Christian von Bar

Christian von Bar is a University Professor at the University of Osnabrück since 1981, holding positions such as Dean (1988/89) and founder/director of key legal institutes like the Institute of Private International and Comparative Law (1987–2003) and the European Legal Studies Institute (ELSI, since 2003). He led major research initiatives including the Study Group on a European Civil Code (1999–2009) and has been a visiting professor at institutions like the University of Oxford and Waseda University.

Education: Dr. jur. (1976), Assessor (1977), Dr. jur. habil. (1979), LL.M. studies at Cambridge (1979). Served as Dean and was offered chairs at Munich and Heidelberg Universities.

Research Interests: European Union law, private international law, comparative law, European tort and property law, and legal harmonization across jurisdictions. Notable projects include drafting the Common Principles of European Contract Law and the Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR).

Awards: Multiple honorary doctorates (Uppsala, Leuven, Helsinki, etc.), the Leibniz Prize (1993), and the Lower Saxony State Award (2006). Recognized by institutions like the British Academy and Académie de Droit Comparé.

Grants & Advisory Roles: Consultant to the European Commission, UNIDROIT, and numerous national research foundations. Led projects on Pan-European Tort Law (1992–1998) and Property Law (since 2009). Member of the Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft committee and European Law Institute.

Labs/Teams: Founded and directed major legal institutes, coordinated international research groups in tort, property, and contract law. Organized global conferences and initiated transnational judicial dialogues like the Anglo-German judicial conferences.