Contact
For questions or comments concerning Family & Law, you can email us at familyandlaw@bju.nl, or send an email to one of the editors. Ideas for articles or comments on our website are always welcome.
Editorial team
Editor-in-chief Prof. Masha Antokolskaia
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
The Netherlands/Russia
Masha Antokolskaia is professor of Private and Family Law at the Vrije University Amsterdam. She is Chair of the Family Law in Europe Academic Network (FL-EUR), member of the Executive Council of the International Society of Family Law (ISFL) and member of the Expert Group of the Commission on European Family Law (CEFL). She is author of a diverse range of monographs and articles written in Dutch, English and Russian. Her main research areas are: European comparative Family Law and Dutch Family Law, with particular regard to the law relating to relationships, parentage and divorce. See: https://a-lab.vu.nl/en/ACFL/Researchers/MAntokolskaia.aspx for more information.
Prof. Christine Bidaud-Garon Jean Moulin University Lyon 3
France
Christine Bidaud is associate professor of Family and international private law at Jean Moulin – Lyon 3 University. She is Co-director of the Family Law Centre, Member of the Executive Council of the International Society of Family Law (ISFL) and member of the Family Law in Europe Academic Network (FL-EUR). She is the author of many articles written in French and English. Her main research areas are: Domestic, international private and European persons and family law, with particular regard to proof and circulation of personal and family status (marriage, filiation). She spent four years at the University of New Caledonia and is also an expert in kanak customary law and conflicts of domestic norms (especially customary law/common civil law).
Prof. Ingrid Boone
University of Leuven
Belgium
Ingrid Boone is an associate professor of Family Law at KU Leuven. She teaches family law courses in the bachelor degree and the master degree. Her research interests are family law, in particular parent-child relations, and tort law. Previously she was a law clerk (référendaire) at the Belgian Supreme Court and a lecturer at Ghent University, where she obtained her doctors degree.
Prof. Margareta Brattström
Uppsala University
Sweden
Margareta Brattström is professor of Private and Family Law at Uppsala University in Sweden. She has been involved in several international projects, for instance by the Commission on European Family Law (CEFL), Common Core and Empowering European Families. She is author of a diverse range of monographs and articles written in Swedish and English. One example is the book Nordic Cohabitation Law (Intersentia 2015, CEFL 37), written together with Nordic colleagues. Her main research area is Family Law, particularly property relations (including pension rights) between spouses and cohabitants. See: katalog.uu.se
Managing editor
Prof. Michelle Cottier
University de Genève
Switzerland
Michelle Cottier is professor of private law at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Her fields of specialization include family law, comparative law, sociology of law, interdisciplinarity in law, and the study of gender, sexuality and law. Moreover, she is a member of the Family Law in Europe Academic Network (FL-EUR), co-editor of the Swiss journal specialized in family law FamPra.ch, and co-editor of the German Journal of Law and Society. She is the director of the Centre for Legislative and Evaluation Studies(CETEL) at the University of Geneva and a manager of the cluster on children and youth politics at the Swiss Centre of Expertise in Human Rights. See: https://www.unige.ch/droit/collaborateur/professeurs/cottier-michelle/ for more information.
Prof. Charlotte Declerck
University of Hasselt
Belgium
Charlotte Declerck is Associate Professor Personal Status, Family and Family Property Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Hasselt. She teaches the third-year bachelor course personal status and cohabitation law and the second-year master course Advanced study of the law of personal status and cohabitation. In 2008, she obtained her doctorate in law from the Catholic University of Leuven. She is the author of several books and articles on Personal Status, Family and Family Property Law, as well as Intellectual Property Law. She is also a lawyer, initially a member of the Antwerp Bar, but since March 2010 a member of the Brussels Bar.
