Civil Law Department of the Law Faculty of the Belarusian State University is the leading department in this field in the Republic of Belarus. Since its foundation in 1921 the Department was called the Department of Civil Law, since 1937 – the Department of Civil Law and Procedure, in 1974 it split into two independent departments: Department Civil and Family Law; Department of Civil Procedure and Labor Law. Since 1991 the Department has been called Civil Law Department.

The Department has been in charge of recognized scholars: Professor G. Markov (1921-1922), Academician M. Gredzinger (1923-1936); I. Andreychik, PhD (1944-1945), Professor F. Gavze, LLD (1945-1950), G. Povet’ev, PhD (1950-1973), Professor V. Chigir, LLD (1971-1973). Since 1993 the Department has been held by LLD, Professor Valery N. Godunov.

The Department’s academic staff includes 34 lecturers, two Doctors of Laws, Full Professors and 20 PhD holders (Candidates of Sciences) in law, Associate Professors are among them.

The Department provides teaching of the following academic courses: Civil Law, Family Law, Roman Private Law, European Law, International Private Law, Intellectual Property Law as well as special courses: “Legal regulation of property relations”, “Civil law contract”, “Housing Law”, “Insurance Law”, “Civil and Trade Law of Foreign Countries”, “Topical Issues of the European Private Law”, “Legal Regulation of Internal Market of the European Union”. In addition the lecturers of the Department teach law at various faculties of the BSU: at the humanitarian faculties – Intellectual Property Law, at the Faculty of the International Relations – Roman Private Law and Family Law, at the Historical faculty – Civil Law.

The first Belarusian textbooks and handbooks devoted to the Civil Law, Family Law, Housing Law and the first Comment to the Civil Code have been developed by the staff of the Department. Among recent most notable publications of the Department are the following: Civil Law: Textbooks in 2 volumes (2000, 2002); handbook on civil law (2000), Handbook on Сommercial Law (2003); Comment upon the Civil Code of the Republic of Belarus in 3 volumes (2003); Comments upon the Civil Code of the Republic of Belarus combined with legislative acts and court practice; Civil Law: Textbooks in 3 volumes (2008, 2010, 2011); Belarusian Juridical Encyclopedia in 4 volumes (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011). The Department develops other academic and methodical materials, standard educational programs on Civil Law, Family Law, Roman Private Law, European Law, International Private Law.

The Department researches Civil Law, Roman Private Law, European Law, International Private Law issues. Honored Lawyer of BSSR, LLD (Doctor of Laws), Professor Vasily F. Chigir has made great contribution to the development of legal civil sciences. In 1970 he defended the thesis “Housing legal relations” and was awarded LLD (Doctor of Laws). He created a school of Housing Law researches at the Department. At present a scientific school “Legal entities and individuals as the subjects of civil relationships: theoretical and practical aspects” supervised by Professor V. Chigir and Professor V. Godunov is operating at the Department. Professor V. Godunov in 2004 defended the thesis “Legal means of public needs provision with goods, works and services” and was awarded LLD (Doctor of Laws) and more than 20 theses have been defended on the research topics of the scientific school mentioned above.

Scholars of the Department take an active part in various research projects. In 2006-2010 the Department was in charge of the research project “Legal provision of innovative development of the economy of the Republic of Belarus” within the State complex research program “State and society”. At present the Department is working on the research program “Legal regulation issues of execution and protection of the rights civil relationships participants in the context of the civil legislation” within the State Research Program on 2011-2015 “History, Culture, Society, State”.

The Department arranged and hosted such notable republican and international research and practical conferences as International research and practical conference “Theory and practice of individuals’ and legal entities’ rights execution” (December, 6-7, 2001); International research and practical conference “The efficiency of rights’ protection as the guarantee of the ruled by law state” (December, 2-3, 2004); International research and practical conference “Legal means providing economy development of the Republic of Belarus” (November,
9-10, 2007); International research and practical Conference “Legal provision of an innovative development of the economy of the Republic of Belarus” (October, 21-22, 2010).

Scientific achievements of the Department’s staff have been reflected in a number of publications. The outputs of research work are incorporated into the academic process, can be found in textbooks, coursebooks and study guides, in scholarly conclusions on Drafts of Legal Acts and Judgments of Plenary Assemblies of the Supreme Court the Supreme Economic Court of the Republic of Belarus.

The Department maintains contacts with corresponding departments of Lomonosov Moscow State University, S.-Petersburg State University, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Far-Eastern State University (Vladivostok); Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Belarus, Brest State Pushkin University, Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, Polotsk State University, National Centre of Legislation and Legal Research of the Republic of Belarus, other educational and research institutions of the Republic of Belarus, CIS countries and other foreign countries.

Staff
- Sergey Belous
- Sergei Ermakovich
- Diana V. Ivanova, PhD
- Alexander V. Karavay, PhD
- Alexander Khrapoutski
- Maryia Korotkevich, PhD
- Darya Lando
- Maryia Miashchanava, PhD
- Irina V. Popova, PhD
- Sergey Pratasavitski, Dr
- Elena A. Reutskaya
- Tatyana M. Rusenchyk
- Elena A. Svadkovskaya, PhD
- Irina P. Tretiakova
- Liudmila Tsareva, PhD
- Oleg O. Yadrevsky