Dave De Ruysscher

Prof. Dave De Ruysscher is a Full Professor at Tilburg Law School, specializing in legal and commercial law history. His research focuses on the historical development of commercial law, particularly between 1400 and 1700, including bankruptcy, maritime law, and financial instruments. He holds ERC grants (Starting in 2016 and Consolidator in 2022) and is a member of prestigious academies. He teaches courses on government history and coordinates an interdisciplinary minor on history and society. His work bridges legal and economic history, emphasizing empirical analysis of legal concepts foundational to modern capitalism.

Education: MA, LLM, PhD. His research explores interactions between legal and mercantile professionals in shaping commercial law.

Research Interests: Financial instruments, partnership law, bankruptcy, maritime law, and the socio-legal dynamics of early modern trade. His work challenges assumptions of harmonized customary law in pre-industrial Europe.

Awards:

• ERC Starting Grant (2016) for research on collateral rights and insolvency
• ERC Consolidator Grant (2022) on economic sovereignty in medieval/early modern trade cities
• prix Charles Duvivier (2012)
• prize Tijdschrift voor Privaatrecht (2012)
• prix de Stassart (2021)

Advising & Grants: Supervises PhD students on topics like insolvency, economic sovereignty, and legal history. Coordinates projects like CaPANES (Causal Pattern Analysis of Economic Sovereignty) and CLLS (Coherence in Law Through Legal Scholarship).