Prof. Piotr Fiedorczyk
University of Bialystok
Poland
Dr. hab. Piotr Konrad Fiedorczyk specializes in history of law, particularly in history of family law in 20th century Poland. He also performs research on the history of civil and family law in communist and post-communist countries. He is an author of almost 200 publications. He is Chief Editor of journal “Miscellanea Historico-Iuridica” (18 volumes from 2003). He is also a member of the Editorial Board of “Journal on European History of Law”, published in Czech Republic by the European Society of History of Law. In 2018 he was appointed a professor of University of Bialystok and from 2019. He holds the position of head of history of law unit at this University. He is a member of the Executive Committee of ISFL from 2011. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the International Academy for the Study of the Jurisprudence of the Family (also from 2011).
Dr. Lilla Garayová
Lilla Garayová is the Vice Dean for Bachelor and Master Studies and International Relations at the Faculty of Law of the Pan-European University. She works at the Institute of International and European Law of the Pan-European University as well as at the Comenius University in Bratislava and also practices law as a director in a global Fortune 500 company. Her professional and publishing practice focuses on international family law and the protection of human rights. She is fluent in 9 foreign languages and regularly publishes and lectures in them. She is a member of the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Law of the Pan-European University, the Slovak Association of European Law, the European Association of Private International Law and the International Society of Family Law. She is the representative of Slovakia in FL-EUR, Family Law Europe, an academic society integrating 36 European countries on the matters of family law. She is a member of the editorial boards of several domestic and foreign scientific journals, among them Central European Journal of Comparative Law; Institutiones Administrationis and Paneurópske právnické listy. She is currently one of the experts of the Central European Professors‘ Network.
Prof. Wilbert Kolkman
University of Groningen
The Netherlands
Wilbert Kolkman was appointed full professor of private law and notarial law at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, in 2006. As of 2017, he holds the chair of Legal Science and Family Property Law. His research focuses mainly on the fields of family law, inheritance law and matrimonial property law. Wilbert is joint editor-in-chief of a number of periodicals and of a series on notarial law: Family Law, Estate Settlement, Real Property Law and Company Law. He is an author in the Asser-series (Part 1: Family Law) and he is visiting professor of Family Law at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, and KU Leuven, Belgium. Apart from his work at the University, he has a position as advisor at Elan Notarissen and he is a justice (‘raadsheer-plaatsvervanger’) at the Court of Appeal Arnhem-Leeuwarden. Kolkman is member of the board of several foundations and associations (e.g.Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Groningen,Vereniging Familie- en Jeugdrecht) and he takes part in a number of research networks. Occasionally, he lectures lawyers, judges and civil-law notaries in the areas of law mentioned above.
Prof. Gordana Kovacek-Stanic
University of Novi Sad
Serbia
Gordana Kovacek-Stanic is professor of Family Law, Inheritance Law, Comparative Family Law, Comparative Child Law, Civil law aspects of ART at Faculty of Law, University of Novi Sad, Serbia. She is member of the Executive Board of Directors of the International Academy for the Study of the Jurisprudence of the Family, a member of the Family Law in Europe Academic Network (FL-EUR), International Society for Family Law and World Association for Medical Law, director of the project “Bio-medicine, Protection of the Environment and the Law” (2012-) financed by Serbian Ministry of Education and Science. She had international cooperation with the following Faculties of Law: Rutgers (USA), Bristol, Uppsala, Cambridge, Berlin, Rome, Lisbon, Maribor. She is author of a diverse range of monographs, text books and articles written in Serbian and English. Her main research areas are: European comparative Family Law and Serbian Family Law, with particular regard to the law relating to parentage, child and ART. See: http://www.pf.uns.ac.rs/fak-nastavnici/47-katedragradjanskopravnihnauka/120-gordana-kovacek-stanic for more information.
Prof. Zdeňka Králíčková
Masaryk University
Czech Republic
Zdeňka Králíčková is a professor of Civil and Family Law at the Faculty of Law, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia. She is a member of the Executive Council of the International Society of Family Law (Ex-Co ISFL), a member of the Defence of Children International (DCI), the International Academy for the Study of the Jurisprudence of the Family (IASJF), European Law Institute (ELI) and Family Law in Europe: Academic Network (FL-EUR). She participated in many international projects, e.g. those under the auspices of the Common Core of European Private Law, the T. M. C. Asser Instituut and Personalised Solutions in European Family and Succession Law (PSEFS Project). She published many articles, books, textbooks and significant parts of the C. H. Beck’s Commentaries to the Civil Procedure Code and the Civil Code – Book Two “Family Law” (a main editor).
