About Us

Max Planck Law is a network of eleven Max Planck Institutes that engage in advanced legal research. The first of these was established in Berlin in 1924. Today, we cover a broad range of legal studies, from the anthropology of law to tax law, in nine different locations across Germany and Luxembourg.

As members of the Max Planck Society, we are committed to its mission of pushing the frontiers of knowledge by way of fundamental, or ‘basic’, research. Most of our projects are of a highly innovative nature and do not aim at immediate application at a practical level. Our approach is intra- and interdisciplinary, and we have a strong focus on comparative and transnational research questions. Our network of national and international partners includes many of the top law schools and research institutes.

Together, we operate the world’s biggest programme for doctoral studies and postdoctoral training in law. We offer excellent conditions and generously funded positions for early career researchers. Additionally, hundreds of academic visitors from all over the world join us in any given year.

As a network, we facilitate cooperation across the eleven participating Institutes, including joint research projects and training initiatives. Moreover, we assist those who wish to find out more about our research and seek to join us, whether as doctoral students, postdocs, academic visitors, or in any other capacity.