Professor Dr. Thomas Rüfner

Welcome

... on the web pages of the Chair for Civil Law, Roman Law, Newer History of Private Law and German and International Civil Procedure Law at the University of Trier.

The focus of our research and teaching is on (modern) German civil law and on Roman law.
Roman law was not only the legal system of the Roman empire in antiquity. In the middle ages, the laws of the Roman emperors and the writings of Roman jurists were rediscovered. They became the basis of a new legal science and of a legal order that applied throughout most of continental Europe: the Ius Commune. The legacy of the Ius Commune is still visible in modern German law and in the legal systems of Germany's European neighbours. This is the reason why our interest extends beyond the laws of ancient Rome and comprises the newer history of private law as well.

German and international civil procedure law is another subject of the chair's scientific activities.