Prof. Inga Kudinaviit Michailovien
Mykolas Romeris University
Lithuania
Inga Kudinaviit Michailovien is professor of Institute of Private Law at Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania. She is a member of Lithuanian Bar Association (advocate), member of Lithuanian Lawyers Society and a member of Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Children Rights (IRCCR) in Lithuania. Also she is a national expert of Commission on European Family Law (CEFL)and member of International society of Family law (ISFL).She is author of a diverse range of articles (including monograph, scientific studies) written in Lithuanian, English. Fields of research: Family Law, Children's Rights, Unification and Harmonization of Family Law (cross-border aspect). See: https://www.mruni.eu/en/university/faculties/teises_fakultetas/institutai/institute_for more information.
Prof. Ingrid Lund-Andersen
University of Copenhagen
Denmark
Ingrid Lund-Andersen, Dr. jur.,is professor in family law and succession law at the University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Law, Denmark. She is member of Family Law in Europe Academic Network (FL-EUR), member the Expert Group of the Commission on European Family Law (CEFL) and corresponding member of the Cambridge Family Law Centre. She is author of several monographs, textbooks and articles written in Danish and English. Her main research areas are: Family law, succession law, comparative law, the rights of the child and the legal position of cohabitants. See: https://jura.ku.dk/cis/staff/?pure=en/persons/85282for more information.
Managing editor
Prof. Jane Mair
University of Glasgow
Scotland
Jane Mair currently holds the position of Professor of Private Law, having joined the School of Law originally in 1989 as a lecturer. Following her LLB (Edinburgh 1984), she focused on labour law and discrimination for her LLM (Cambridge 1985) and then the regulation of marriage and matrimonial property for her PhD (Edinburgh 1992). Set against a broad background of private law, she continues to concentrate on research and teaching in the areas of employment law and family law. Unifying factors include her interests in the legal regulation of personal relationships; the interaction of work and family and the influence of gender in both areas.
Prof. Barbara Novak
University of Ljubljana
Slovenia
Barbara Novak is Professor of Civil and Commercial Law and the Vice-Rector for Education at University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). The principal topics of her teaching and research are the family law and children's rights. She is widely acknowledged for her outstanding work on determining of parenthood, custody of children, maintenance, legal care of adults, legal position of same-sex partners, personal name, gender recognition and other topics of personal status and children's fundamental rights in school. Her works have found frequent approval and citations by the Slovene Supreme Court and the Slovene Constitutional Court. She was participant of the expert group preparing the proposals of the amendments and working on the outlines of the new Slovenian family law regulation.
Professor Novak is member of the expert group at the Commission on European Family Law (CEFL), corresponding member of the Cambridge Family Law Centre, member of the international editorial board of Zeitschrift für das gesamte Familienrecht (FamRZ) and member of Wissenschaftliche Vereinigung für Familienrecht e. V., Bonn. Barbara Novak maintains close academic ties with a number of European institutions such as University of Regensburg, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Institute for European Tort Law (IETL) at the Austrian Academy of Science, Union Internationale du Notariat Latin (UINL) - Commission des Affaires Européennes et de la Méditerranée (CAEM), University of Osnabrück, Deutsches Jugendinstitut e. V. (DJI), University of Zagreb. See:http://izumbib.izum.si/bibliografije/Y20200107191326-15663.html for more information.
Managing editor
Prof. Maria Donata Panforti
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Italy
Maria Donata Panforti is currently full professor in the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy) where she teaches Comparative Family Law and Comparative Child Law. She is associate member of the International Academy of Comparative Law (IACL), member of the Family Law in Europe Academic Network (FL-EUR,) and Italian Expert for the Commission on European Family Law (CEFL). She has been a member of the Executive Council of the International Society of Family Law (ISFL) since 1995 to 2023 and Vice President from 2014 to 2023. She is fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, Humanities and Art in Modena.
