Introducing A New Dispute Resolution Forum In Germany: Commercial Courts And Commercial Chambers

The German judicial market is in motion – and since 2025 more than ever: The legislator launched a remarkable initiative, the Legal Venue Strengthening Act (Gesetz zur Stärkung des Justizstandortes Deutschland). To date, this act has led to remarkable shifts in the way complex commercial disputes can be resolved efficiently, "made in Germany". In particular, the act enabled the German federal states to introduce specialised tribunals for commercial matters within the state court system. Will these tribunals become the new "go-to tribunals" for complex commercial legal disputes?

Understanding Germany's judicial system

Germany's state court system is pided into several branches, each dealing with specific types of legal disputes. The so-called ordinary courts (ordentliche Gerichtsbarkeit) handle civil and criminal matters: Civil courts (Zivilgerichte) resolve disputes between private parties, while criminal courts (Strafgerichte) prosecute offences on behalf of the State. Alongside