The section Civil Law provides education and research in the field of civil law.

The Department of Civil Law is responsible for education and research in the field of civil law. We teach the master’s degree programme Civiel Recht (Civil Law LL.M.), attracting many students each year from Leiden and elsewhere.

Civil Law is a specialisation of the master’s programme Rechtsgeleerdheid (Law) at the renowned Leiden Law School of Leiden University.

The section Civil Procedure Law offers education in the bachelor and master fase of the Law program.

Are you thinking about studying the Advanced LL.M. Civil and Commercial Law? Learn more and watch the videos.

Marije Ploum has been engaged by the Institute of Private Law as a PhD-fellow since 22 August 2022.

Leiden University’s Master of International Civil and Commercial Law (L.L.M.) examines the interrelated layers of hard law, soft law, and relevant case law.

Lotte Baas is a PhD Fellow at the Institute of Private Law, Department of Civil Law, of the Faculty of Law.

Under Dutch law, like German or English law, the violation of a statutory provision does not establish civil liability for damage caused to another person. Such liability requires that the statutory provision concerned aims to protect against the damage or, put differently, that the harmed interest…

Joska Lukkes is affiliated with the Institute of Private Law as a PhD fellow.

Genevieve Noordeloos is affiliated to the Institute for Private Law as PhD fellow since September 2023.

Alain Ancery joined Institute of Private Law as a Guest Staff Member on 1 February 2020.

Monique de Deugd-Dijkman joined the Institute of Private Law on 1 May 1998.

Professor Henricus Joseph (Henk) Snijders is an emeritus professor of Civil Law and Civil Procedure at Leiden University. He was a full professor of Civil Law at this university from 1992 up to 2016, from 2007 both of Civil Law and of Civil Procedure.

Are you interested in developments in society? In a conflict, do you prefer searching for a compromise rather than giving a judgement? If so, Notarieel Recht is the right study for you.

The Research Handbook on Labour, Business and Human Rights Law edited by prof. Janice Bellace of the University of Pennsylvania and ass. prof. Beryl ter Haar of Leiden University. The book is publisehd in Edward Elgars series on Human Rights.

See for information tab 'Nederlands'.

Is private law ready for the challenges of our time?

On 30 June 2016, Eesa Fredericks is expected to defend his Ph.D.-thesis ‘Contractual Capacity in Private International Law’ in Leiden. Supervisors are prof. Sierd J. Schaafsma (Leiden) and prof. Jan Neels (Johannesburg).

How and why governments engage with civil society as well as how civil society organizes itself and exerts political influence constitute the key focus of the research programme Public Governance & Civil Society. As such, this research programme offers unique expertise within the field of public administration…

The Private International Law Department provides academic education and performs research in the field of private international law.

Since April 2022, Floor has been affiliated with the Institute of Private Law as a Ph.D. candidate.

Professor Haentjens has held the chair for Civil Law since 1 January 2023.

The States, Markets, and Civil Society department of the Institute of Public Administration examines how politics and governance, businesses, citizens, and societal organisations collaborate to address major societal challenges. This includes issues such as inequality, migration, and sustainability.

The MA Classics and Ancient Civilizations at Leiden University covers the entire range of present-day research on the civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Syria and Palestine, Greece and the Roman Empire. In chronological terms, the program covers thousands of years, from the early origins…

To what extent does the Law Ombudsperson for Children achieve its goals as intended by the legislator when introducing the law?

This project aims to provide evidence-based knowledge on the conditions for successful anti-corruption activism in Ukraine.

Why do some civil wars experience quagmire, a situation in which belligerents are trapped in fighting? To explain this puzzle, Jonah Schulhofer-Wohl (Leiden University Institute of Political Science) analyses the overlapping strategic interactions between foreign powers and the warring parties. Studying…

On Wednesday 13 December 2017 René Hage defended his doctoral thesis entitled ‘Handhaving van privaatrecht door toezichthouders’ (Enforcement of private law by regulatory authorities).

On 24 juni 2021, Jing Zhang defended his thesis 'The Rationale of Publicity in the Law of Corporeal Movables and Claims'. The doctoral research was supervised by Prof. H.J. Snijders and J.A. van der Weide.

The Institute of Private Law was closely involved in the development of Nieuw Burgerlijk Wetboek (the Civil Code of the Netherlands, which came about between 1948 and 1992). It has continued to fulfil this socially engaged role over the years. It also made a significant contribution to the development…

Consumer complaints, the war against drugs, family issues, matters of state: Rechtsgeleerdheid (Law) is socially relevant and topical.

On important occasions in a person’s life and where business is concerned, notarial practice plays a crucial role. The master’s programme 'Notarieel recht' is a versatile and challenging field of study.

On 9 September 2020, Ruben de Graaff defended his thesis 'Concurrence in European Private Law'. The doctoral research was supervised by Prof. A.G. Castermans and Prof. S.C.G. Van den Bogaert.