German Civil Justice

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German Civil Justice

Peter L. MurrayRobert Braucher Visiting Professor

of Law from Practice,Harvard Law School

Rolf StürnerProfessor Ordinarius of Law,

University of FreiburgJudge of the State Court of Appeals

Carolina Academic PressDurham, North Carolina

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Copyright © 2004Peter L. Murray and Rolf Stürner

All Rights Reserved

ISBN 1-59460-003-1LCCN 2003116285

Carolina Academic Press700 Kent Street

Durham, NC 27701Telephone (919) 489-7486

Fax (919) 493-5668www.cap-press.com

Printed in the United States of America

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Contents

Foreword xvPreface xviiiTable of Abbreviations xxvi

Chapter 1 Overview of German Civil Justice 3A. Purpose and Constitutional Role of Civil Justice in

Modern Germany 31. The Purpose of Civil Justice 42. The State’s Constitutional Responsibility for Civil Justice 4

B. The German Civil Justice Establishment 51. The Courts 62. The Judges 73. The Lawyers 9

C. Overview of Civil Proceedings 111. The Pleading and Preparatory Phase of a Civil Case 122. Plenary Proceedings and Reception of Evidence 143. Appeals 164. Special Proceedings 18

D. Current Performance of German Civil Justice 19

Chapter 2 History and Development of German Civil Justice 23

A. Germanic Civil Justice 23B. The Reception of Roman and Canon Law 24C. The Common German Civil Procedure 25D. Civil Procedure Codes in the

Age of Enlightenment 27E. The Unification of German Civil Justice 29F. German Civil Justice in the

20th Century 31G. Contemporary Trends and Reforms 34

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Chapter 3 Organization and Structure of the German Judicial System 37

A. In General 37B. General and Specialized Court Jurisdictions 39C. The Major Specialized Courts 40

1. The Labor Courts 412. The Administrative Courts 433. The Social Welfare Courts 454. The Tax Courts 46

D. Courts of General Jurisdiction 471. The Local Courts 482. The State District Courts 513. The State Appeals Courts 574. The Federal Supreme Court 60

E. The Federal Constitutional Court 62F. The European Court of Justice and the European Court

of Human Rights 65G.German Judges 68

1. Education and training 682. Appointment 693. Compensation, Evaluation and Promotion 714. Independence 72

H. Other Judicial Officers 731. The Court Clerk 732. The Magistrate 743. The Court Executor 76

I. Court Administration 77J. Court Facilities and Finances 78

1. Physical Facilities 782. Staffing Levels 803. Financial Support of the Civil Justice System 81

K. Statistical Performance of the German Courts 82

Chapter 4 The German Bar and Access to Civil Justice 85A. History and Background of Lawyers in Germany 85B. Current Status, Role and Function of the German

Legal Profession 88C. Education and Training of German Lawyers 89

1. Formal Legal Education 902. The First State Examination 93

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3. Post-University Professional Training 954. Further Academic Training 965. The Second State Examination 97

D. Admission to Practice 971. Admission as an Attorney 972. Admission to Practice in Court 983. Specialized Courts 994. Foreign Attorneys 1005. The Bar of the Federal Supreme Court 101

E. Regulation of the German Bar 1021. The Federal Attorneys Law and the Code of Ethics 1032. Bar Associations 1053. Attorney Discipline 1064. Appeals in Disciplinary Matters 107

F. Lawyers’ Organizations 108G. German Civil Law Practice 109H. Lawyers Fees and Compensation 112I. Legal Aid and Access to Justice in Modern Germany 116

1. Out of Court Legal Assistance 1162. Legal Aid in Civil Litigation 1173. Magnitude and Burden of Legal Aid 123

J. Legal Cost Insurance 123

Chapter 5 Subject Matter Jurisdiction and Venue in Civil Cases 127

A. Division of Jurisdiction among the Specialized German Court Systems 127

B. Division of Subject Matter Jurisdiction within the Ordinary Court System 1301. Subject Matter Jurisdiction Based on

Amount in Controversy 1302. Subject Matter Jurisdiction Regardless of Amount

in Controversy 1333. Jurisdiction of the Commercial Panels of the

State District Courts 1354. Functional Jurisdiction 137

C. Venue 1371. Venue Based on Residence of the Defendant 1382. Special Venues 1383. Venue by Connection 143

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D. Subject Matter Jurisdiction and Venue by Agreement 144E. Jurisdiction and Venue by Judicial Specification 145F. Objections to Subject Matter Jurisdiction and Venue

and Consequences of Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdictionor Venue 146

Chapter 6 Fundamental Principles of German Civil Justice 151

A. Nature and Purpose of a Civil Law Suit 152B. Roles of Parties and Counsel 156

1. Party Control over the Scope and Nature of the Proceedings 156

2. Party control over proof of facts 1583. Division of responsibility for assertion and proof

of facts between parties and court 1604. The Role of Counsel in German Litigation 161

a. Representation by counsel 162b. Litigating Pro Se 163

C. Role of the Judge 1641. The Judge’s Duty to Structure the Proceedings 1652. The Judge’s Responsibility to Give Hints and Feedback 166

a. Discussion of the Issues in the Case 169b. Calling Attention to Dispositive Issues of Law or Fact 170c. Concerns about Matters Subject to the Court’s Own

