Revolution in the judicial system: Commercial Courts start in NRW!

Revolution in the judicial system: Commercial Courts start in NRW!

On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, the state cabinet of North Rhine-Westphalia approved the Ordinance for the establishment of a Commercial Courts and Commercial Chambers. These new institutions are intended to help strengthen the judiciary for economic disputes in North Rhine-Westphalia. The innovative reform officially comes into force on April 1, 2025 after it is made by the Minister of the Justice, Dr. Benjamin Limbach was signed. This measure takes place within the framework of the judicial location law, which the Bundestag already passed on July 4, 2024.

The establishment of the Commercial Courts aims to strengthen civil jurisdiction for international economic matters. According to the specifications of the judicial location law, the federal states can set up special senates for higher regional courts for commercial law disputes from a value of 500,000 euros. The Commercial Court in North Rhine-Westphalia will be based at the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court and will be responsible for complaints in areas such as corporate transactions, corporate law, building law and insurance law.

Specialization and procedural language

An essential feature of the new Commercial Courts is the possibility of fully carrying out procedures in English. This means that international companies in particular offer an improved legal environment. In addition to the Commercial Court in Düsseldorf, Commercial Chambers will be set up at the regional courts in Bielefeld, Essen and Cologne. These chambers will negotiate business law disputes with a value in dispute from 5,000 euros if the parties choose English as a procedural language.

The specialization of the Commercial Chambers is focused differently. The Bielefeld Regional Court is planning a focus on the right of renewable energies, while the Cologne Regional Court will focus on information technology and the Düsseldorf Regional Court on corporate transactions. This specialization is crucial in order to meet the different requirements of economic disputes and to make the judicial procedures more efficient.

procedural optimization and innovations

The reform also provides for a number of procedural innovations. For example, parties can apply for a confidentiality of information before an oral hearing. One of these measures is the planned case management conferences, which enable early organization of the procedures. In addition, the parties have the opportunity to receive a protocol that records every word of the negotiation, which guarantees a high degree of transparency.

Civil jurisdiction in Germany is thus noticeably modernized by this comprehensive reform. The Commercial Courts and Commercial Chambers not only offer companies a legal platform, but also promote Germany's competitiveness as a location for international business and disputes. The introduction of this specialized economic courts is classified as a milestone in the judicial policy of North Rhine-Westphalia and could serve as a model for other federal states. The interest in the construction of Commercial Courts is already evident in other regions, such as in Hamburg and Hesse, which are planning similar steps.

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