Maria Donata Panforti is the author of several monographs and articles in the areas of European and Italian Family and Child Law which she has investigated with a comparative approach. Some of her papers follow the Law and Literature methodology. Her current research interests include elderly and disabled legislation, and the interactions between law and other social sciences. For more information see: https://personale.unimore.it/rubrica/dettaglio/panforti.
Dr. Branka Rešetar
Osijek University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer
Croatia
Branka Rešetar is Full Professor of Family Law and Children rights at the Faculty of Law of the University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek (Croatia). She is author of several books in family law, among others a monograph on Contact concerning children in international and comparative law (2011) and Commentary of Croatian Family Act (2022). She led the working group for the reform of the Family Law in Croatia (2012-2014). From 2015 – 2019. She coordinated and worked on the development of the curricula two social work study programmes (Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work at the Faculty of Law of the University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek). Main fields of research are family law, children rights and rights of persons with disabilities. She is a member of the Commission on European Family Law (CEFL), a member of the International Society of Family Law (ISFL) and a member of the Family Law in Europe Academic Network (FL-EUR). See: https://www.pravos.unios.hr/academic-staff/?id=BR021 for more information.
Prof. Jordi Ribot
University of Girona
Spain
Jordi Ribot is professor of civil law at the University of Girona and director of its Institute of European and Comparative Private Law. His research interests cover issues on family and tort law, medical liability, elder law, mental health law and no-fault compensation systems. He is member of the Family Law in Europe Academic Network (FL-EUR) and of the European Centre of Tort and Insurance Law (ECTIL). He took part in the legislative work of the second book of the Civil Code of Catalonia, on Persons and Family Law (2010) and is currently engaged in the reforms undertaken to keep it updated. See: https://ugirona.academia.edu/JordiRibotIgualada and https://www.udg.edu/ca/directori/pagina-personal?ID=2000709 for more information.
Prof. Marianne Roth
University of Salzburg
Austria
Marianne Roth is full professor of Civil Procedural, Private Law and Comparative Legal Traditions at Paris Lodron University Salzburg. She engages in several national and international research projects in the field of Family Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution, and has worked as a legal advisor and visiting professor for various institutions around the world (e.g. Thai Ministry of Justice, Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, CA, University of Puerto Rico). Prof. Roth held chairs at Humboldt University Berlin and Christian Albrechts University Kiel, Germany. She completed her doctor’s degree and habilitation at Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria and holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School. For her numerous writings Prof. Roth received several academic awards (e.g. the Albert S. Pergam Prize of the New York State Bar Association). For more information see https://www.plus.ac.at/privatrecht/fb/team/roth/.
Managing editor
Prof. Wendy Schrama
Utrecht University
The Netherlands
Wendy Schrama is a professor of family law and comparative law at Utrecht University. She is working as a honorary judge at the district court of Noord-Holland. Schrama has a lot of experience: she has been working as a senior empirical and legal researcher the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice, as professor of family law at the University of Groningen and as an associate professor at the Free University of Amsterdam. The University of Antwerp appointed her as visiting professor in 2009. Family law, comparative law and empirical legal research are her research interests, including law and policy in relation to marriage and de facto cohabitation.
Prof. Geoffrey Shannon
Law Society of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Dr Geoffrey Shannon is a Professor and leading authority in child and family law. He is the current Chairman of the Adoption Authority of Ireland. Dr Shannon held the role of Special Rapporteur on Child Protection for the Irish government from 2006 to July 2019. He is a widely published author in the area of child law and family law. Dr Shannon is the recipient of several awards for his work in the area of national and international family law. These include the 2005 JCI Outstanding Person of the Year Award, the 2006 Canon Maurice Handy Award and the 2013 Irish Law Award. On 23 June 2017, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, President of the Irish High Court presented Dr Shannon with the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association Award for outstanding contribution to legal scholarship for his entire work to date.
