Staff

Professor Doctor Honoris Causae Willibald Posch, Ph.D. 

Professor Posch was the dean of the Faculty of Law at Karl Franzens University in Graz, Austria. He spent the years 2004 and 2005 as the vice-dean for curricular affairs.

He dedicated his academic career to raising and educating young lawyers and always tried to offer as many possibilities for development to young professors and researchers as possible. For that reason, he cooperated with plenty of faculties from the neighborly countries and across the Atlantic, in the USA. He also kept in touch with all the researchers and professors at the Faculty of Law in Graz and maintained close ties with professors in the Maribor Faculty of Law, namely Professor Ilešič Ph.D., Professor Geč Korošec Ph.D., Professor Knez Ph.D., Professor Tratnik Ph.D. and Professor Ferčič Ph.D.

His bibliography consists of hundreds of fundamental analyses in the field of civil, comparative, international commercial or private law and company law.

As the dean of the Faculty of Law at the Karl Franzens University in Graz he acted as the patron for plenty of researchers from across the whole Europe and accordingly also from the University of Maribor.

He organised one of the first summer law schools discussing EU law and made sure that scholarships were available to Slovenian students, primarily students from the Maribor Faculty of Law. These summer law schools were the foundation for establishing the successful link between the Maribor Faculty of Law and EU, which led to plenty of successful projects (Tempus, Jean Monnet) and the prestige title ‘The University of Maribor Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence'.

He cooperated in preparing numerous international projects in the field of EU law and private international law and made efforts to publish the first legal dictionary that would include Slovenian, Croatian and Serbian language.

Later, the ‘Common Lecturing Hall' was constituted on his initiative. The Common Lecturing Hall united the Faculty of Law of the Karl Franzens University of Graz and the Maribor Faculty of Law. The lecturing hall was not only visited by the students from Maribor and Graz but also international students from China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America. The main lecturers were Full Professor Posch, Ph.D. and Full Professor Tratnik, Ph.D., but other renowned visiting lecturers also participated.

Professor POSCH, Ph.D., is internationally recognized for his high efforts and great contributions to legal science. He was and still is, a member of important societies, for example, Lando Commission and the Expert Group that prepared the UNIDROIT Rules.

It is safe to say that he always treated the University of Maribor with great respect and care.

Professor Doctor Honoris Causae, Professor Emeritus Gernot Kocher, Ph.D.

Professor Gernot Kocher, Ph.D., was the dean of the Faculty of Law at the Karl Franzens University in Graz for numerous years. He was also the vice-president of the legal history committee of the Austrian Academy of Science. His efforts for connecting Slovenian and Austrian scientific research were extraordinary, and he always acted in a way to connect Austrian and Slovenian universities in the field of social and legal sciences.

As one of the top connoisseurs and researchers of legal and historical sources and their iconographic legal elements, he participates with the Institute for philosophy, history, and iconography of law, which is headed by the Associate Professor Borut Holcman, Ph.D. His collaboration with the Institute encompasses pedagogical and scientific research work, monitoring and supporting the institute's projects and performing lectures at the Maribor Faculty of Law as a visiting lecturer. His contribution to the institute's work also led to a well-equipped library, filled with the fundamental legal history and iconographic publications. Professor Kocher actively participated in researching major legal history sources in Slovenia and supported the international conference in the field of legal iconography that took place at the University of Maribor.

When working as a dean, he systematically nurtured the connection of Austrian and Slovenian university professors and supported the work of Slovenian experts and the joint work of Slovenian and Austrian scientists, researchers and pedagogical staff. He also put great effort into assuring equal access to literature in the libraries of the University of Maribor and Karl Fanzens University in Graz and supported interlibrary cooperation between the two.

In 2008, his actions of a staunch supporter of Slovenian science and culture led to the opening of a corner with Slovenian books and a class of Slovene language at the Institute for Slovenian Language in Graz. The development of the study of Slovenian language at the Karl Franzens University in Graz was also one of his primary goals. He always actively supported the study of Slovenian language and his support finally led to the possibility of a full professorship of Slovenian literature and culture. Perhaps part of the reason for his firm support lies in the fact that his mother was also Slovenian.

In April 2016 he received the Medal for strengthening the cooperation between Slovenian and Austrian experts of humanistic and legal science.

         
vir: spletna stran Urada predsednika Republike Slovenije, oktober 2016

Silvo Devetak, Ph.D

Silvo Devetak, Ph.D., was a Full Professor at the Maribor Faculty of Law and one of the rare and highly appreciated experts in international law, international relations and human rights in Slovenia. In the years 1972-1974 and 1982-1989, he actively participated in the Assembly of Republic of Slovenia as a member of the Committee for international relations. He cooperated in the creation of the constitutional basis for roles of republics in international relations and is the author of the idea of Slovenian shared cultural space. Always stating his mind, he advocated for open borders with our neighboring countries, advertised a more European way for Yugoslavia and put a lot of effort into improving the European standards, connected to the position of Slovenian minorities abroad. He was also the minister's counselor at the Federal Secretariat for foreign affairs in 1974 and 1979.

Furthermore, he was also internationally active. He was a member of the UN committee dealing with racial discrimination, active in the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe and participated in diplomatic activities and negotiations with Italy that led to the ratification of the Treaty of Osimo in 1975. In his opinion, the treaty provided some unfavourable solutions for Slovenia, which led him to protest and give up his diplomatic career. He returned to Ljubljana and acted as the director of Institute for ethnic questions in 1980 – 1988. In 1991, he contributed to establishing the European center for ethnic, regional and social studies at the University of Maribor.

