Robert Weimar

Robert Weimar (born 13th May 1932 in Cologne) is a German professor of law and psychologist. Weimar is particularly concerned with German and European commercial law, and furthermore, he deals with the psychological and neuro-scientific fundamentals of juristic thinking and decision-making (see neuro-jurisprudence, neuro-administratics, legal psychology). His basic scientific position is set out in his work “Psychological Structures of Judicial Decision” (German: “Psychologische Strukturen richterlicher Entscheidung”, 1969, reprinted 1996), which is considered to be a legal psychology classic. Weimar’s central thesis is that we only have access to reality as communicated by interpretations (“ways of worldmaking”). The later publication “Neuro-jurisprudence – Introduction to the New Jurisprudence and Practice of Law” (German: “Neurojurisprudenz – Einführung in die Neue Rechtswissenschaft und Praxis des Rechts”, 2008) provides subsequent analyses. Weimar is also the founder of the academic field of legal advice (see publications by Weimar, 1986, 1988, 1997, 1998), which has in the meantime become generally established in the law faculties in Germany since the attorney-oriented opening of legal training.

Life
Robert Weimar studied jurisprudence at the Universities of Cologne, Bonn, Heidelberg, Innsbruck, Bern and Basel, as well as psychology at the University of Basel. He took the First State Law Examination at the Higher Regional Court in Cologne in 1956 and the Second State Law Examination at the State Examination Office for Legal Professions in Duesseldorf in 1960. He took the licentiate examination (lic.iur.utr.) at the University of Basel and received his doctorate as a doctor iuris utriusque in 1965 under Karl Spiro in Basel. In 1967 he earned a doctorate as philosophiae doctor et artium liberalium magister at the University of Basel under Hans Kunz. Under Martin Hautzinger (Tuebingen), Weimar was awarded the state licence to practise psychotherapy (Mainz 1995). Weimar completed subsequent postgraduate studies with the LL.M. (University of Heidelberg) under Erik Jayme and the LL.M. (University of Basel) under Ernst August Kramer (2001). In 2006 Weimar received a doctorate in psychology at the University of Heidelberg under Joachim Funke. Weimar was delegated to the Federal High Court of Justice in Karlsruhe (Germany) from 1964 to 1968 as a judge of the state of North-Rhine Westphalia after being appointed as a judge at the Regional Court of Cologne in 1961. The appointment as a judge at the Higher Regional Court in Duesseldorf followed in 1968, and from 1970 to 1972 he was delegated to the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, the highest Court of Germany. From 1974 until his retirement in 1994 Robert Weimar worked as a professor and holder of a chair for civil law, mercantile law and commercial law at the University of Siegen’s Department of Law (Germany). He declined offers to professorships in Muenster and Dortmund (Germany). For many years he was an examiner for the First State Law examination at the Higher Regional Court in Duesseldorf. From 1994 to 2006 professor Robert Weimar was a German attorney at law and partner of an internationally renowned law firm in the Consulegis group (Zurich). Weimar, who held various posts as a visiting professor, also lectured at the Universities of Cologne, Karlsruhe, Duesseldorf, Lueneburg, Heidelberg, Krems and Vienna. Today he researches and teaches at the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg. The university professor Robert Weimar is an honorary doctor of the Moscow State Pedagogical University (MPGU). To date he has written more than 400 publications on civil law, mercantile law, company law and commercial law, as well as legal theory, neuro-jurisprudence and psychology. Weimar is the editor of the scientific journal series Commercial Law and Economic Constitution of the Institute for Commercial Law and Commercial Legislation in Siegen (Germany), writings on neuro-jurisprudence (Germany), co-editor of the Travaux scientifiques de la Faculté Européenne des Sciences du Foncier Strasbourg (France), co-founder of Theory and Practice – Contributions to the Complete Land Law (Germany) – co-editor of Contributions to General Legal and Political Doctrine (Germany),  co-founder of the Salzburg Journals on Legal, State and Social Philosophy (Austria), co-editor of the Journals of Legal Psychology (Switzerland) and co-editor of the Journals of Humanity and Happiness Research (Germany). Professor Weimar is a co-founder and board member of the European Institute for Legal Psychology in Zurich and the research co-ordinator of the Robert Weimar Institute (RWI) in Bonn – Research Institute for Neuro-jurisprudence - Center of Excellence. His lectures cover a wide range of topics.

