Seminar: Transformative Constitutionalism in Latin America
On April 7 and 8, 2025, Professor Dr René Fernando Urueña Hernández (Universidad de los Andes) was a guest lecturer at Leuphana. The seminar will explore Latin American public law and its interaction with entrenched power dynamics in the region. It will focus on recent decisions of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and trace their impact on climate change, LGBTI and gender issues, indigenous rights, nature rights and migration.
Professor Dr René Fernando Urueña Hernández (link) is Associate Professor at the Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) and holds the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Chair at the same institution. He is also currently a Fellow at Max Planck Law (link). He graduated in Law and Economics from the Universidad de los Andes and holds a Master's degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Helskini.
Seminar: Research Perspectives
10 to 13 April 2025
- Lecturer: Dr. Franck Bleckmann
The course consists of three parts. The first part deals with fundamental problems and solutions in general philosophy of science. It concentrates on the theoretical elements of the subject as well as on scientific practice, the significance of science for society, and the role and responsibility of researchers. In the second part, these findings are specified for legal science, and in particular the topics of legal theory and legal methodology, the significance of the system concept in law, the relationship between foundational disciplines and legal doctrine, and the application-oriented nature of law must be taken into account. A central issue is then whether and how scientific progress can be achieved in law. Finally, the third part deals with the participants' research questions in order to draw practical consequences for their own doctoral projects.
Ph.D. Colloquium
As part of the second doctoral colloquium on 23 and 24 April, the fellows presented the progress made to date in their research work. This was followed by discussions, opinions and comments on the research work. Thanks to the committed participation of the doctoral students, the supervising professors and the speaker of the doctoral programme, the participants were able to gain important insights into the further processing and progress of their work.
Guest Lecture: Loss and Damage
16 April 2025 - 09:30 to 11:00 a.m.
- Lecturer: Dr. Patrick Touissant (link)
As part of the Climate Justice Lab, Dr Patrick Toussaint will give a guest lecture on 'Loss and Damage'. The findings he will present are an excerpt from his recently completed PhD at the University of Eastern Finland. The thesis is entitled 'Towards Equitable Climate Governance: strengthening the role of climate victims in addressing loss and damage under the international climate regime' and addresses fundamental aspects of climate justice and the protection of victims of climate change.
GUEST LECTURE: DR. PATRICK ABEL ON »PROPORTIONALITY AND TRANSFORMATION IN CLIMATE CHANGE«
- Lecturer: Dr. Patrick Abel (Link)
The principle of proportionality is an essential component of public transformation law in the context of climate change. Administrative, constitutional, European and international law draw on the principle of proportionality to guide social transformation towards a sustainable way of life. After all, evaluation and balancing are part of the "legal mentality" (Rainer Wahl) in public law. But can the principle deliver what it promises?
This interdisciplinary lecture pursues the hypothesis that the principle of proportionality has its limits when it comes to shaping the content of transformation - but at the same time is versatile enough to help steer social transformation processes in a different legal-dogmatic form.
Dr Patrick Abel is a postdoc at the Chair of Constitutional and Administrative Law, European Law, European and International Economic Law (Prof. Dr Christoph Herrmann) at the University of Passau. After studying law in Münster, obtaining a Magister Juris at Oxford University and passing the Second State Examination in Berlin, Dr Abel completed his doctorate at the Georg-August University of Göttingen on 'International Investor Obligations - Towards Individual International Responsibility for the Public Interest in International Investment Law'. He is currently working on his habilitation (second book) on 'Public Transformation Law: State and EU in Climate Change'.
- Seminar "Scientific Publishing and Communication in Law”
- Workshop “Science Communication”
- Guest Lecture “Climate Change Litigation in German Courts: What has happened so far and what could happen in the future”
- Guest Lecture "Asian Constitutional Law"
- Guest Lecture “Contemporary Challenges to UN Peacekeeping”
- Guest Lecture “Global Value Chains”
- Guest Lecture “Doing Economic Law in Revolutionary Times”
The objective of the course is to provide scholars at an early stage of their careers with necessary skills to help establish yourselves in the legal academic world. The aim to offer knowledge and skills on how to apply for and participate in academic conferences, how to write scientific publications and publish them in academic journals and books, and more popular dissemination platforms, as well as to network with other academics and partners from practice, government and industry. In this way, the course will help the participants to develop their academic leadership skills, their research and ideas in a competitive academic environment.
