Dear students,
The year is drawing to a close and the lecture break is just around the corner. On behalf of the Faculty of Law, I would like to wish you all the very best for the upcoming Christmas holidays and the year 2026. In particular, I would also like to welcome our first-semester students once again in this way. I hope you have already made your first contacts and new friendships and have made a successful start to your studies at Leibniz University Hannover (LUH).
We can look back on an eventful year full of positive memories: Among the best graduates of the First and Second State Exams in Lower Saxony were once again five alumni of our faculty, who were honored for their achievements by our Minister of Justice, Dr. Kathrin Wahlmann. Active and former students of our faculty were also among the winners of the Leibniz Talents Awards, which are awarded by the LUH executive board. They distinguished themselves in the first award category through outstanding academic achievements and, in the second award category, through exceptional social commitment. This is an impressive success.
We were also delighted to receive numerous awards at various renowned moot courts: A member of the team representing LUH at the Jessup Moot Court for international law was named Best Oralist at the national qualification round in Leipzig. At the 32nd Willem C. Vis Moot Court in Vienna, where students argue a case from the field of international arbitration law, the team from our faculty received an award for the respondent's memorandum. However, the greatest success was achieved by one of our Hannover teams at the Soldan Moot Court on Legal Practice: Not only did they win the final, but they were honored for the best respondent's memorandum and were also awarded three times for the outstanding individual oral performances of their team members. The second Hannover team successfully made it to the quarterfinals, where they then had to concede to the winning team from Hannover. This is the greatest success we have ever had at the Soldan Moot Court.
The news about our faculty’s study programs is just as gratifying: In spring, the Admission and Examination Regulations for the so-called integrated Bachelor came into force. After successfully completing the specialisation studies, it is now possible to apply for the award of the bachelor's degree (LL.B.). With this, the faculty was able to implement a key demand of the student body.
There are also new developments among our faculty's professors: At the start of the current winter semester, Prof. Dr. Tobias Kulhanek, retired judge at the Regional Court, took over the Chair of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law, Criminology and Sanctions Law, and Prof. Dr. Katharina Bernheim-Engler, LL.M. (Berkeley) took up the new junior professorship for Civil Law, Civil Procedure Law and Lawyer’s Law. In December, we were also pleased to welcome Prof. Dr. Philipp Ceesay as the new holder of the Chair of Civil Law, Commercial and Corporate Law. The faculty is extremely pleased that Katharina Bernheim-Engler, Tobias Kulhanek and Philipp Ceesay have accepted calls to LUH. I am convinced that our students and the faculty’s profile will benefit greatly from their expertise and experience.
Last but not least, I am pleased to inform you that the construction work in the high-rise will be completed in spring 2026, so that teaching and learning will finally be possible again without any restrictions.
With these positive prospects, I wish you a wonderful Christmas break. Use the lecture-free period for rest, leisure, and for shared moments with your loved ones. But do not completely lose sight of your legal studies…
I look forward to seeing you again on campus in the new year 2026.
Kind regards
Yours
Felipe Temming
Dean of Studies
