Born 1952 in Hamburg. Study of law and state examinations 1976/1979, Dr. jur. Hamburg (1978). Professor of Roman Law and Comp. Law, Univ. Cape Town (1981-1988); Chair of Private Law, Roman Law and Comp. Legal History, Univ. Regensburg (from 1988); Affiliate Professor, Bucerius Law School (from 2008). Director and Scientific Member of the MPI for Comparative and International Private Law (from 2002); Law Faculty Dean in Cape Town and Regensburg; Chairman, Human Sciences Section of the MPS (2006-2010); Vice-Chairman,  German Assoc. of Professors in Private Law (from 2007); Board of Governors of German National Academic Foundation (from 2004); Assessment Panel for Law, German Research Assoc. (2000-2008). Guest Professorships in Chicago (Max Rheinstein Professor), New Orleans, Edinburgh, Stellenbosch, Berkeley, Yale, Cornell, Auckland, Cambridge (A.L. Goodhart Professor and Fellow at St. John’s College) and Oxford (Visiting Fellow, All Souls College). Leibniz Prize of the German Research Assoc. (1996); Hon. Doctorates from Universities of Chicago, Aberdeen, Maastricht, Lund, Cape Town, Edinburgh, Lleida, Stellenbosch and McGill. Scientific Academy Memberships: Göttingen, Bavaria, Netherlands, Austria, Turin, Royal Society of Edinburgh, British Academy. Emeritus since 1 November 2022.