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Research Profile

Research at the Law Faculty of the University of Potsdam focuses on both the application of the law as well as fundamental subjects of jurisprudence. Research is concentrated on the following fields, which have been a priority for many years. This research takes the form of regular scholarly publications (monographs, essays, commentaries and notes on judicial rulings), the orientation of scholarly conferences, and presentation and discussion events at the Faculty.  

The members of the Law Faculty are obligated to unify research and teaching. Teaching is delivered at the latest standards and is motivated by questions derived from research. The broadly situated and continual publication of textbooks and educational literature, as well as the editing of magazines and series of publications brings the research of our Faculty to both the professional public and to our students. 


Basic subjects and interdisciplinary research:

  • The history of law, in particular the history of family and inheritance law, as well as criminal law and the Constitution
  • The philosophy of law
  • Media law and media crimes law
  • Europeanization of the legal system
  • Comparative law (in particular with French and Russian law)


Civil Law:

  • Basic fields, particularly labor law, property law, family and inheritance law.
  • Civil procedure
  • German and European commercial law, particularly trade law, corporate finance and corporate governance, competition and cartel law.
  • Transnational and international private and procedural law.


Criminal Law:

  • Priorities in international criminal law, criminal commercial law and juvenile criminal law
  • Criminal procedural law


Public Law:

  • Constitutional law, particularly democracy, federalism, rule of law, and the relationship to the law of the European Union and the law of the Brandenburg Constitution 
  • General administrative and procedural law
  • Administrative sciences
  • Special administrative law, particularly municipal law, public commercial law, police law, school law, social law, environmental law
  • Tax law, particularly income tax law, non-profit law and international tax law
  • International law, particularly human rights law, international dispute resolution, human rights protections and law for international organizations


Research achievements by the next generation of scholars are documented in the form of dissertations, Habilitations(a second dissertation), conference presentations and publications. Doctoral candidate seminars and workshops are also offered in conjunction with the Potsdam Graduate School (PoGS). The members of the Faculty are editors, coeditors and members of the Advisory Councils of numerous scholarly publication series at renowned specialist publishers, as well as respected journals, including:  

  • WERTPAPIER-MITTEILUNGEN IV (WM), Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Bankrecht (A Law Journal for Economic and Banking Law)
  • JURA - Juristische Ausbildung (Legal Education)
  • Die Öffentliche Verwaltung (DÖV) (Public Administration)
  • Zeitschrift für öffentliches Recht - Journal of Public Law (ZÖR)

Faculty members are involved in scholarly councils and professional associations, and they also provide support for the student journal *studere. 

Institutionally anchored research priorities take up a few of the research clusters named above and are represented by research offices (Media and Commercial Law | Philosophy of Law and Economics) Faculty members participate in associated interdisciplinary institutes and centers (Institute of Local Government Studies, MenschenRechtsZentrum (Human Rights Center), Protestant Institute for Church Law, and the Canonist Institute). Furthermore, the Faculty has international connections and works together with numerous universities abroad. The most significant partner is the Université Paris Ouest Nanterre (Paris X), which shares a degree program and an école doctorale with the University of Potsdam. 

The largest externally funded research projects at present are the TEMPUS project, “Training on alternative dispute resolution as an approach for ensuring human rights” (TRADIR), and the College Research Group (KFG) on the subject of “The International Rule of Law: Rise or Decline? The Role of International Law in Global Change.”