27th Summer School Global Comparative Private Law

Understanding different legal systems and their underlying principles in private law has become of the highest importance for lawyers wanting to play an important part in the globalised world of today. The Academy for European Private Law offers, in collaboration with the University of Salzburg and leading universities around the world, a programme aimed at helping achieve this goal.
The programme is organised as a Summer School, in which students are familiarised with the essentials of more than 30 different legal systems during two weeks. With a distinguished lineup of over 40 professors, the official opening will be highlighted by a keynote from Judge Marko Bošnjak (former President of the European Court of Human Rights; Judge at the European Court of Justice since June 2025). as guest of honor.
Our speakers come from nearly all the European Union member states, but also well beyond that (Canada, Puerto Rico, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, China, among others) to introduce students to their respective legal systems and to discuss the main features of those legal systems. Issues which matter to comparative and international lawyers (such as law and language, mixed legal systems, legal transplants, methodology in comparative law, European harmonisation of private law or how to read the decisions of various supreme courts) are also discussed and further developed during the daily round tables, where a group of professors present their ideas and debate with the participants. Participants have the possibility to get a more practical view of the differences between legal systems during the workshops, where case studies are discussed in order to show how the same facts may or may not lead to different results in various legal systems.
Lectures are mainly taught in English, but some are taught in parallel sessions (English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian). The workshops are organised in parallel sessions (English, German and French).

The Summer School takes place at the law faculty in Salzburg, Austria (Churfürststraße 1, 5020 Salzburg) – a picturesque city surrounded by the Alps, well known for its musical heritage and stunning architecture. The law faculty is located in the heart of the historic part of the city, in the so-called Toskanatrakt, a 12th century building and a former residence of the archbishop. There is student accommodation within walking distance, as well as numerous cafés, restaurants and shopping opportunities. WiFi is available in all university buildings.

An excursion to Vienna will be organised.
There is a welcome dinner on the first evening of the Summer School, as well as another dinner on the first Friday and two further ones.
Surrounded by lakes and mountains, as well as being home to a famous music scene, Salzburg offers many options for sightseeing and cultural activities.

The programme is aimed at recent graduates and students in law. As a minimum requirement, participants should already have completed their main courses in private law. As workshops, round tables and most lectures facilitate an interactive method, with participants able to discuss various topics with the lecturers, a good level of English is requested (minimum level B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Knowledge of one additional language among French, German, Spanish or Italian is an advantage. Participants should be highly motivated and have the ability to relate to others in a multicultural environment. In order to guarantee the quality of the programme and to facilitate interactive classes, the number of admissions is limited. Participants studying in a country where a participating University is established may have to meet additional admission criteria set by the participating University (see below), as the number of students per country is also limited in order to enable students from many countries to attend.

A participation Certificate will be awarded to participants who attend the Summer School. The certificate is equivalent to 15 ECTS on the basis of the Jean Monnet Programme. Please note that the extent to which these credits are recognised in the home institutions of participants can therefore vary and it is recommended that participants seek information on this before applying to the programme if they want these credits to be recognised at their home institution.

Present participant: Tuition fees amount to 650 EUR. This fee covers all participation costs at the Summer School, including three dinners.
The fee does not cover the Vienna Excursion, travel expenses, accommodation, meals (except for the above mentioned).
 

 100 EUR

Online participant: Tuition fees amount to 400 EUR

For more information and the application form, please look at our webpage, and find us on Facebook:
http://www.uni-salzburg.at/oep/summerschool
https://www.summerschool-comparativelaw.net
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Salzburg-Summer-School-of-European-Private-Law/162455487150129
or search Salzburg Summer School of European Private Law
https://www.linkedin.com/company/salzburg-summer-school-european-private-law/

The application period is 1st February - 30th April 2026.