Dr. Lisa Seyfried, former university assistant at the Department for International Law and International Relations, defended her PhD thesis on May 26, 2026, on the topic “State Immunity under International Law in Austrian Civil Procedure Law: An Analysis of Decisions by National and International Courts.”
Her outstanding work is dedicated to analyzing the Austrian Supreme Court’s national approach to restrictive state immunity under international law, which consistently takes into account the plaintiff’s right to a fair trial. After presenting the key aspects of the law of state immunity under international law and the law of jurisdiction, the dissertation examines the procedural implications of state immunity in Austrian civil procedure, as well as Austrian case law regarding exceptions to state immunity within the framework of restrictive state immunity. It concludes that Austrian case law contributes to the consolidation of state practice and the further development of international law in certain areas of immunity law. In other respects, it becomes clear that a certain priority must be given to pluralism, as states have a corresponding discretion in the area of state immunity as an interface with national civil procedure law.
The dissertation was supervised by Head of the Department Prof. Erika de Wet, LL.M. (Harvard), and by Prof. Thomas Garber.
Head of the Department Prof. Erika de Wet:
On behalf of the Institute, I congratulate Dr. Seyfried on the successful defense of her dissertation and wish her all the best for her future endeavors. Her work addresses important questions regarding immunity under international law in national law and thus makes a valuable contribution to the further development of Austrian legal scholarship.
Dr. Lisa Seyfried:
The successful completion of my doctoral studies marks the end of a significant chapter in my life, which I conclude with great joy and gratitude. My heartfelt thanks go to the entire Institute for the inspiring time and the pleasant working environment. I would especially like to thank Prof. de Wet and Prof. Garber for their valuable support and excellent guidance during my dissertation.