Max Planck Law[1] is a research network connecting nine Max Planck Institutes in Germany engaged in legal research. It is formally classified as a Graduate Center[2] of the Max Planck Society and has over 400 PhD students and postdoc researchers.
The Max Planck Society has undertaken research in law since 1924.[3] Starting with just two Max Planck Institutes dedicated to legal research, over time, the number of institutes and departments increased. In 2019, they came together as a network with the establishment of Max Planck Law.[3]
The idea of 'complementarity' underpins Max Planck Law. It acknowledges that a wider range of subjects can be covered and that interdisciplinarity and internationality can be more effectively achieved through a network of institutes rather than a single isolated institute.[3]
Max Planck Law Perspectives consists of articles by Max Planck Law researchers on topical legal issues are published online regularly; these are archived on a central publication platform established by the German Research Foundation at the Berlin State Library.[4]
Max Planck Law is consistently ranked in the top two in SSRN's league table of Top 500 International Law Schools.[5]