On 6 and 7 February 2025, the workshop 'Science Communication' took place under the direction of Dr Marie-Luise Braun and Dr Wiebke Vorrath. Both lecturers work at Leuphana University Lüneburg in the research service (focus: research communication).
The event was an important addition to the programme of the Joachim Herz Doctoral School of Law. On this occasion, the doctoral students dealt with the various possibilities of publicising research results and placing them outside the scientific world. Effective and successful communication of scientific results is of great importance because science is not a closed system. Exchange and dialogue with politics, business and civil society are indispensable, especially when it comes to practice-oriented and transformation-relevant research.
The topic of science comics was also discussed. The PhD students are currently preparing to present their research projects in this way, and the event provided them with important insights into the design and implementation of such projects.
We would like to thank the two lecturers for their exciting insights and experiences.
Guest Lecture: Climate Change Litigation (only in German)
16 October 2024, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. in room C40.255
- Lecturer: Professor Dr. Remo Klinger (Link)
On 16 October 2024, Professor Dr Remo Klinger visited the Joachim Herz Doctoral School of Law. In his lecture on
"Climate Change Litigation in German Courts: What has happened so far and what could happen in the future",
Professor Klinger discussed how the instrument of climate change litigation has found its way to Germany and has been developed by him and others into an effective tool for climate protection and judicial control of compliance with climate obligations.
Professor Klinger traced the path to the groundbreaking climate decision of the Federal Constitutional Court and provided an insight into a number of other proceedings that have already been concluded and are still ongoing - including further proceedings before the Federal Constitutional Court (e.g. against the amendment of the Climate Protection Act). His presentation, which also included a look into the future, was followed by an informative discussion with the audience.
We would like to thank Professor Klinger for giving us the opportunity to gain a first-hand insight into the legal practice of climate change litigation and environmental protection through such an interesting and always engaging lecture.
Guest Lecture: Asian Constitutional Law
24 October 2024, 15:00 - 17:00
- Lecturer: Professor Dr Maartje de Visser, Singapore Management University (Link)
In her lecture, Professor Dr de Visser provided revealing insights into Asian constitutional law and in particular into the legal traditions in the East Asian region. Among other things, she explicitly addressed where and why these traditions differ in some respects from the Western model of liberalism and individual freedoms. In the course of her explanations, she also dealt with the historical background (including the colonial past of many states in this region) and showed the philosophical and legal theoretical foundations on which the constitutional law and understanding there is based. We would like to thank Professor Dr de Visser for this fascinating lecture.
Professor Dr Maartje de Visser holds a chair in legal science at the Singapore Management University (SMU). After completing her Master's degree at Maastricht University and Oxford University, Professor Dr de Visser obtained her doctorate at Tilburg University. Subsequently, she held assistant professorships at Tilburg University, Maastricht University, and finally at Singapore Management University (SMU). Her research focuses on constitutional law, the study of constitutional courts, and transnational legal dialogues.
Professor Dr. Alexander Gilder, Associate Professor of International Law and Security at the University of Reading (UK), gave a guest lecture on 6 November 2024 on the topic of
Contemporary Challenges to UN Peacekeeping.
On this occasion, he discussed the difficulties currently facing UN peacekeeping missions, with particular reference to the precarious situation of the UNIFIL mission in southern Lebanon. He also explained the relevant international legal basis for blue helmet missions and the political challenges related to the implementation of such missions in the current political situation at the global level.
We would like to express our sincere thanks for the informative lecture and the many insights from practical experience.
Professor Dr. Alexander Gilder is Associate Professor of International Law and Security at the School of Law, University of Reading, UK, Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, UK, and Associate Faculty at the School of Humanitarian Studies, Royal Roads University, Canada. He has utilised his research on human security in his work as Academic Consultant at the NATO HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) and in engagements with other areas of UK defence.
