Crisis and the Law – A Legal Analysis of the COVID-19 Pandemic

„Let’s Talk About Law“—the interactive discussion series is set to begin its next round at the Forum Recht Foundation’s Leipzig location.

Leipzig. The next issue of the interactive discussion series „Let’s Talk About Law“ takes place on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 7:00 p.m., at the Leipzig office of the Forum Recht Foundation. This time, the topic is „Crisis and the Law—The Legal Analysis of the COVID-19 Pandemic.“ The guests are Prof. Dr. Andrea Kießling, professor of public law, social and health law, and immigration law at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, and the journalist Malte Spitz, Co-founder and Secretary General of the Society for Civil Liberties (Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte e.V.).

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaped everyday life in society for several years. The consequences of the pandemic and the legal measures taken to address it continue to be felt to this day. In some cases, infection control measures have led to hardships that courts have subsequently deemed unreasonable. The discourse surrounding the pandemic has led to social upheaval. There are still ongoing administrative and judicial proceedings seeking to resolve legal conflicts stemming from this period.

In a joint discussion with Host Susann Böttcher shed light on the lawyer Prof. Dr. Andrea Kießling and the journalist Malte Spitz Among other things, how the legal system in Germany and internationally has responded to the pandemic. In addition, the panel discussion will examine the principle of proportionality—which is often invoked during the crisis—and aim to explain what role the law plays, and can play, in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. These and other fascinating questions will be addressed in the discussion. The audience is cordially invited to join the discussion and participate in the conversation.

The Lawyer Prof. Dr. Andrea Kießling is a professor of public law, social and health law, and immigration law at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main and director of the Institute for European Health Policy and Social Law. In addition to issues related to immigration, police, and security law, her research focuses in particular on social and health law. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was regularly invited by the German Bundestag to serve as an expert on amendments to the Infection Protection Act. She currently serves as an expert for the Enquete Commission on the Review of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Malte Spitz He is a co-founder and secretary general of the Society for Civil Liberties (GFF) e.V., a journalist, political consultant, and freelance data protection officer. He has been a member of the National Regulatory Review Council since 2022. His work focuses on issues related to the protection of fundamental rights in the digital world, civil rights in general, and digitization in the context of administrative modernization. The Society for Civil Liberties monitored the effects of the COVID-19 measures as part of a monitoring project and filed a constitutional complaint against the curfews imposed by the COVID-19 Emergency Brake Act.

The conversation will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the Forum Recht Foundation in Leipzig (Universitätsstraße 20). Admission is free. Registration is not required. The foundation cordially invites the audience to join the discussion and contribute their own questions.

Let's Talk About Law
Since 2025, the Forum Recht Foundation has been regularly hosting the „Let’s Talk About Recht“ discussion series at its venues in Karlsruhe and Leipzig. The guests are prominent figures from various fields of law who discuss their day-to-day work and share their perspectives on current legal topics—ranging from labor law and tenancy law to freedom of speech. The discussions are recorded and subsequently released as a live-on-tape podcast.