{{Short description|Estonian lawyer and politician}} {{Multiple issues| {{Expand Estonian|topic=bio|Paul Varul|date=July 2024}} {{BLP sources|date=July 2024}} }} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Paul Varul | image = | caption = | office = Minister of Justice | prime_minister = Tiit Vähi<br>Mart Siimann | term_start = 17 April 1995 | term_end = 25 March 1999 | predecessor = Jüri Adams | successor = Märt Rask | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|12|10|df=y}} | birth_place = Valga, Estonian SSR, Soviet Union | death_date = | death_place = | party = | alma_mater = }}

'''Paul Varul''' (born 10 December 1952 in Valga) is an Estonian lawyer and politician. He was the Minister of Justice of Estonia from 1995 to 1999.<ref name="l374">{{cite book | last1=Europe | first1=C. | last2=Riigikohus | first2=E. | title=The Competences of Supreme Courts: Second Meeting of Presidents of Supreme Courts of Central and Eastern European Countries | publisher=Council of Europe Pub. | series=EDC collection | year=1998 | isbn=978-92-871-3797-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VwetmNyD7tcC&pg=PA11 | access-date=2024-07-22 | page=11}}</ref>

==Education==

Varul studied at the University of Tartu and graduated in 1975.<ref name="VES-1995">{{cite news |last1=Vaga |first1=Airi |title=Tiit Vähi valitsuses 15 ministrit – kolm pole kuulunud kommunistlikku parteisse |url=https://dea.digar.ee/cgi-bin/dea?a=is&oid=vabaeestisona19950511&type=staticpdf |access-date=22 July 2024 |work=Vaba Eesti Sõna |date=11 May 1995}}</ref>

==Legislation==

Varul was involved in drafting all the major legal acts of private law in Estonia (examples include: Law of Property Act, General Part of the Civil Code Act, Family Law Act, Law of Succession Act, Commercial Code, Law of Obligations Act, Bankruptcy Act, Reorganisation Act, Electronic Communications Act etc.). He has also been an expert contributor to the drafting of the National Central Bank Act (Eesti Pank Act) and the legislation regulating the pursuit of business of a credit institution (including the Credit Institutions Act).<ref name="k170">{{cite book | last1=Crawford | first1=J. | last2=Lee | first2=K. | title=ICSID Reports: Volume 6 | publisher=Cambridge University Press | year=2004 | isbn=978-0-521-82988-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tcoHL43n2roC&pg=PA276 | access-date=2024-07-22 | page=276}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last1=Groenendijk | first1=K. | last2=Guild | first2=E. | last3=Minderhoud | first3=P. | title=In Search of Europe's Borders | publisher=Brill | series=Immigration and Asylum Law and Policy in Europe | year=2021 | isbn=978-90-04-48151-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CSBXEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA100 | access-date=2024-07-22 | page=100}}</ref><ref name="r938">{{cite book | last1=De Groof | first1=J. | last2=Penneman | first2=H. | title=The Legal Status of Pupils in Europe: Yearbook of the European Association for Education Law and Policy | publisher=Kluwer Law International | year=1998 | isbn=978-90-411-0521-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NmSCs0eWFfoC&pg=PA168 | access-date=2024-07-22 | page=168}}</ref>

==Career==

Varul has been an academic at the University of Tartu.<ref>{{cite book | title=Central and East European Law Initiative: CEELI. | publisher=American Bar Association | issue=v. 3 | year=1993 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UStRAQAAIAAJ | access-date=2024-07-22 | page=}}</ref>

Varul is a senior partner of the law firm {{ill|TGS Baltic|et}}.<ref name="Varul-2023">{{cite news |last1=Varul |first1=Paul |last2=Meiel |first2=Kaupo |title=Paul Varul: juristieksami seadus tuleks kevadel vastu võtta |url=https://www.err.ee/1608947653/paul-varul-juristieksami-seadus-tuleks-kevadel-vastu-votta |access-date=22 July 2024 |work=Eesti Rahvusringhääling |date=14 April 2023}}</ref>

He is one of the founding members of the European Law Institute, a non-profit organisation that conducts research, makes recommendations and provides practical guidance in the field of European legal development with a goal of enhancing European legal integration.

Varul has written about the importance of improving legal education in Estonia.<ref name="Varul-2023"/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://tgsbaltic.com TGS Baltic] *[http://www.europeanlawinstitute.eu European Law Institute]

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box|before=Jüri Adams|title=Minister of Justice|years=1995–1999|after=Märt Rask}} {{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varul, Paul}} Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century Estonian lawyers Category:21st-century Estonian lawyers Category:Justice ministers of Estonia Category:People from Valga, Estonia Category:Politicians from Valga County Category:University of Tartu alumni Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 4th Class Category:20th-century Estonian politicians

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