Guest Lecture: Global Value Chains
19 November 2024, 02:00 - 04:00 p.m.
- Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Jann Lay (GIGA Hamburg)
Prof. Dr. Jann Lay gave a guest lecture at the Joachim Herz Doctoral School of Law on 19 November 2024. He is Adjunct Professor at the University of Göttingen and Lead Research Fellow at the GIGA (German Institute for Global and Area Studies). He is also the director of the project "Globalisation and Development" at this institution.
During his visit to Leuphana University Lüneburg, Professor Lay gave us fascinating insights into his research on global value chains and, in particular, the associated local impacts and problems in countries of the Global South. For example, he talked about palm oil production in Indonesia and the resulting environmental problems.
Using specific cases and case studies (e.g. Ghana), he drew a link to the general situation of global value chains and highlighted the unequal participation of different regions of the world. While Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Latin America are mainly suppliers of raw materials, the production of (highly industrialised) goods takes place mainly in Asia, Europe, and North America. This in turn has implications for the distribution of wealth, labour, and other key factors.
We would like to thank Professor Lay for his visit. As the topics of value chains and global justice are also of particular interest in the Joachim Herz Doctoral School of Law, his contribution was an excellent addition and opened up new perspectives for us.
On 21 February, Professor Dr Rupprecht Podszun held a guest lecture at the Joachim Herz Doctoral School of Law. On this occasion, he provided the doctoral students of our institution with a multi-layered and highly informative insight into the role of digital platforms with regard to German and European competition law. Thanks to his proven expertise and practical experience in this area, he significantly broadened the students' understanding of the digitalisation of law - and of the topic of "law and transformation" in general - and added new perspectives and points of view.
Rupprecht Podszun is Professor of Civil Law, German and European Competition Law at the University of Düsseldorf (link) and Director of the Institute for Antitrust Law (link). He is also President of the International Competition Law Association (ASCOLA - Academic Society for Competition Law) and a member of the Monopolies Commission.
We would like to thank him very much for taking the time to come to Lüneburg for this insightful lecture.
Workshop "Law and Digitalisation"
- Lecturer: Professor Dr. Matthias Kettemann, LL.M. (Harvard) - Professor of Innovation, Theory and Philosophy of Law at Innsbruck University (link)
In this summer term, Prof. Dr. Matthias Kettemann provided the fellows of the Joachim Herz Doctoral School of Law with in-depth insights into the law of digitalisation.
The influence of digitalisation - even beyond the limits of the digital world - can hardly be underestimated today. Be it questions of justice or the influencing of elections, the impact of fake news (or even deep-fake videos), the handling of cyber attacks (and the question of their legal categorisation), or the handling of artificial intelligence - these are all issues that present our society with very real challenges and which it already has to deal with today.
Prof. Dr. Kettemann also drew a line to future developments and held out the prospect of what our society - and legal science in particular - will have to prepare for in the future. He thus gave the fellows a unique insight into the function of law as a shaper of (social) transformation.
As part of the first doctoral colloquium of this doctoral programme, the fellows presented their research work and the progress made to date.
The insights gained in this way then served as the basis for in-depth discussions. Due to the dedicated participation of the doctoral students, the supervising professors, and the speakers of the doctoral programme, the participants were able to gain important insights into the further processing and progress of their works.
Seminar "The International Law of the Sea and Small Islands"
- Lecturer: Professor Dr. Valentin Schatz - Junior professorship of Public Law and European Law with Focus on Sustainability at Leuphana University Lüneburg (link)
On 8 April 2024, Professor Dr. Schatz gave an introduction to international law of the sea and then went on to discuss the special situation of small island states.
These states are particularly threatened by climate change and - as a result of rising sea levels - are confronted with the scenario of their own demise. Due to this threat, they requested an advisory opinion (link) from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on 12 December 2022 to clarify the following question
What are the specific obligations of State Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (the "UNCLOS"), including under Part XJI: (a) to prevent, reduce and control pollution of the marine environment in relation to the deleterious effects that result or are likely to result from climate change, including through ocean warm ing and sea level rise, and ocean acidification, which are caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere? (b) to protect and preserve the marine environment in relation to climate change impacts, including ocean warming and sea level rise, and ocean acidification?
Professor Schatz's presentation was accompanied by an excursus on the protection of UNESCO cultural heritage sites by Emma Bartmann (link) - as well as a visit to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on 12 June 2024.
