„Let’s Talk About Law“ – The Interactive Discussion Series: The Legal Year 2025 – A Legal Review of the Year

2025 was also an eventful year in legal terms—from the heated debate on migration to the failed election of a constitutional court judge, from the reform of basic income support to the question of how the state can reduce excessive bureaucracy. Amid populism, pragmatism, and legal provisions, it became clear once again just how closely law, politics, and social reality are intertwined.

As the year comes to a close, „Let’s Talk About Law“ will focus on the key legal issues of the year: What were the major reforms, landmark court decisions, and social debates surrounding the law and the rule of law? What is the current status of reforms ranging from administrative modernization to universal basic income? What are the implications for trust in the democratic rule of law following the failed confirmation of a Constitutional Court justice? How has migration policy changed from a legal perspective—and what do the European asylum reforms and their implementation in Germany actually mean?

The immigration law expert focuses on the ongoing debates surrounding immigration and asylum law Prof. Dr. Pauline Endres de Oliveira from Humboldt University in Berlin, which explains why the year 2025 marked a turning point in legal policy in this area. Providing a comprehensive legal overview is Dr. Markus Sehl, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Legal Tribune Online, who analyzes the most important legal developments and their political implications—and will highlight the issues that will continue to occupy us in the coming year.

You are cordially invited to help shape this discussion: Which legal decisions have particularly resonated with you this year? What went well—and where do the problems lie? What unresolved questions remain for us in the new year?

About the Guests

Pauline Endres de Oliveira is a professor of law and migration and director of the Berlin Institute for Empirical Research on Integration and Migration (BIM) at Humboldt University in Berlin. She heads the Law and Migration Research Division at BIM as well as at the Law and Society Institute the School of Law. In addition, as academic director, she coordinates the curriculum of the Refugee Law Clinic at HU. Since June 2025, she has been an associate member of the Herman von Helmholtz Center for Cultural Engineering at Humboldt University in Berlin. Her interdisciplinary and internationally oriented research focuses on the connections between migration law and international law, as well as the protection of human rights under international law. Since 2022, she has represented Humboldt University on the Berlin Senate’s Advisory Council on Migration.

Markus Sehl has been since 2018 LTO-Editor and, since 2022, Deputy Editor-in-Chief. His areas of focus are legal policy, the judiciary, constitutional law, and internal security. He also works as a freelance journalist, writing for publications such as „Die Zeit.“ Markus Sehl studied law in Freiburg, Istanbul, and Berlin. After passing his first state examination, he served as a research assistant at Humboldt University in Berlin under Martin Eifert, who is currently a judge on the Federal Constitutional Court, where he also earned his doctorate. He then studied at the German Literature Institute in Leipzig and completed a training program at the Henri Nannen School of Journalism.

About the Event Series

This year, the Forum Recht Foundation is hosting a regular series of discussions titled „Let’s Talk About Recht.“ Each session features guests from various fields of law who discuss their day-to-day work and share their perspectives on a current legal topic—ranging from labor law and tenancy law to freedom of speech.

Learn more about the event series here.

Service

Admission is free of charge. Registration is not required.

Please note our Accessibility information for the event venues. 

Doors open 20 minutes before the show starts.

Share your experiences and questions! Join the discussion now on current legal topics from the series at the Participation platform of the Forum Recht Foundation.