. 

Before joining the Institute, Luana worked for the International Organization for Migration (UN Migration), for an international commercial law firm, and at the Bucerius Center for International Dispute Resolution. Earlier in her career, she worked at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, first as an intern and later as a consultant. 

Luana is a native speaker of Brazilian Portuguese. She speaks English and German, as well as French and Spanish.