Guest Lecture “Law and Governance of the Twin Transition”
- Lecturer: Professor Dr. Max Baumgart - Assistant Professor in European and national regulation of the energy transition at Tilburg University (link)
On 4 July 2024, Prof. Dr. Max Baumgart gave a guest lecture on the topic of "Law and Governance of the Twin Transformation" at Joachim Herz Doctoral School of Law.
The term Twin Transformation encompasses a holistic approach to the joint regulation of both the green transition and the digital transition. This concept aims to utilise sustainable digital technologies for the purpose of achieving carbon neutrality. On this occasion, Prof Dr Baumgart impressively demonstrated how this can be achieved with the help of law and various regulatory approaches.
Further publications by Prof. Dr. Max Baumgart:
Co-authored with Saskia Lavrijssen, Exploring regulatory strategies for accelerating the development of sustainable hydrogen markets in the European Union (Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law, Volume 42, 2024)
Book Presentation: Global Climate Constitutionalism 'from Below'
- Dr. Manuela Niehaus (German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer, link)
On 17 June 2024, Dr Manuela Niehaus presented her recently published work "Global Climate Constitutional 'from below'" at the Joachim Herz Doctoral School of Law. The publication is based on her dissertation, which she completed as part of a joint PhD programme at the University of Hamburg and Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia).
At this occasion, Manuela provided the doctoral fellows with detailed insights into a highly complex subject. As part of her dissertation project, she analysed the role of non-state actors and NGOs that contribute to the further development of the law (at national and international level) through climate litigation and thus tackle the problem of the global climate crisis by legal means. In particular, the question arose as to whether the (re)interpretation of existing law by these same actors and the judgements issued in this way create new constitutional principles (in the sense of the concept of global constitutionalism).
We would like to thank Manuela for the exciting insights and the subsequent discussions.
Further information:
- Global Climate Constitutionalism “from below” - The Role of Climate Change Litigation for International Climate Lawmaking (Springer, 2023).
- Protecting Whose Children? The Rights of Future Generations in the Courts of Germany and Colombia (Völkerrechtsblog, 23.03.2022).
- Gerichte gegen Gesetzgeber? – Der Klimawandel in den Gerichtssälen, in: Zugang zum Recht (Jan. 2021), S. 241 - 260.
Guest Lecture "The Chilean Constitutional Reform Process"
- Lecturer: Svenja Bonnecke (link)
On 5 April, Svenja Bonnecke gave a guest lecture on the Chilean constitutional reform process at the Joachim Herz Doctoral School of Law. After a brief introduction, she went into detail about the two rejected constitutional drafts and gave an outlook on Chile's (legal) future.
The constitutional reform process is of the utmost importance with regard to the overarching theme of the Joachim Herz doctoral programme ("Law and Transformation") - after all, it is about reforming the common rules, values and procedures on which society is based. But the constitution as a social contract must also move with the times, be able to adapt and change in order to remain up-to-date.
Svenja Bonnecke's academic background - she studied law in both Germany and Chile - enabled her to present these connections in an excellent and unique way. We would like to thank her for these insights.
Further publications by Svenja Bonnecke on this topic (in German):
- Scheitern 2.0: Das Ende des zweiten Verfassungsprozesses in Chile (published on 12 January 2024 at www.juwiss.de)
- Verfassungsmüdigkeit: Chiles neuer Verfassungsprozess (published on 02 March 2023 at www.verfassungsblog.de)
- Schlechte Umfragewerte für Chiles Verfassung: Die Kommunikationsschwierigkeiten der Verfassungsgebenden Versammlung (published on 25 May 2022 at www.verfassungsblog.de)
Lecture "Research Methods in Legal Science"
- Lecturer: Dr. Matthias Packeiser
The course provides fundamental knowledge of scientific work at doctoral level in the field of law. This includes, inter alia, addressing questions about the nature of legal research, working with different research methods, structuring comprehensive research papers in terms of content and argumentation and, in particular, the topic of "Law in Context".