Managing editor
Prof. Tone Sverdrup
University of Oslo
Norway
Tone Sverdrup is professor of Law at the University of Oslo. Acting Supreme Court Justice in five periods 2006 – 2019, The Supreme Court of Norway. Author of several books in family law, among others a monograph on co-ownership in marriage and unmarried cohabitation, and the text book on family law used in the Law Faculties in Norway (the last one together with Peter Lødrup). Main fields of research are family law and property law. Member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and the Academia Europaea. Member of the Coordinating Group of the Family Law in Europe Academic Network (FL-EUR) and the Expert group of the Commission on European Family Law (CEFL). See: https://www.jus.uio.no/ifp/english/people/aca/tonesv/index.html for more information.
Managing editor
Prof. Frederik Swennen
University of Antwerp
Belgium
Frederik Swennen is Dean of, and Tenured Full Professor of Family Law and Kinship Studies at, the Faculty of Law of the University of Antwerp (Belgium). He is the principal investigator of the Research Council – Flanders (FWO) Scientific Research Network RETHINKIN_ (Rethinking Family and Family law in the Low Countries). He is also a member of the Executive Council of the International Society of Family Law, member of the coordinating group of FL-EUR – Family Law in Europe, and Belgian Expert in the Commission on European Family Law. He was a founding editor (2012) and editor-in-chief (2015-2019) of Family & Law.
Theoretically informed and empirically grounded, his research focuses on the boundaries of family and kinship, and on international and comparative family law. Among his books is Contractualisation of Family Law – Global Perspectives (Springer 2015, editor). He teaches both national and international family law, incl. private international law and family proceedings. Frederik Swennen is also an attorney at the Antwerp Bar (www.deloittelegal.be). See: www.frederikswennen.be for more information.
Dr. Orsolya Szeibert
Eötvös Loránd University
Hungary
Orsolya Szeibert Dr. habil. is full-time associate professor on the Law Faculty of Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. She belongs to the Civil Law Department and teaches family law and civil law (primarily succession law). Her main research field is international and European comparative family law, matrimonial law, law of unmarried partnerships, succession in the family and children’s rights. She is the leader of the Postgraduate (LL.M.) Specialist’s Training in Family Law (since 2008) and the Postgraduate Specialist’s Training in Children’s Rights (since 2016) at ELTE. Szeibert took part as an expert in the codification process of the Family Law Book of the new Hungarian Civil Code, elaborated the legal commentaries on family law and works as member of the consultant team on civil law of the Hungarian Supreme Court. Her monographs in family law deal with unmarried partnerships; harmonization in matrimonial law and European harmonization in partnerships and parent-child relationship.
She is the co-editor of the Hungarian ‘Family Law Review’ (Családi Jog) and author of several papers in periodicals and collective works in Hungary and abroad (see the list of her publications on mtmt.hu). Szeibert is member of the expert group at the Commission on European Family Law (CEFL) and member of the International Society of Family Law (ISFL). In 2016 she won the prestigious grant of Hungarian Scientific Research Fund for family law researches for the second time.
Dr. Apostolos Tassikas
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Greece
Apostolos Tassikas is a Greek academic. He holds a young scholars professorship at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, where he teaches Private Law with emphasis on the Civil Code material (General Principles of Civil Law, Obligations and Property Law), especially “Family Law” and “Succession/Inheritance Law” (undergraduate program) as well as “Civil Law of Persons” (postgraduate program). See: https://www.law.auth.gr/en/node/898 for more information.
Managing editor
Prof. Paula Távora Vítor
University of Coimbra
Portugal
Paula Távora Vítor is professor of Family and Succession Law at the University of Coimbra (Portugal). She is member of Family Law in Europe Academic Network (FL-EUR), member of the Direction Board of Centro de Direito da Família (Family Law Centre), member of the Editorial Board of Lex Familiae – Revista Portuguesa de Direito da Família and researcher at the Institute for Legal Research (UCILeR) – Faculty of Law, University of Coimbra. She is also member of the International Society of Family Law (ISFL). She is author of monographs and articles written in Portuguese and English. Her main research areas are Family Law, Succession Law and Personal Law, with particular regard to the law relating to vulnerable persons, capacity, elder law, marriage and divorce (patrimonial aspects).
