Mathias Reimann: Born 8 April 1955. Study of law at the University of Freiburg. First (1978) and Second (1981) State Examinations; Dr. iur.utr. (Freiburg 1982); LL.M. University of Michigan (1983). Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School since 1985; Jean Monnet Fellow, European University Institute 1988-89; Chair for Civil Law, Comparative Law and Legal History, University of Trier (Germany) 1995-1999; Hessel E. Yntema Chair, University of Michigan since 2000. Visiting professorships at the Universities of Frankfurt, Freiburg, Paris I (Sorbonne), Tokyo, Bucerius Law School (Hamburg), and Scuola Superiore St. Anna (Pisa); member of the American Society of Comparative Law and of the American Society of International Law. Reinhard Zimmerman: Born 10 October 1952 in Hamburg. Study of law University of Hamburg, First (1976) and Second State Examinations (1979), doctor of laws (Hamburg, 1978); Chair of Roman and Comparative Law, University of Cape Town (1981 - 1988), Chair of Private Law, Roman Law and Comparative Legal History, University of Regensburg (from 1988), Honorary Professor, University of Cape Town (from 1998), Visiting Professor, Universities of Edinburgh, Stellenbosch, New Orleans, Chicago, Berkeley, Yale; A.L. Goodhart Professor of Legal Science, University of Cambridge (1998/99); Member and Director at the Max-Planck-Institute of Comparative Private Law and Private International Law (from 2002).