The LIDER Lab (International and Comparative Law Research Laboratory) embodies quite a long tradition of empirical studies, training and counselling in the common field of private and comparative law.

Our international and comparative research laboratory covers most fields in tort, contract, property and family law, as well as the regulation of and legal issues relating to the information society, both at a national and international level.

Our methodological approach is essentially comparative and interdisciplinary, and is related to empirical work and analysis. Accordingly, our primary mission is to study private law as a cornerstone of contemporary regulation, in order to promote the protection and autonomy of individuals within the private sphere. Sometimes interactions between individuals and public and private entities are also included. Pursuing these aims, after several years of actual work we have formalised the Lab, consolidating the ongoing research projects that have been undertaken under the auspices of the European Science Foundation, the European Commission, the Italian Ministry of Science and Research, the Italian National Council of Research, the National Association of Insurance Companies (ANIA), the National Agency controlling the Insurance Market (ISVAP), and several other public and private entities and institutions.

Among the main research fields are:

• The Permanent International Observatory on Damages for Personal Injury
• Fundamental Rights Protection, Movement of Persons and Private Law
• Harmonisation of law in an era of globalisation and Europeanisation
• Insurance law between market development and individual protection
• Information Society, Law and Policy
• Medical malpractice and risk management
• Regulated and regulating civil liability

Mainstreams of activities:

• National and international research;
• Training programmes which are also accredited for continuing education, organised with leading national and international experts and institutions (intensive lectures and seminar programmes for scholars, students or practitioners), accredited by Italian and National Bars and the American Bar Association as well;
• Consultation and partnerships for public and private entities and international institutions in our main research fields.

The Lider-Lab, under the auspices of ‘Associazione Italiana di Diritto Comparato’, the national committee of the Association Internationale des Sciences Juridiques, coordinates Opinio Juris in Comparatione. Opinio Juris is a generalist electronic open platform devoted to ‘Studies in Comparative and National Law’. It aims to enhance the dialogue among all legal traditions in a broad sense e.g.:

1. in a pure cultural sense in order to increase legal knowledge and to promote circulation of (and competition between) models and legal transplants;
2. in a more political perspective in order to harmonise, when possible/feasible, substantive (or procedural) civil law or private international law rules having regard to the different ‘legal formants’