Faculty of Law of the University of Graz

The Faculty of Law of the University of Graz (REWI Uni Graz) was established in 1778 as the third faculty of the University of Graz.

Overview

Its curricula include, besides the classical Diploma (Mag.iur.) and Doctoral Program in Law (Dr.iur.), the Bachelor Program in Business Law for Technical Professions (LL.B.oec.), the Master's Program in Law, Business, Economics and Society (LL.M.) or the PhD Program in Law and Politics (PhD). Specialized research areas, at both the national and international levels, include Human Rights, Democracy, Diversity and Gender, Law and Economics, Southeastern Europe, and Environmental and Energy Law. The Faculty of Law participates in the university's Fields of Excellence Smart Regulation, Climate Change as well as Dimensions of Europeanization.

Structure

The Faculty of Law is divided into ten departments:

• Civil Law, Foreign Private Law and Private International Law
• Civil Procedure and Insolvency Law
• Corporate and International Commercial Law
• Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law and Criminology
• European Law
• International Law and International Relations
• Labour Law and Social Security Law
• Public Law and Political Science
• Tax and Fiscal Law
• Foundations of Law

In addition, the Faculty of Law is home to the following centers:

• Center for Austrian and European Higher Education Law and Governance
• Centre for East European Law and Eurasian Studies (CEELES) - Центр восточно-европейского права
• Centre of European Private Law (CEPL)
• European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy of the University of Graz (UNI-ETC)
• Research Center for Climate Law (ClimLaw: Graz)
• Graz Jurisprudence
• Cross-faculty Centre for Southeast European Studies (CSEES)

History

1 January 1585 is considered the founding date of the University of Graz. Charles II Francis of Austria, Archduke of Inner Austria, established it as a Jesuit university and entrusted it to the Societas Jesu. At that time, only the faculties of Theology and Philosophy existed: attempts to establish a Faculty of Law failed because of the Jesuits, that until the abolition of their order in 1773, successfully prevented the creation of new faculties, most notably the faculty of law and medicine. Their concerns were not only of a financial nature, but rather about a potential loss of status of the faculties of Theology and Philosophy within the university.

Law teaching in Styria can be traced back to 1566: law was taught in the Protestant Agricultural Schools until 1598. At the beginning of the 17th century, discussions arose on adding a faculty of law to the University of Graz. The Bishop of Lavant, Georg Stobaeus, suggested to start the negotiations, which, however, remained unsuccessful. When, in 1648 another attempt to create a Faculty of Law failed, the Styrian estates took over the teaching of law until 1778 and paid a professor iuris, Balthasar Winckler. Winkler was solely responsible for legal instruction for more than two academic years. Since there was no lecture hall at the university, classes took place in his private apartment. Beginning in 1761, demands for a "formal juridical study" resurfaced. The first epoch of the University of Graz ended with the abolition of the Jesuit Order on 19 August 1773. The university was put under state custodianship and entered into its second, more eventful period, which lasted until 1848.

The Faculty of Law was established on 30 May 1778, by court decree (Gubernal-Intimat of 23 June) about the Overall organization of the university and the unification of legal studies into a public juridical study with two professors (Winkler and Tiller) in two yearly courses.

Four years later, in 1782, the University of Graz was transformed into a Lyceum - thus demoting the institution into a basic teaching institution. This understanding of university education was already anchored at the University of Graz and was the reason why only two professors decided to join the Faculty of Law for the first year 1778/79: Balthasar Winckler, the former local law professor, taught digests, criminal law and offered practical introduction to current provincial laws. The former Jesuit Franz Alois Tiller taught natural law, legal history, institutions as well as international and feudal law. The law curriculum was designed for a duration of two years.

ReSoWi

Since its foundation, the Faculty of Law was located in the rooms of the old university (today used as representation rooms by the province of Styria) at the corner of Bürgergasse and Hofgasse. Until 1996 it was located in the main building of the University of Graz, which had been solemnly dedicated on 4 June 1895, with many departments spread over the campus and the city center.

In the early 1970s, discussions began regarding a new building for the Faculty of Law and Political Science; on 7 March 1994, the official groundbreaking ceremony took place, and on 1 June 1996, the first departments moved into the ReSoWi Center. The 1.2 billion Schilling ReSoWi building was constructed in 30 months, it is almost 300 meters long and about 50 meters wide. It is the largest university construction project in Styria since the construction of the main building.

Notable people

Notable researchers

• Hans Gross (1847–1915), criminologist
• Friedrich Bernhard Christian Maassen (1823–1900), canon lawyer
• Adalbert Theodor Michel (1821–1877), jurist and politician
• Rudolf von Scherer (1845–1918), canon lawyer
• Josef Schumpeter (1883–1950), national economist and politician
• Franz Ritter von Liszt (1851–1919), criminal lawyer
• Ota Weinberger (1919–2009), legal philosopher

Notable alumni

• Christopher Drexler, Governor of Styria
• Eva Glawischnig-Piesczek, Spokeswoman of the Green Party
• Irmgard Griss, president of the Supreme Court of Justice (Austria) and member to the National Council (Austria)
• Franz Harnoncourt, CEO of the Kastner & Öhler department store
• Valentin Inzko, European Union Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Claudia Kahr, judge of the Austrian Constitutional Court
• Dieter Kalt Sr., presented Austria in the Ice Hockey World Championships and Winter Olympic Games
• Beatrix Karl, member of the National Council (Austria) and Minister of Justice (Austria)

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)