My research and publications have ranged from philosophy (reception of Kantian philosophy in England and Scotland) to German literature (esp. East German literature) and, more recently, to the sociology of the professions in the context of European studies, often with a focus on women.  Since the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the socialist bloc, I have worked mainly on developments in the legal professions in Europe under the impact of 3 major processes: 

transformation in Central and Eastern Europe
economic globalisation
European liberalisation.

Increasingly, my interests have homed in on developments in the profession of notary public in Europe. Due to the dearth of published studies on the subject, I have had to rely heavily on interviews carried out in the countries concerned (GDR, FRG, united Germany, England and Wales, Poland, Hungary, France). My findings have been regularly presented at international conferences, most particularly at conferences of the Research Committee on Sociology of Law (RCSL) of the International Sociological Association (ISA), of which I have been a member since the early 1990s. As national notarial organisations have begun to take an interest in my work, I have repeatedly been asked to contribute to their own conferences and workshops.