Commercial Courts and Chambers launched in Frankfurt and Berlin - New impetus for commercial disputes

With the entry into force of the Act to Strengthen the Location of Justice on 9 April 2025, the German judiciary is undertaking a significant realignment in the area of complex commercial disputes: So-called Commercial Courts and Commercial Chambers have been established in Frankfurt and Berlin for the first time. The aim is to be able to hear international disputes efficiently, practically and, if desired, in English - a long overdue step in international legal comparison.

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What's new?

Frankfurt am Main:

From 1 July 2025, there will be two new Commercial Courts at the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt, which will be the courts of first instance responsible for commercial disputes with an amount in dispute of €500,000 or more.

A novelty: proceedings can be conducted in German, English or mixed languages. This opens up new perspectives for internationally active companies in particular with regard to litigation before state courts.

In addition, commercial chambers are being set up at the Frankfurt Regional Court, which also specialise in proceedings with an international commercial dimension and also permit English as the language of proceedings.

Berlin:

The start has already been made in the capital: Since 1 April 2025, a Commercial Court with a focus on private construction and architectural law has been operating at the Berlin Court of Appeal.

The special feature: proceedings before the Commercial Court in Berlin only take place in one factual instance. This enables complex construction contract disputes to be resolved quickly.

At the same time, Commercial Chambers were established at the Berlin II Regional Court. These are responsible for cases with an amount in dispute of 5,000 euros or more - significantly lower than in Frankfurt - and are also open to hearings in English.

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Classification and Perspective

The new Commercial Courts and Chambers offer a judicial alternative to arbitration - with a high level of specialisation, international focus and choice of negotiation languages. For companies, this means new opportunities to resolve commercial law disputes before state courts efficiently and with international connectivity.

The reform underlines a paradigm shift in the German judiciary: away from uniform jurisdiction and towards more specialisation, internationality and user-friendliness.

Whether and how the new structures will be accepted in practice remains to be seen. However, the legislative initiative is a clear signal: Germany wants to play a more active role as a court location in international competition.