On 24 and 25 February 2021, IRZ organised an online seminar on “Tenancy law and family law” for Arabic-speaking refugee legal experts from Syria and Iraq. The event was financed by the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV).
IRZ Head of Section Sidi Mohamed Khairy opened the seminar, welcomed the participants and introduced the main topics. The objective of this event was to explain the basics of tenancy law and family law in Germany to the participants and to allow them to broaden the knowledge they have already gained in these areas. As the participants introduced themselves, it became clear how much they already knew about the law: Some of the participants had already finished their law studies in their home countries and were already working as lawyers there. Others had studied at a German university and completed a Master of Laws (LL.M.).
Dr. Arnd Weishaupt and Dr. Sven Lütkemeier, both judges at the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf, took part in the event as IRZ experts. During the seminar, they gave lectures on the following topics, giving some examples of practical cases:
Tenancy law
basics
viewing properties
main contents of agreements
defects in the rented property
usage in accordance with the contract
increasing rents
running costs
ending the rental agreement including protection against termination of lease during the Coronavirus pandemic
Family law
Parent-child relationship:
parental care
rights and duties of access
child support
Matrimonial law: Separation and divorce
assignment of the marital home
divorce: prerequisites and impacts of divorce
support payments from spouses
The participants made the most of the lectures to have lively discussions and an intense exchange of experiences with the experts. Because of this positive response, IRZ is planning further events with the participants this year, in particular an event held over several days to cover other topics relevant to the law, which the participants will be able to attend in person.
Some of the participants will also have the opportunity during the year to complete a two-week internship at a law firm or in a commercial enterprise. The objectives of these internships are to give them insights into practical legal work, develop their own networks and make it easier for them to find work in the German labour market.
From 15 to 20 February 2021, the 15th Hanover PreMoot Week was organised by IRZ, the German Federal Bar Association (BRAK) and the Institute for Procedural Law and Attorney Regulations (IPA) at the University of Hanover. Because of the global pandemic, the PreMoot was held online for the first time this year.
The event included a Moot Court competition involving about 250 teams from more than 60 countries, which serves as preparation for the Willem C. Vis Moot, the biggest and most famous civil rights Moot Court in the world. This year, the participants could also enjoy a comprehensive programme of lectures and discussions. More than 30 well-known university lecturers and practitioners gave a total of 21 lectures to teach and discuss current issues on international commercial law (CISG), arbitration, the autonomy of lawyers and the basic principles of the rule of law. The conference was organised in the sense of a dialogue on the Rule of Law to carry the German understanding of the Rule of Law into the world.
With the support of the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection, IRZ was able to attract well-known speakers to discuss the following subjects:
Recent developments at UNCITRAL and Investor State Dispute Settlement Reform
Equal and Legal Representation in Arbitration
After the conference, the students were able to practise for the upcoming Vis Moot in various hearings over two days. The virtual format allowed more teams and students than ever before to take part in the PreMoot. More than 100 teams from 40 nations (including Brazil, USA, Spain, Portugal, Tunisia, Algeria, Georgia and China) signed up to prepare themselves for the Willem C. Vis Moot and practice pleading their cases before a jury.
IRZ hopes to be able to continue its successful partnership with the IPA and BRAK in future and is looking forward to the next joint PreMoot.
From 9 to 13 November 2020, a five-day seminar on corporate and commercial law took place as part of an internship programme for Arabic-speaking refugee legal experts from Syria and Iraq. The event was financed by the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV).
Head of Section Sidi Mohamed Khairy, opened the online seminar and welcomed the participants on behalf of IRZ. He said that the programme of lectures should teach them about the basics of corporate and commercial law in Germany and allow them to broaden the knowledge they had already acquired. The participants will also complete a two-week internship during November and December 2020 at a selected law firm or commercial enterprise, which should allow them to gain an insight into practical work, develop a network and make it easier for them to find work in the German employment market.
All the participants have completed studies in their home countries and some of them have already worked as lawyers at home. Some of them have also studied at a German university and completed a Master of Laws (LL.M.).
IRZ appointed the following experts to take part in the online event:
Dr. Oliver Böttcher, Tim Remmel and Dr. Verena Hoene, lawyers at the Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek law firm in Cologne
Prof. Dr. Markus Gehrlein, a judge at the German Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe
The participants learned about the following main topics:
Corporate law: the formation of companies, joint venture agreements, liquidation of companies
Business acquisition agreements
Shareholder loans
Insolvency law
Liabilities of tax consultants and lawyers
Distribution rights and competition law
Industrial property rights
The participants made the most of the lectures to have lively discussions and an intense exchange of experiences with the experts. Following the success of the events held so far, IRZ plans to continue the project with Arabic-speaking refugees from a legal background in 2021.