Seminar "Law and Transformation"
- Lecturer: Professor Christopher R. Rossi, Ph.D. (The Artic University of Norway, Tromsø)
The Joachim Herz Doctoral School of Law had the pleasure of welcoming Professor Christopher R. Rossi, Ph.D., to Lüneburg from 27 to 29 November. At this occasion, he gave a seminar on fundamental aspects of transformative developments under international law.
On the first day, Professor Rossi laid the theoretical groundwork for the seminar with insights from his recent research on the role of zones and areas in the current state system and the impact of uti possideitis on its very foundation. On the following two days, he then addressed topics such as global water scarcity, the role of rivers in international relations, the global struggle for resources, and the importance of the artic for both global climate and international trade.
For further readings, take a look at his recent publications:
- Remoteness Reconsidered: The Atacama Desert and International Law (2021 University of Michigan Press)
- Arctic anadromy and congested regime governance (52 Environmental Law Reporter 10193-10210, 2022)
- Water Security and Hydro-Egoism: Endogenous Hegemony and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (32(2) Indiana International and Comparative Law Review, 247-286, 2022)
- Line of Amity, Line of Enmity, Large Policy Men and the American Grossraum (2023)
Seminar "The Good Scientist - A Seminar on Research Integrity"
- Lecturers: Dr. Claire Grauer, Dr. Anna Sundermann
The seminar concerns raising awareness and preparing doctoral students for ethically correct and responsible research activities before starting research projects. The goal is to integrate ethical considerations already in the planning phase of the doctoral journey.
The following key questions will guide the course:
- What is research ethics? What is good scientific practice?
- What does responsible research mean for my research field?
- What are the concrete implications of research integrity guidelines for my dissertation project?
- How can I contribute to a research community with integrity as a researcher?
Colloquium: The Belgian Klimaatzaak Judgement
On 8 January 2024, the Joachim Herz Doctoral School welcomed two guest speakers to a digital colloquium who took this opportunity to present their findings on the noteworthy Klimaatzaak ruling of the Brussels Court of Appeal of 30 November 2023 (cf.: link):
- Alice Briegleb, PhD student at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. She conducts research on the liability of companies in the fight against climate change (under the supervision of Prof. Dr Benoit Frydman).
- Antoine De Spiegeleir, PhD student at the European University Institute. In his doctoral thesis, he deals with the topic "Narrating International Law at the World Court" (under the supervision of Prof. Dr Neha Jain).
Their review of this judgement was published on the Verfassungsblog on 5 December 2023 under the title "From Urgenda to Klimaatzaak: A New Chapter in Climate Litigation" (cf.: here). The lawsuit was filed by the NGO Klimaatzaak (which was supported by around 58,000 citizens) against the current Belgian climate protection measures. In the second instance, the Brussels Court of Appeal has now ordered the Belgian federal state and the regions of Flanders and Brussels to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
After an introduction to the ruling, the fellows of the Joachim Herz Doctoral School discussed with the speakers current issues of international environmental law, the tendency of national courts to pass judgement on the climate protection measures of their respective governments, as well as legal theoretical and political issues raised in this context (e.g. regarding the separation of powers or the judicial dialogue between domestic courts of different nations).
We would like to thank Alice and Antoine for their fascinating presentation and the insightful discussion.
Guest Lecture "From War to Peace: Challenges in Post-Conflict Transformation"
- Lecturer: Dr. Julia Strasheim (link)
On 18 January 2024, Dr Julia Strasheim gave the members of the Joachim Herz Doctoral School of Law exciting insights into the topic "From War to Peace: Challenges in Post-Conflict Transformation".
Dr Strasheim is deputy managing director of the Bundeskanzler-Helmut-Schmidt-Stiftung (link), where she is responsible for the "Europe and International Politics" programme line. As a political scientist and conflict researcher, she has extensive expertise with regard to questions concerning the challenges that societies have to deal with after - but also during - conflicts and especially wars.
Her guest lecture (on the premises of the Joachim Herz Foundation) inspired the fellows of our doctoral school. Dr Strasheim provided well-founded insights into the subject matter, which she was able to gather through her research, her practical experience in conflict resolution, and, in particular, through her work for the BKHS. In a subsequent discussion round, it was then up to the Fellows to ask questions, contribute new perspectives, and share their own experiences.
We would like to thank Dr Strasheim very much for her exceptional presentation.