Works (Selection)

 * Weimar, R. (2008). Unity and Diversity of Legal Theory. Einheit und Vielfalt der Rechtstheo-rie (German). Berlin: Duncker & Humblot.
 * Weimar, R. (2008). Conflict and Decision. Psychological Theories and Concepts Put to the Test. Konflikt und Entscheidung. Psychologische Theorien und Konzepte auf dem Prüfstand (German). Frankfurt/Main-Berlin-Bern-Bruxelles-New York-Oxford-Vienna: Lang.
 * Jakob, R., Usteri, M. & Weimar, R. (Eds.). (2006). Law & Psychology. Applied Law as the Object of Qualitative and Quantitative View. Festschrift for Manfred Rehbinder. Recht & Psy-chologie. Gelebtes Recht als Objekt qualitativer und quantitativer Betrachtung (German). Bern: Lang.
 * Weimar, R. (2008). Neuro-jurisprudence. Introduction to the New Jurisprudence and Practice of Law. Neurojurisprudenz. Einführung in die Neue Rechtswissenschaft und Praxis des Rechts (German). Frankfurt/Main-Berlin-Bern-Bruxelles-New York-Oxford-Vienna: Lang.
 * Weimar, R. (2008). The Subcontract – The Outsourcing Contract. Subunternehmervertrag – Outsourcingvertrag (German). 3rd edition. Frankfurt/Main: Verlag Recht & Wirtschaft.
 * Weimar, R. & Leidig, G. (2002). Evolution, Culture and Legal System. Evolution, Kultur und Rechtssystem (German). Frankfurt/Main-Berlin-Bern-Bruxelles-New York-Oxford-Vienna: Lang.
 * Weimar, R. & Grote, K.-P. (Eds.). (1998). Crisis Management in the Limited Company. Krisenmanagement in der GmbH (German). Wiesbaden: Gabler.
 * Weimar, R. (1996). Psychological Structures of Judicial Decision. Psychologische Strukturen richterlicher Entscheidung (German). Reprint. Bern: Staempfli.
 * Jakob, R., Usteri, M. & Weimar, R. (Eds.). (1995). Psyche – Law – Society. Psyche – Recht – Gesellschaft (German). Bern-Munich: Staempfli / C.H. Beck.
 * Weimar, R. (1993). Trust Law. Commentary. Treuhandgesetz. Kommentar (German). Stutt-gart: Kohlhammer.
 * Weimar, R. & Schimikowski, P. (1993). Fundamentals of Commercial Law. Grundzüge des Wirtschaftsrechts (German). 2nd edition. Munich: Vahlen.
 * Weimar, R. (1992). Post Privatisation Problems. Nachprivatisierungsprobleme (German). Cologne: Kommunikationsforum.
 * Weimar, R., Schimikowski, P. & Tietze, A. (2008). Civil Law. Bürgerliches Recht (German). 5th edition. UTB. Stuttgart: Lucius & Lucius.
 * Oehlinger, T. & Weimar, R. (Eds.). (1991). The European Regional Planning Charter. Die Europäische Raumordnungscharta (German). Frankfurt/Main-Bern-New York-Paris: Lang.
 * Straube, M. & Weimar, R. (Eds.). (1984). The Legal Practitioner and Technology between Science and Practice. Jurist und Technik zwischen Wissenschaft und Praxis (German). Festschrift for Josef Kuehne’s 60th birthday. Vienna: Orac.
 * Frohberg, G., Kimminich, O. & Weimar, R. (Eds.). (1979). Law – Environment – Society. Recht – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (German). Festschrift for Alfred Pikalo. Berlin: Schweitzer.
 * Weimar, R. (Ed.). (1978). Festschrift for Franz Schad’s 70th birthday (German). Duesseldorf: Verlag Deutsche Wohnungswirtschaft.
 * Weimar, R. (1977). Care and Material Equality. To the Commitment of the Legislator to Con-stitutional Obligations in the Field of Pension Policy. Versorgung und materiale Gleichheit. Zur Bindung des Gesetzgebers an verfassungsrechtliche Handlungspflichten im Bereich der Rentenpolitik (German). Ueberlingen: Schack von Wittenau.
 * Weimar, R. (1967). Explorations on the Problem of Product Liability. A Contribution to Socio-logical Legal Research. Basel Studies on Jurisprudence, Vol. 79. Untersuchungen zum Problem der Produkthaftung. Ein Beitrag zur soziologischen Rechtsforschung. Basler Studien zur Rechtswissenschaft, Bd. 79 (German). Basel: Helbing & Lichtenhahn.

