Michael Gøtze

Current research

Michael Gøtze is a Professor (Ph.D., LL.M., LL.B.) of Administrative Law. He was awarded the Ph.D.-degree in law in 1998 at the Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen. His dissertation is an analysis of the administrative law principle of "détournement de pouvoir". His research focus is the citizen's right to good administraiton. Currently his research revolves aorund: 

• Rule of law challenges (Covid, digital administration, political impact)
• Control mechanisms within public administration. Investigation and assessment of political-administrative cases by means of scrutiny commissions and other legal investigative tools
• Transparency and openness within public administration
• Whistleblowing and the right to freedom of expression of public employees
• Digital administration and digital impact
• Parliamentary Ombudsman Control

Michael is involved in a number of collective research projects inter alia on digital errors ("systemic errors") embedded and/or occuring in digital solutions within public administratiion and on the normative framework of civil service with a view to duties to objectivity, loyality and obedience. 

As member of the Advisory Committee Michael contributed to the European Law Institute project "AI and Public Administration: Developing Impact Assessments and Public Participation for Digital Democracy" (ELI, Vienna).    

Michael is a member of a number af European research networks (within administrative law, public law, European Union law) and he has contributed to comparative research on the laws of transparency and to the preparatory work within the Legal Affairs Committee under the European Parliament on the development and codification of a European Administrative Law Rules. 

Michael is director of the faculty's research center WELMA focusing on welfare within social law, labour law, health law, tax law, EU law etc.  

As to professional experiences, Michael previously worked as a civil servant (Ministry of the Interior) and as a judge (Eastern High Court). 

Teaching

Undervisningskompetencer på fakultetets jurauddannelser

Aktuel undervisning (efterår 2025)

• BA: Retssystemet og juridisk metode (seminarhold 13)
• BA: Temaforelæsning om myndighedsansvar 5. semester 
• BA Forvaltningsret/KA Udvidet forvaltningsret (vejledning)
• KA: Dele af civilprocesret (forelæsninger)
• Cand soc jur: Forvaltningsret (forelæsninger)
• EVU: Den gode borgerrådgiver (sammen med prof. Lin Adrian)

Michael er uddannet cand.jur. og Ph.D. Har været på studie- og forskningsophold i bl.a. Belgien (Leuven) og Frankrig (Aix-Marseille). Michael har pædagogisk uddannelse og lægger vægt på inddragelse af de studerende bl.a. ved hjælp af digitale værktøjer. Michael har undervist i forvaltningsret, offentlige myndigheders erstatning, offentlig ansættelsesret, dele af civilproces. EU-ret og Juridisk metode. Han er fagvejleder og klyngevejleder (BA/KA). Han er medlem af 3 faggrupper. 

I forhold til uddannelsesstrategiske satsninger arbejder han med at bygge bro mellem uddannelse og forskning og udbyder WELMAs projekt om offentlighedsloven. Michael støtter fakultetets arbejde med at styrke det fagsociale miljø for studerende og samarbejder med studenterforeningerne. Han har holdt oplæg på Arguments forskerfrokoster om whistleblowing, oplæg på JDs temauge om FE-sag (2023), på JD event om Højesterets dør-kendelser i FE-sagen (2023) og bidraget til fagligt interview om retsstatsuddannelse i JDs  Stud.Jur-blad Nr. 1/2025. I samarbejde med professor Lin Adrian, CIS, udbyder han i 2025 et nyt eksternt kursus i regi af fakultetet, KL og Akademikerne, støttet af puljemidler, om Den gode borgerrådgiver. Michael indgår i Advisory Board for tidsskriftet Retskraft (Copenhagen Journal of Legal Studies) rettet mod fakultetets studerende. 

• BA = Juridisk bacheloruddannelse. KA= Juridisk kandidatuddannelse.
• Vejledning omfatter klynge- og fagvejledning (BA-projekt/KA-speciale).

Knowledge of languages

English and French