The Principal Investigator

Prof. Dr. Alan UZELAC

Full Professor, Chair for Civil Procedure, Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb

Citizenship: Croatian

Born: 15 June 1963

Employment:
Faculty of Law in Zagreb, November 1994 onwards Full Professor with Permanent Appointment (17/01/2012); Professor (16/1/2007), Associate Professor (18/12/2002), Assistant Professor (1/7/1999), Teaching Assistant (1/11/1994). Past employment: Law Faculty, Rijeka University; Faculty of Political Science, Zagreb University.

Education and professional development
1999 Doctor of Laws (dr. sc. = LL.D., PhD), Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb
1992 Master of Laws (LL.M.) – [scientific Master’s], Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb
1990 Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Literature (= Master’s degree), Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb
1988 Graduated Lawyer (dipl. iur.) – Master’s degree in Law, Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb
2003, 2008, 2011 Mobility (Erasmus and independent stays), University of Maastricht, Research and Lecturing (Comparative Civil Procedure Course, Masters and Bachelors Programmes – several weeks of research, teaching and exchange
1995-1996 Visiting Researcher (Fulbright Grant), European Law Research Centre, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA)
1995 Visiting Researcher at the Institute for European Law, Faculty of Law at the Vienna University, Vienna, Austria – two months
1986 Study at Johannes Guttenberg University in Mainz, Germany

Teaching
Faculty of Law, Zagreb University
- graduate (Master’s) level: Civil Procedure (mandatory); Enforcement, Notarial Law (module); ADR, Comparative Civil Procedure and Organisation of Judiciary (electives – in English)
- postgraduate (specialist and doctoral studies) level: Human Rights Protection, European Court of Human Rights (European Law module); Litigation and ADR (Civil and Commercial
Law module)
- professional training and education: Founder and Leader of the Students’ Clinic at the Faculty of Law (http://klinika.pravo.unizg.hr)

Research projects, past and present
1. Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sport (http://www.mzos.hr)
- 2006-2013: Senior Researcher and Deputy PI in the scientific project “Harmonization of Civil Procedural Law with the Legal System of the European Union” (066-0662501-2521); 2002-2006: Senior Researcher in the scientific project: “Reform of Croatian Organizational and Functional Procedural Law” (066015); 1998-2002: Senior Researcher in the scientific project: “Croatian and Comparative Non-Contentious, Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law” (066006); 1996-1998: Principal researcher in the installation research project: “Burden of Proof, Presumptions and Fictions in Judicial Proceedings” (006611); 1991-1996: Researcher in the scientific projects “European Judicial Law and Human Rights Protection” and “Rule of Law”; 1989-90: Researcher and Secretary of the project “Reconstruction of Theoretical and Methodological Framework for Research on Fundaments of Law and Legal Pluralism”.

2. Ius Commune Research School (http://www.iuscommune.eu)
- 2008-2013: Senior researcher in the scientific research cooperation among various European law schools, led by the Universities in Maastricht, Leuven, Utrecht and Amsterdam (Research on the topic “Foundations and Principles of Civil Procedure in Europe”)

3. China-EU School of Law (CESL)
- 2010-2012: Senior Researcher in the international research project „The Role of the Judge and the Parties in Civil Litigation: Towards an efficient procedure under the rule of law in China and the EU“ (project conducted by a group of researchers from Austria, Croatia, HongKong, Italy, China, the Netherlands and Romania)

4. Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik (http://www.iuc.hr)
- 2006-2013: Organising Director of the international seminar „Public and Private Justice: Dispute Resolution in Modern Societies“, research and teaching course for experienced academics, leading professionals and post-graduate students.

5. European Commission, DG Justice – DEECP Project financed by the EU
- 2013-2014: Researcher and contact person for the project “Dimensions of Evidence in European Civil Procedure”, JUST/2011-2012/JCIV/AG/3434 (led by the University of Maribor)

Membership and duties in professional bodies 
- International Association for Procedural Law (http://www.iaplaw.org) – Member (since 1992), Member of the IAPL Council – since 2006.
- Wissenschaftliche Vereinigung für Internationales Zivilprozeß – Member; Member of the Board (Rat) – since 2007.
- Ethical Council of Zagreb University: Deputy President: 2008-2012; Member: 2013-.
- Member of the Scientific Council of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Science for Judiciary, Administration and Local Self-Government.
- Harvard Club Croatia; Fulbright Association – member.

Professional work
1. Council of Europe
- Member of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) – national delegate (2003 – 2010), Member of the CEPEJ Bureau (2003-2006); Chairman of the Task Force on Timeframes of Judicial Proceedings (TF-DEL) – (2003-2006); Member of the Groupe de Pilotage of the Center for the Study and Analysis of Judicial Time Management (SATURN) – (2007-2010).

2. United Nations
- Member of the Working Group on Arbitration and Conciliation of the UN Commission for International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) - 2002-2012.
Independent research, consultations and expertise for various international, governmental and non-governmental organisations
- Consulting on various aspects of the assessment of civil justice systems in other jurisdictions, inter alia: on reform of the system of enforcement of judicial decisions and other enforceable documents (Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, Serbia, Bosnia and Hercegovina); on the functioning of civil procedure and judicial time management (Bosnia and Hercegovina, Morocco, Croatia); on the development of the systems of alternative dispute resolution - mediation and arbitration (Kosovo, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Albania); on reform of the appeals system (Russia); on evaluation of the legal aid system (Montenegro); on harmonisation of litigation legislation with EU law (Montenegro). Legal consultancy, expert evaluation and assessment – engaged by the World Bank, USAID, UNHCR, Council of Europe, OSCE.
- Consulting on various aspects of the Croatian legal system. Expert opinions on the constitutionality of the Legal Aid Act and the Pre-Bankruptcy Settlement Act. Membership in the drafting groups (either as key expert or one of the key experts) for the preparation of the legislation in the field of civil procedure (to date: Arbitration Act, Law on Courts, Law on State Judicial Council, Mediation Act, Legal Aid Act, Anti-Discrimination Law). Monitoring of the development of EU Law (eg. monitoring of the EAPO – European Account Preservation Order). Work upon request of the Constitutional Court of Croatia; Croatian Ministry of Justice; Ombudsman Office; Human Rights Office; Centre for Human Rights; Croatian Law Centre; National Journalists’ Association and others. Occasional engagements, 2000-2013.

For CV nad full thext of published works see more on this website. For teaching references see this profile page.