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Mar­ie-Louise Holle

Associate Professor

Subjects
Business law International law Law Public law Supply chain Climate

Primary research areas

Torts, Contracts, Obligations, Private Law

My research examines the law of obligations, in particular tort and contract law, with a focus on how legal doctrines allocate responsibility, regulate risk, and provide effective remedies. I have written extensively on professional and institutional liability, vicarious liability, and contractual governance, and I served as principal editor of...

Climate Litigation

My research on climate litigation builds upon long-standing scholarship in tort law, where central concerns—responsibility, prevention, and liability—inform both preventive mechanisms, such as duties of care and injunctions, and remedial frameworks addressing climate-related harm. An essential feature of my work is its comparative law dimension...

Public-Private Law Interface

My research examines the interface between public and private law, with a focus on how tort and contract doctrines allocate responsibility in contexts where state and private actors intersect. This includes questions of liability, state accountability, and contractual governance in public–private frameworks. In addition to doctrinal analysis...

Space Law, Comparative Law

Researching tort and contract law with a focus on prevention, responsibility, and their role in both private law and climate litigation

My research examines how private law—particularly tort and contract law—can address major societal challenges such as climate change, professional accountability, and risk regulation in public–private contexts. I focus on the preventive and remedial functions of private law, exploring how doctrines of liability and contractual responsibility contribute to managing transnational risks and protecting rights. 

As an Affiliated Researcher at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and as a Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) (ranked No. 8 worldwide), I contribute to global debates on corporate climate liability and the role of private law in sustainability transitions. At NUS, I convened the course Civil Law in a Global Perspective

I have presented at leading institutions including Harvard, Columbia, and NUS, and serve as Global Rapporteur on corporate climate litigation. I also co-led the Restatement of Nordic Contract Law, which continues to shape legal education and practice. Through teaching, research, and academic service, I aim to strengthen the role of law in promoting accountability and resilience in society.  

 

Academic Service Activities

I currently serve as a board member of JurForsk, the Danish national body for PhD education in law (2023–present), and have been actively engaged in PhD education at CBS as a member of the CBS PhD Committee (2018–2019), PhD Coordinator for CBS LAW fellows (2018–2021), and been a member of PhD assessment committee and a discussant at PhD work-in-progress seminars.

Within CBS LAW, I have contributed to the restructuring and development of research groups, including the design and naming of new thematic clusters. I am also one of two appointed assistant professor supervisors at CBS LAW, responsible for mentoring early career scholars and overseeing their pedagogical training and career progression within the Higher Education Teaching and Educational Programme (HETEP).

At the international level, I am affiliated with the Columbia Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, where I serve as Global Rapporteur and participate in its peer review network and expert panels on climate litigation. In addition, I act as a reviewer for international peer-reviewed journals in private law and climate law, assess research funding applications, and evaluate candidates for academic appointments at CBS and other institutions. I am an editorial board member of Carbon and Climate Law Review.