An Introduction to German Law

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "An Introduction to German Law"

Sydney Manning
6 years ago
Views:

1 Gerhard Robbers An Introduction to German Law Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft Baden-Baden

2 Table of Contents I. General Structures 15 A. The Legal Tradition, Areas oflaw and Sources oflaw 15 The Legal Tradition 15 Areas oflaw 17 a) Private Law - Public Law - Criminal Law 17 b) Substantive and Adjective Law Sources oflaw 18 a) Statutory Instruments 18 B, C. D. b) Decisions of the Courts c) Custom d) The Hierarchy of Norms e) Interpretation Structure and Functioning ofthe Court System General Structures and Principles The Structure ofthe Court System Legal Careers Sources of Legal Information and Research Tools II. A. B. Public Law History of Constitutional and Administrative Law Constitutional Law General a) Concept, Nature and Function ofthe Constitution b) Territorial Applicability Fundamental Rights a) General Principles b) The Various Fundamental Rights Fundamental Constitutional Principles a) Democracy b) Rechtsstaat c) Social State

3 d) Republic 62 e) Federati on 63 f) European Integration Constitutional Organs 67 a) The President of the Federation 67 b) The German Bundestag (Parliament) 69 c) The Bundesrat 72 d) The Federal Government 73 e) The Federal Constitutional Court Political Parties The Financial Constitution Military Defence Religious Communities 81 C. Administrative Law 84 Genera! Principles of Administrative Law 84 a) Duties and Organisation of the Public Administration 84 b) The Legal Forms of Administrative Action 87 c) Public Property 90 d) Administrative Procedure 90 e) State Liability and Rights to Compensation 93 Special Administrative Law 96 a) Police Law 97 b) The Law of Communal Administration 101 c) Public Construction Law 105 d) The Law Relating to Foreigners and Asylum 107 e) Identity Documents and Residence Registration 110 f) Data Protection 111 g) Public Service Law 112 h) The Law Relating to Cultural Administration 115 i) Media Law 117 j) Traffic Law 121 k) Social Security Law 122 1) Economic Administrative Law 126 m) Environmental Law 130 n) Law of Taxation Administrative Procedural Law 136 III. Criminal Law 141 A. History and System

4 History System General Provisions ofthe Criminal Code 147 Basic Principles 147 Commission of an Act Corresponding to the Elements of a Crime 149 Intention and Negligence 151 Liability as a Principal and other Forms of Participation 152 Completed Crimes and Attempts 153 Illegality and Grounds of Justification 155 Culpabihty (Mens Rea) and Factors Excluding a Culpable State ofmind 3 58 Mistake in the Context of Criminal Law 161 The System of Penalties 163 Specific Ojfences 170 The Law on Juvenile Offenders (Jugendstrafrecht) 179 The Law of Criminal Procedure 182 Private Law 193 History and Structure History Structure The Book of General Provisions ofthe Civil Code Capacity to Have Rights and Duties Capacity to Perform Juristic Acts Juristic Persons Declaration of Will Void and Voidable Declarations Legal Transactions Contract Standard Form Contracts Form Agency Public Policy Limitation of Actions (Prescription) The Law of Obligations

5 General Provisions of the Law of Obligations 216 a) Fundamental Principles 216 b) How Obligations Come Into Existence 218 c) How Obligations End 218 d) The Content of Obligations 220 aa) Good faith 220 bb)place of Performance 220 cc) Obligations to supply ascertained goods and obligations to supply unascertained goods 221 dd)liability for the actions of third parties (Vicarious liability) 221 ee) Contracts for the Benefit of a Third Party 222 ff) Plurality of Creditors and Debtors 223 gg)assignment 223 hh)damages 224 ii) Causation 225 jj) Contributory Negligence 225 e) Irregularities in the Performance of a Contract (Mistake, Breach and Frustration) 226 aa) Impossibility of Performance (Frustration, and Certain Forms of Mistake and Breach) 226 bb)failure to Perform Within the Prescribed Time (Mora) 228 cc) Positive Malperformance 229 dd)pre-contractual Liability (Culpa in Contrahendo) 229 The Law of Obligations - Special Obligations 230 a) Contracts Expressly Regulated by the Code 230 aa) Fundamental Principles 230 bb)the Contract of Säle 231 cc) Contract of Donation 235 dd)contracts of Lease, Hire, Loan and Loan for Consumption 236 ee) The Contract of Service and the Contract for Specific Services 239 ff) OtherTypesof Contract 240 b) Necessitous Intervention (Negotiorum Gestio) 241 c) Unjustified Enrichment (Restitution) 243 d) Law of Torts (Deliet) and Strict Liability 248 aa) Basic Principles 248 bb)the Main Basis of Liability in Tort 249

6 D E F. cc) Other Forms of Tort dd)extent of Liability ee) Mandatory and Prohibitory Injunctions (Interdicts) ff) Strict Liability The Law of Things (Law of' Proper ty) Basic Principles Possession Ownership Limited Real Rights Family Law Basic Principles Engagement to Marry Marriage a) Entering a Marriage b) Rights and Duties Arising From Marriage c) Matrimonial Property d) Divorce The Law on Children Relationship, Adoption, Guardianship and Similar Topics a) Relationship by Consanguinity (Blood) and by Affmity (Marriage) b) Adoption c) Guardianship, Supervision, and Curatorship for Specific Matters The Law ofsuccession Basic Principles Intestate Succession Deliberate Regulation of Succession (Including Wills) and Specific Gifts Family Provision - The Minimum Claim of the Spouse and Blood Relatives The Position of the Heir (Beneficiary) 292 G. Conflict oflaws (Private International Law) 295 H. Corporate and Commercial Law 298 Commercial Law 298 Corporations and Other Forms of Joint Undertaking 301 a) Basic Principles 301 b) Aktiengesellschaft (AG)

7 c) Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH) 306 d) Genossenschaft 307 e) Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts 308 f) Offene Handelsgesellschaft 309 g) Kommanditgesellschaft and Related Forms 309 I. Negotiable Instruments and other Instruments of Value 311 J. Competition Law and the Protection of Intellectual Property 315 Competition Law 315 Monopolies and Anti-Competitive Practices Patents and Trade Marks 318 K. Copyright 319 L. Labour Law 320 M. Bankruptcy, Winding Up and Composition Agreements 324 N, Procedure in Civil Litigation and Special Procedures in Miscellaneous Matters 328 Basic Principles 328 The Course of Civil Proceedings Summary Proceedings for the Recovery of Liquidated Claims Execution of Judgement Special Procedures In Miscellaneous Matters (freiwillige Gerichtsbarke it) 338 Glossar

Table of contents. Foreword to the sixth edition 5. Translator's Note 7. Table of contents 9. A. General Structures 15. B.

Table of contents. Foreword to the sixth edition 5. Translator's Note 7. Table of contents 9. A. General Structures 15. B. Table of contents Foreword to the sixth edition 5 Translator's Note 7 Table of contents 9 A. General Structures 15 I. The Legal Tradition, Areas of Law and Sources of Law 15 1. The Legal Tradition 15 2.