In the same year, he also acted as the initiator and vice-president of an ad-hoc international committee for international recognition of Republic of Slovenia, constituted in July 1991 at the Conference for European Security and Cooperation in Geneva. The committee performed numerous international activities in support of recognition of the Republic of Slovenia.

Since 1991 he acted as the expert in plentiful European organizations and research bodies (like Council of Europe or European bank for reconstruction and development) and a member of the international expert groups advocating peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the constitution of an international court for war crimes.

Aside from his scientific work, he led and coordinated 10 big european research projects, dealing with human rights, non-discrimination, protection of ethnic and religious minorities and development of regional cooperation and positive neighbouring relationships of Europe with its neighbours in the east (for example Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova).

One of his most visible international activities is also heading the international non-government organization ‘ISCOMET – International Scientific Conference Minorities for Europe Tomorrow'. He is the president of the organization since 1989. The organization has a status of a counseling body with the Council of Europe and is on the list as one of the rare non-government organizations with the right to file collective appeals when the rights stemming from the European Social Charter are breached.

Professor Silvo Devetak, Ph.D., has always been uncompromising and courageous in reaching scientific excellence and until today remains attentive and critical of the current events.

Šime Ivanjko, Ph.D.

He was the director of the College of Law in Maribor in 1974 – 1976 and 1981 – 1983 and later the dean of the Maribor Faculty of Law in 2003 – 2007.

He was the president of the Insurance Organizations Association of Yugoslavia, president of the honorary court of the Chamber of Commerce of Yugoslavia and Chamber of commerce and industry in Slovenia, a member of the Academy of Legal Science in Croatia, vice-president of the Association of Law Societies Slovenia and a honorary consul of Republic of Croatia in Slovenia.

Furthermore, he co-authored numerous law proposals in the field of company law, acted as a member of the committee, preparing the Companies Act, co-founded first two private insurance companies in Slovenia and Croatia, plenty of institutes and the first limited liability company in Slovenia, was the president of the Chamber of Commerce Štajerska and participated in the development of College of Law and High School of Law in Maribor into the Maribor Faculty of Law. Additionally, he acted as a member of the committee for assessing knowledge of insurance agents and brokers with the Slovenian Insurance Association.

Professor Šime Ivanjko, Ph.D., was also the initiator behind the creation of the journal ‘Pravna Praksa' and participated in founding the journal ‘Združeno delo', later named ‘Podjetje in delo'. He was the co-founder of the Tax-Finance Research Institute in Maribor and in that regard the editor of the journal Davčno-finančna praksa, issued by the Institute, founder of the Institute for Insurance and Law in Maribor and the president of the Society for Media Culture in Maribor.

Next, to the stated activity, he was also one of the signatories to the Foundation Charter of the University of Maribor and pro-rector of the University of Maribor in the years 1979-1983.

He received the Golden Sign of the University of Maribor in 2007 for his exceptional achievements and remarkable contribution to the development of the scientific research work at the University of Maribor.

Franc Pernek, Ph.D.

He was the director of the College of Law Maribor in the years 1983 – 1987 and the dean of the Maribor Faculty of Law in the years 1993 – 2003. He dealt with the law on consumer protection, authored numerous articles in this field and initiated the publishing of the first journal for consumers in Yugoslavia, named ‘Yu Potrošac'.

He lectured in domestic and foreign universities, different symposiums, congresses and consultations in the field of consumer protection and financial and tax law. He also headed some key research projects of the Ministry of higher education, science and technology. He received the Golden Sign of the University of Maribor in 1987.

Miroslava Geč Korošec, Ph.D. 
(† 2006)

Miroslava Geč Korošec was the head of the High School of Law in Maribor in the years 1991 – 1993. She was a consul in München, a judge in the Slovenian Constitutional Court in 1998 - 2000, a member of the executive board of the International Society of Family Law and a lecturer and researcher at the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg.

She participated in preparing legislation in the field of family law and plenty of other important fundamental research projects in the field of civil law.

Dr. Stanko Ojnik, Ph.D.
(†  2012)

A member of the European Academy of Science and Art since 1998, the first representative of the Law and History Institute in the Maribor Faculty of Law, the president of the Church Court of the Maribor Archbishop and the Church Court of Appeal for the whole church province of Slovenia.

He was also a member of the Rotary Club International and the first governor of the new Rotary district.

Jože Koropec, Ph.D.
(†  2004)

Ivan Vanek Šiftar, Ph.D.
(† 1999)

Ivan Vanek Šiftar was the head of the College of Law in Maribor in the years 1970 - 1974. He was the founder of the Garden of Memories and comradeship, for which he took care himself for 50 years. He was also the co-founder of the Šiftar foundation.

He was conferred the title Doctor of Science in the year 1965 but was already promoted to be the Assistant Professor in 1958 due to his remarkable research work. He became an Associate Professor in 1974 and a Professor of Constitutional Law in 1981.

He was known as a remarkable lecturer and researcher, respected by his students and his reputation also led him to lecture at the University of Ljubljana, Zagreb and elsewhere. He participated in numerous conferences, and his work was always cherished as a valuable contribution to the legal science.

When still the head of pedagogical staff at the College of Law in Maribor, he made efforts to establish a study programme of law at the University of Maribor and took care that the College of Law in Maribor gained many new lecturers. In the year 1976, he participated and headed the creation of the Elaborate of transition that would allow the changes, necessary for the transition of College of Law Maribor into High School of Law Maribor. Unfortunately, the elaborate did not gain the necessary support at that time.

He was awarded the Silver sign of the University of Maribor in 1979 and the Silver sign of freedom of Republic of Slovenia, as well as the Golden sign of the University of Maribor in 1999.