The Hanse Law School (HLS for short) is an educational initiative run by the University of Oldenburg in close co-operation with the University of Groningen in the Netherlands (and, in the near future, the University of Le Havre in France). The fundamental idea behind the HLS is to ‘think law in a European context’. With a Bachelor’s degree and a consecutive Master’s programme, it offers a law degree that is designed from the outset to focus on international content and leads into the European job market. This is what distinguishes the programme from a ‘standard’ law degree. The programme centres on a ‘bottom-up’ approach to comparative law: Europe is understood as a community of understanding, not merely as a single market with uniform law. Our motto derives from this self-image: ‘fortiter in re, suaviter in modo’. European Union law is included in the curriculum from the very first semester and is taught in much greater depth than in a standard law degree. In terms of academic standard, the HLS programme is equivalent to a ‘standard’ law degree. Many modules are attended jointly with students on the state examination programme. However, the profile of HLS graduates is geared towards the international labour market and companies with international operations.

Prof. Dr Christine Godt
Director of the Hanse Law School