Managing editor
Dr. Velina Todorova
Plovdiv University
Bulgaria
Dr. Velina Todorova is Associate Professor at Law Faculty, University of Plovdiv (2000-date) and at the Institute for Legal Studies - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1995-date). She holds a Master degree in Law, Sofia University, Bulgaria (1980) and a Doctoral degree in Sociology (1989). Director of the Institute (2011), Deputy Minister of Justice (2011-2013). NGO activists and expert (1995-2001). Main fields of research are family law and the rights of the child. She was member of the drafting team of the: Child Protection Act (1997-2000), Family Code (2006-2009), Draft Child’s Rights Act (2010), Domestic Violence Act (2005), Supported Decision Making Draft Law (2014-16); Juvenile Justice Legislation (2014-16). Awarded by the: President of the Republic of Bulgaria in the occasion of 25th anniversary of the UN CRC (2014) and by Chair of the State Agency for Child Protection (2016). Member of the Commission on European Family Law (CEFL) and of the International Society of Family Law (ISFL). Member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (elected in 2016).
Prof. Gerd Verschelden
University of Gent
Belgium
Gerd Verschelden is a professor of Family Law at Ghent University. He is in charge of a number of courses, ranging from Basic Concepts of Law and Family Law (bachelor courses) to the Advanced study of Family Law and Negotiation and Mediation (master courses). He has a specific interest in the law of parentage and empirical research related to Family Law.
Prof. Leon Verstappen
University of Groningen
The Netherlands
In addition to being joint editor-in-chief of a number of periodicals and series concerning civil (notarial) law (WPNR, Journal Family & Law, Practical Manuals for the Notaries, Formats for Law Practice), Prof. Verstappen is also editor of a series of books published by the Netherlands Institute for Law and Governance. His teaching and research mainly focuses on inheritance law, matrimonial property law and property law, as well as notarial aspects of company law and notary law itself. In the international context, he focuses on land tenure and land governance in his capacity as member of the Steering Committee of the Land Portal (see www.landportal.info), board member of the International Alliance on Land Tenure and Administration (see www.ialtanetwork.org), and member of the European Law Institute.
Prof. Tim Wuyts
University of Hasselt
Belgium
Tim Wuyts is an assistant professor at the University of Hasselt, where he teaches the Law of Persons, Family Law, Health care Law and Methodology in the Bachelor and Master of Law and the Master of Process and System Innovation in Health care. He is a member of the scientific network RETHINKIN_ , the research group CORe and the Data Science Institute. He prepared and coordinated many law reforms of Belgium’s family and family property law as an advisor at the Belgian federal parliament (2008-2014) and as deputy chef de cabinet of the Minister of Justice (2014-2019). His research focuses on reinforcing the autonomy of people in vulnerable situations in law (adults, minors), determining the role of social and biological parenthood in law (‘identity and kinship’), and reinforcing legal empirical and participatory research to make human rights effective and practical in this field of law. He is the author of many articles, primarily in Dutch and some in English, in the law of persons, family law, family procedure law, family property law and human rights.
Recent articles
- Child Protection and Visitation in the Italian Legal Framework Alessandro D'Antone PhD Family & Law, December 2024
- Same-sex couples in European private international law – finding a path through the labyrinth Dr. Máire Ní Shúilleabháin Family & Law, May 2024
- Extremist beliefs and child protection Lisette Dirksen Msc, Dr. mr. Nadia Ismaïli, Dr. Elanie Rodermond, Prof. dr. mr. Catrien Bijleveld en Prof. dr. mr. Masha Antokolskaia Family & Law, April 2024
- Establishing Parenthood through Adoption and Surrogacy: A Test Case for the ECtHR Use of the Best Interests of the Child Principle Rachele Zamperini LLM Family & Law, March 2024
- Legal relations among adults and children in view of changing family structures in Austria dr. Elmar Buchstätter Family & Law, February 2024
- Representation of Vulnerable Adults in Finland in the Light of the CRPD dr. Katja Karjalainen Family & Law, February 2024