Anniversary publications

 * Legal Theory and Legislation. Festschrift for Robert Weimar. Rechtstheorie und Gesetzgebung. Festschrift für Robert Weimar (German). Edited by Ilmar Tammelo & Erhard Mock. Frankfurt/Main-Bern-New York 1986: Lang.
 * Juristic Fields of Operation and Interdisciplinarity in the Works of Robert Weimar. Biblio-graphical Discourses on the Occasion of his 65th birthday. Juristische Operationsfelder und Interdisziplinarität bei Robert Weimar. Bibliographische Streifzüge zu seinem 65. Geburtstag. Festschrift. (German). Edited by Michael W. Fischer, Hans Lenk & Paul Trappe. Frankfurt/Main-Berlin-Bern-Bruxelles-New York-Vienna 2000: Lang.

Awards (Selection)

 * Decret of Excellence in Education - The Research Academy of Cambridge (Great Britain 2007)
 * German-Chinese Research Foundation for Traditional Chinese Medicine - Member of the Scientific Advisory Board (Germany/China 2007)
 * Selected as one of the IBC's Top 100 Educators (Great Britain 2006)
 * Academy Member – Thure von Uexkuell-Akademie (Germany 2005)
 * Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Medal (Poland 1983)
 * Excmo Ayuntamiento de Granada (Spain 1983)
 * Franz Boehm Medal (Germany 1977)
 * Milenario del Tribunal las Aguas Valencia (Spain 1977)

Bio-bibliographic places

 * Who's Who in the World. (2007). 24th edition. New Providence, NJ: Marquis
 * Wer ist Wer? The German Who's Who. (2006/07). XLVth edition. Established by W. Habel. Luebeck: Schmidt-Roemhild
 * Kuerschner’s Calendar of German Academics. Kuerschners Deutscher Gelehrten-Kalender (German). (2007). Bio-bibliographic directory of German-speaking contemporary scientists. 21st edition. Munich: Saur
 * Who's Who in American Law. (2005). 14th edition. New Providence, NJ: Marquis
 * EU Who is Who. (2003). European Head Office. Zug/Switzerland: EU-Who is Who GmbH
 * Who’s Who in the Federal Republic of Germany. Who is Who in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (German). (2007). Established by R. Huebner. Supplemental work. 13th edition. Zug/Switzerland: Verlag für Personenenzyklopädien AG
 * Who’s Who in German Law. Who's Who im Deutschen Recht (German). (2003). Koebler, G. & Peters, B. (Eds.). Munich: Beck
 * The Golden Book of Outstanding Personalities of the Federal Republic of Germany. Das Goldene Buch hervorragender Persönlichkeiten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (German). (1989). An anthology in honour of personalities from research, technology, economics, the public sector, art and culture. Economic journal Concepts, Research Institute Fine Arts & MAAZ (Eds.). Nuremberg: arte factum
 * Who's Who in Europe. (1985). 6. édition. Waterloo/Belgique: Editions Servi-Tech
 * The International Who's Who of Contemporary Achievement. (1984/85). S. M. Ponder. (Ed.). Cambridge (England): Biographical Publications