Bernhard Windscheid (26 June 1817 – 26 October 1892[1]) was a German jurist and a member of the pandectistic school of law thought.

He became famous with his essay on the concept of a legal action, which sparkled a debate with Theodor Muther [de] that is said to have initiated the studies of the processal law as we know it today.

His principal work was his Lehrbuch des Pandektenrechts, and this was the main source of inspiration for the German Civil Code – the BGB.

Additionally, Windscheid worked as a teacher at several universities in Germany and Switzerland, including Basel, Greifswald, München, Heidelberg, and Leipzig.

Bernhard Windscheid married the artist Auguste Eleanore Charlotte "Lotte" Pochhammer (1830–1918) on 4 November 1858.