The main direction of the Research Centre’s activity from the moment of its incorporation has been the development of the concepts of enhancement of the legislation and the draft legal instruments in the field of private law. The main mission of the Centre has been and remains the Civil Code of the Russian Federation the development and modernization of which the Centre has been responsible and has been carrying out.

The expert assessment of the draft legislation as well as other legal acts developed by the State Duma, by the Federation Council, by the Government of the Russian Federation, by the ministries and agencies as well as other organisations and state bodies is carried out within the Research Centre. The Centre also provides expert opinions upon requests of the justices of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, The Intellectual Property Rights Court, and other state bodies.

Alongside with the above the Research Centre carries out numerous practically oriented academic research works, advises on the issues of private law and provides legal opinions at the request of organisations. 

Alongside with the above the Center carries out the functions of the secretariat of the Presidential Council for Codification and Enhancement of Civil Legislation, ensuring the activity of the working groups of the Council as well as the organisational and informational support of its operation. It is remarkable that it is within the Research Centre where the drafts of all the expert opinions and other resolutions of the Centre are prepared on the request of the governmental bodies and public officials.

The Research Centre is involved in the educational activity aimed at the development of the legal culture and exchange of experience in the field of the field of private law – it publishes monographies and collections of articles, holds conferences, seminars and round tables related to the topical issues of the private law. The Research Centre carries out the project “The Dialogues on Private Law” in various regions of the Russian Federation, holds annual conferences “The Russian Civil Law. The Results of the Year” the following educational projects operate on the basis of the Research Centre: “The Family Law Club”, “The Alexeev’s Heritage”.

The integral part of the Research Centre is the Russian School of Private Law – an educational unit providing education of the highly qualified lawyers under the master program as well as under the professional training programs.

At present the Research Centre has proceeded with the implementation of the new directions of its activity. In 2021 at the Private Law Research Centre the dissertation board was incorporated for the defense of the candidate and doctoral dissertations with the specialisation "The Private law (civilistic) sciences (the legal sciences)" and postdoctoral study with the said specialization was set up.

The History

The Research Centre was incorporated on 27-th December 1991 as per the executive order of the President of RSFSR B.N. Yeltsin. After 12 years the name of Sergey Sergeevich Alexeev the prominent legal academic, Doctor of Law and Honoured Scientist of RSFSR was commemorated in the name of the Centre. His fundamental ideas formed the basis of the Constitution of the Russian Federation became the cornerstone of the Civil Сode, found their reflection in dozens of the legal academic works and formed the professional mindset of many generations of the lawyers.

The Private Law Research Centre was incorporated at the birth time of the state system of the new state – the Russian Federation formed after the demise of the USSR. Since the moment of its incorporation the mission assigned to the Centre consisted in development of the modern civil legislation consistent with the modern economic and social reality within very tight time frame. At the core of the said work was the development of the new Civil Code of the Russian Federation – the economic constitution of our country.

Within 4 years of incorporation of the Centre on the initiative of the main developers of the Civil Code the Russian School of Private Law was formed. The formation of the newly enacted legislation required the significant changes in the field of legal education and training of the specialists capable to develop and implement the newly enacted legal provisions.

Within the period from 1992 to 2006 the Centre took immediate participation in development of the drafts of the first four parts of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation and federal laws implementing the same. Within the said period the main provisions regarding the pledge of immovable property were developed – on the mortgage.

It did take 15 years of the intensive and profound work for the Civil Code of the Russian Federation to become a reality. Upon the intense creative work of the staff of the Centre within the time from 1994 to 2006 the first parts of the Civil Code came into existence and in January 2008 the final fourth part came into effect.

Alongside with the above the Centre prepared the Concept of the enhancement of the civil legislation which was ratified during the session of the Council under the chairmanship of the Russian Federation dated 7-th October 2009. It served as a basis for the federal law № 47538-6 “On amendments to the first, second, third and fourth part of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation as well as to other several legislative acts of the Russian Federation” which provided for the large scale amendment to the Code. All work relating to preparation of the separate parts of the draft law to the second and third reading adopted by the separate federal laws was carried out by the employees the Research Centre.

In the beginning of the 90-s XX century the Research Centre carried out a significant work for convergence and harmonization of the private law of the countries – members of the CIS. Within the short time period the Model Civil Code for the CIS countries was developed. On the basis of the said uniform act the civil codes of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were adopted. 

Head of the Private Law Research Centre