Studying EULISP

During the first semester in Hanover, students can acclimatize themselves through studying in small, familiar groups. A large number of our students is from Germany. About 50% of the German students are graduates with the first state law examination and 50% with the second state law examination. The majority of lectures are hosted for Eulisp students only. However, some lectures will be open to advanced undergraduate students of the Faculty who wish to take IT-Law as an optional subject.

Teaching within small groups creates a pleasant and inspiring atmosphere which encourages discussion and enables close colaboration between students and lecuturers. Along with the normal curriculum, the Institute of Legal Informatics organises further lectures and leisure activities.

The semester starts with an welcome day and students will have the opportunity to meet their fellow students and familiarise themselves with the study programme, courses requirements, examination system and teaching facilities Some of the seminars are carried out "en bloc", partly hosted on a weekly basis. Written exams are scheduled throughout the entire semester as we aim to conclude the course modules in resilient and timely fashion.

Assignment of the Master thesis topics will be released by the end of the first semester, whereupon the student have 26 weeks time to write and submit their final thesis version. By the end of December students must submit their thesis proposal, consisting of approximately 1 - 2 pages.

The Institute for Legal Informatics

The institute of legal informatics (IRI) was founded in 1983 and is one of the oldest University research centres in Germany which devotes itself to juridical questions in the field of IT. Together it is made up of two full-time professors, an emeritus professor, two fee-earning professors and more than 40 employees. The IRI works in collaboration with a number of partner institutes around Europe and the rest of the world. This collaboration is shown by the EULISP master study programme and can be seen in the IRI's European research network. IRI is able to work on complicated research projects very efficiently and to tight deadlines. Partners such as the EU, the Federal Ministry of work and the Austrian Federal Ministry of science and research along with big IT enterprises, solicitor's offices and NGOs rely on the IRI's expert assessment and work together with the IRI on research projects. As information technology is now a global phenomenon and the juridical use of informational solutions may differ between national borders, the IRI has oriented its research in such a way that reflects an international world. The main focus of research is data protection and data security law, copyright, patent and trademark law, the law surrounding telecommunications and electronic business dealings and medicine-juridical questions and their application to IT. In addition to legal theory, the IRI also uses its expertise in the areas of biotechnology law as well as international private law.

Research

The success of the IRI is in part thanks to contributions from third parties. The IRI produces leading IT juridical research within Europe along with numerous book publications and magazine contributions by its employees. Besides conducting basic research in all areas of IT law, the IRI is involved in application-related research projects. Scientific projects are now financed by the European committee, the German research society (DFG) and the Volkswagen endowment in addition to private and public third party contributions. The IRI is made up of staff with German, English or Spanish as their mother tongue and has many long-standing contacts notably within all the large legal circles. As a result, the institute has several decades of project experience and is able to adopt a flexible approach, meaning that it is possible to master complicated research projects and to apply questions of the juridical assessment of information technologies persuasively. Such research also allows the IRI to offer apprenticeships because in addition to its own research activity, the Institute offers student research projects within the scope of the main study as well as being part of the master studies programme EULISP. These studies allow students to gain valuable knowledge in IT law.

Apprenticeship

Students in Hannover are offered the opportunity to specialize in IT law which gives them a significant competitive advantage. Besides the master programme EULISP and the care of doctorate students, the IRI is involved in the basic study of law in relation to IT/IP. From the academic year 2011/2012 onwards the IRI, with support from the German academic exchange service, (German Academic Exchange Service) will offer a new degree „ Bachelor in European IT/IP Law “. This will be an eight semester programme which will cover basic IT law and which can be taken in parallel with the customary law study (state exam) or separately. Students on the LL.B will be introduced to the different legal areas in IT law along with learning about spiritual property. In the fifth and sixth semesters, students take part in a compulsory stay abroad at a European partner University. In the seventh and eighth semesters, the students will graduate in „ IT right and spiritual property” and it is in under this title that they will receive their LL.B. During this time, students receive "all-round care" including access to a specialised IT library, useful contacts and lectures in either English or German in a well-balanced course combining theory and practical work.