Background
Inge Lorange Backer was born in 1946 and holds a Master’s Degree in Law (cand. jur., Oslo, 1972), a Diploma in Legal Studies (Cantab., 1978) and a Ph.D. in Law (dr. jur., Oslo, 1987). He was awarded an Honorary Doctor’s Degree in Law (jur. dr. h.c.) from Uppsala University in 2006.
He was employed in the Norwegian Ministry of Justice, Legislation Department, 1972-76 and subsequently in the Ministry of Environment 1976-77 (Department for Pollution Control) and 1984-87 (Department for Nature Conservation and Open-Air Recreation). In 1995-2008 he was Director General and head of the Legislation Department of the Ministry of Justice. In 1973-74 he was assistant judge in Romsdal District Court (with leave from the Ministry of Justice).
He was a lecturer and subsequently a research fellow at the Faculty of Law, University of Oslo, 1977-83, and a senior lecturer at the then Department for Criminology and Penal Law 1983-84. He was professor of law 1987-94 (University of Oslo) and director of its Department for Public and International Law 1989-92. As from 1 November 2008 he is professor at the Department for Public and International Law.
Professor Backer has been serving on several Government appointed commissions. He was secretary of the Children and Parents Law Commission (1975-77) and a member of i.a. the Courts Commission (1996-99). He chaired the Biotechnology Commission (1987-90), the Water Resources Law Commission (1990-94), the Svalbard Environment Law Commission (1996-99) and the Biodiversity Law Commission (2001-04).
As Director General he was the Norwegian representative to the Committee of Senior Civil Servants on Legal Matters in the Nordic Council of Ministers (1995-2008) and to the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee on Legal Cooperation (CDCJ) (1996-2008), chairing the latter 2003-2005.
Fields of research
Professor Backer’s current major field of research is the preparation and drafting of legislation, emphasizing the need to see legal rules and questions from the perspective of the legislator rather than the application of current law.
He retains his interest in several fields of law where he has formerly done research work. In environmental law and administrative law his main works are Naturvern og naturinngrep. Forvaltningsrettslige styringsmidler [Nature Conservation and Encroachments in Nature. Remedies in Administrative Law] (Oslo 1986, dissertation) and Innføring in naturressurs- og miljørett [Introduction to Natural Resources and Environment Law] (4th ed., Oslo 2002). He has been responsible for the discipline of civil procedure and has published Rettslig interesse for søksmål, skjønn og klage [Standing in respect of Civil Lawsuits, Judicial Survey and Administrative Appeal] (Oslo 1984) and in English The Norwegian Reform of Civil Procedure (51 Scandinavian Studies in Law (Stockholm 2007) pp. 41-75). In child Law he has published Barneloven. Kommentarutgave [The Children Act. A Commentary] (2nd ed., Oslo 2008).