German Civil Code: Article-by-Article Commentary Volume II

The Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB) in the version as from 2 January 2002 is the very backbone of German civil law. Its institutions and principles are essential for the understanding of the law of Europe's major legal systems.

This second volume of the article-by-article commentary covers Books 4 to 5 of the BGB: Family Law and the Law of Succession. Together with the first volume on Books 1 to 3, the second volume now completes the extensive English language commentary on the BGB.

The commentary of each article is headed by the current version of the article both in the German original and an English translation followed by a clearly and uniformly structured analysis of the provision. Focus is laid on the understanding of the purpose and meaning of the provision in the context of the code and the proper use of the terminology both in German and English. As the meaning of the BGB does not always follow from the wording of its provisions, especially if translated into another language, they need further explanation. Facing this challenge, the commentary meets the expectations both of German and foreign lawyers by providing the proper terminology and explanation in English to lawyers and translators and by offering a systematic overview on the BGB to lawyers who are not very familiar with German civil law.

The commentaries reflect the law in July 2021, whereas subsequent changes in legislation were incorporated until 1 July 2022.