Peter Gottwald studied law in Munich and Berlin. He went on to become Dr. jur. utr. and Dr. jur. habil. He held the Chair for Civil Law and Civil Procedure at the University of Bayreuth (1977-1983) and then the Chair for Civil Law, Procedural Law and Conflict of Laws at the University of Regensburg (1983-2012). He also served as associate judge at the Regional Courts of Appeal of Bamberg and Munich (1981-1989).
He is one of the editors-in-chief of the German Journal of Family Law (FamRZ) (since 1987) and of the International Journal of Procedural Law (since 2011). He has revised the leading German textbook “Rosenberg” on civil procedure (17th ed. 2010) and the textbook on “International Civil Procedure” by Nagel (7th ed. 2013). He publishes a handbook on “Insolvency Law” (5th ed. 2015) as well as a practitioners’ handbook on “Family Procedure” (4th ed. 2012) and is a commentator of Munich Commentaries of Civil Code (7th ed. 2016) and of Civil Procedure (4th ed. 2013; 5th ed. forthcoming).
Peter Gottwald was visiting professor at Tulane Law School New Orleans (1989), at Kansai University Osaka (1992), Ritsumeikan University Kyoto (1999 and 2004), Bilkent University Ankara (2012 and 2013), International Hellenic University Thessaloniki (2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016), University of Haifa (2014) and Chuo University Tokyo (2014). He is laureate of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (1999) and became Doctor honoris causa of Thessaloniki University Law School in 2005.
He was vice president (1989-1997) and president (1997-2009) of the (German) Association of International Procedural Law. At the International Association of Procedural Law he was secretary general (1995-2009) and then president (2009-2011). He is now honorary president of both associations.
He is one of the editors-in-chief of the German Journal of Family Law (FamRZ) (since 1987) and of the International Journal of Procedural Law (since 2011). He has revised the leading German textbook “Rosenberg” on civil procedure (17th ed. 2010) and the textbook on “International Civil Procedure” by Nagel (7th ed. 2013). He publishes a handbook on “Insolvency Law” (5th ed. 2015) as well as a practitioners’ handbook on “Family Procedure” (4th ed. 2012) and is a commentator of Munich Commentaries of Civil Code (7th ed. 2016) and of Civil Procedure (4th ed. 2013; 5th ed. forthcoming).
Peter Gottwald was visiting professor at Tulane Law School New Orleans (1989), at Kansai University Osaka (1992), Ritsumeikan University Kyoto (1999 and 2004), Bilkent University Ankara (2012 and 2013), International Hellenic University Thessaloniki (2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016), University of Haifa (2014) and Chuo University Tokyo (2014). He is laureate of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (1999) and became Doctor honoris causa of Thessaloniki University Law School in 2005.
He was vice president (1989-1997) and president (1997-2009) of the (German) Association of International Procedural Law. At the International Association of Procedural Law he was secretary general (1995-2009) and then president (2009-2011). He is now honorary president of both associations.