Academy for German Law

The Academy for German Law (German: Akademie für deutsches Recht) was an institute founded in 1933 in Nazi Germany on the initiative of Hans Frank. After 11 July 1934, it was a public corporation of the Reich. It was financed largely by business donations. The academy's members were prominent representatives of politics, business and academia, including Hermann Göring, Joseph Goebbels, Carl Bosch, Friedrich Flick, Carl Schmitt, and Hans Carl Nipperdey; its presidents were Hans Frank (1933—1943) and Otto Georg Thierack (1942—1945).

Frank's original goal for the academy — influence on National Socialist legislation — did not prevail because the ministerial bureaucracies successfully defended their prerogatives. The academy developed extensive representative and publishing activities. By holding attractive international congresses, it contributed to the reputation of the Third Reich. Its committees attempted to develop the foundations for a new NS law (Volk Law Code).

Publications

• Jahrbuch der Akademie für deutsches Recht (Yearbook of the Academy for German Law)
• Zeitschrift der Akademie für deutsches Recht (Journal of the Academy for German Law) — monthly
• Schriftenreihe der Akademie für deutsches Recht (Publications of the Academy for German Law)

Bibliography

• Christian Zentner, Friedemann Bedürftig (1991). The Encyclopedia of the Third Reich. Macmillan, New York. ISBN 0-02-897502-2