Motion 171d. Timing of Hints and Feedback 171e. Hints and Feedback—Particular Issues 171f. Form and Circumstances of Hints and Feedback 174g. Consequences of Failure to Provide Hints and

Feedback 175h. Judicial Assistance versus Judicial Impartiality 176

D. The Role of the Case Record 1771. Minutes of Hearings and Conferences 1792. Use of the Case Record by the Court 1823. Access to Case Records 182

E. General Principles Applicable to Civil Proceedings 1831. The Principle of Orality 1842. The Principle of Publicity 1863. The Constitutional Right to Be Heard 188

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Chapter 7 Preparatory Stages of a Law Suit 191A. The Complaint 191

1. Form of the Complaint 1922. Content of the Complaint 1943. Classification of Complaints 1954. Additional Elements of a Complaint 1975. Joinder of and Splitting of Claims 198

B. Joinder of Parties 2001. Joinder of Claimants 2002. Joinder of Defendants 2013. Proceedings upon Joinder of Parties 2014. Required Joinder of Parties 2025. Collective Litigation 203

C. Intervention 2051. Principal Intervention 2052. Auxiliary Intervention 206

D. Notice of Pending Suit to Third Parties 208E. Preliminary Examination of the Complaint 209

1. One Judge or Three? 2102. Preparation by Oral Hearing or Written Briefs? 212

F. Service of Process 2131. Service at the Request of the Court 2142. Service at the Instance of a Party 2193. Service from Lawyer to Lawyer 2204. Defects in Service of Process 2215. Service of the Complaint 2216. Informal Communication of Litigation Papers 223

G. Pendency and Its Consequences 224H. Preparation by Preliminary Hearing 225

1. Preparation for the Preliminary Hearing 2252. Conduct of the Preliminary Hearing 226

I. Preparation by Written Proceedings 229J. The Defendant’s Answer 230

1. Form of Answer 2302. Challenges to the Complaint 2313. Affirmative Defenses and Setoffs 2324. Counterclaims 234

K. Amendment of the Pleadings 235

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1. Change in Assertions or Evidence Supporting orOpposing Claims for Relief 235

2. Amendment of the Claims for Relief 238L. Production of Documents and Access to Proof in

Preparatory Proceedings 2391. Production of Documents and Tangible Evidence 2412. Access to Objects and Premises for Examination 244

M. Mandatory Settlement Conferences 245

Chapter 8 Plenary and Evidentiary Proceedings 249A. Purpose and Scope of Plenary Proceedings 249

1. Purpose of Plenary Hearing 2492. Scope of Plenary Hearing 250

B. Conduct of the Plenary Hearing 2531. The Opening of the Hearing 2542. The Assertion of Claims and Matters of Defense 2543. Hearing of the Parties and Argument of Counsel 2564. Efforts to Promote Settlement 259

C. Proof of Facts and the Taking of Evidence 2611. Scope of Factual Inquiry and Sources of Proof 2622. Burdens of Proof 2673. Evidence 2694. Proof by Observation and Examination of Persons

and Things 2705. Proof by Witness Testimony 2726. Documentary Proof 2757. Expert Testimony 2808. Proof by Party Testimony 2919. Procedures for the Taking of Evidence 293

10. Evidentiary Privileges 298D. Evaluation of Evidence and Fact Finding by the Court 307

1. Free Evaluation of Proof 3072. Roles of Parties and Counsel 3083. Standard of Proof in Civil Cases 310

E. Conclusion of Plenary Proceedings 313

Chapter 9 Judgments and Other Case Dispositions 315A. Uncontested Judgments and Case Terminations 316

1. Default Judgments 3172. Voluntary Termination of Claims 322

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3. Withdrawals of Claims 3244. Stipulated Dispositions 3265. Judgments by Acknowledgment or Relinquishment 328

B. Contested Judgments 3301. Relationship of Judgment to Claims at Issue 3302. Deliberations to Reach Judgment 3323. Form of Judgment 3334. Rendition of Judgment 335

C. Contested Judgments Without Oral Argument 337D. Amendment of Judgments 338E. Judgments for Litigation Costs 341

1. Court Costs 3422. Statutory Attorneys’ Fees 3463. Adjudicating Liability for Court Costs and Attorneys’ Fees 3494. Court Costs and Attorneys’ Fees in Settled Cases 3515. Taxing Court Costs and Attorneys’ Fees 3536. Security for Court Costs and Attorneys’ Fees 354

F. Res Adjudicata Effect of Judgments 3551. Kinds of Judgments Entitled to Binding Effect 3562. Scope of Res Adjudicata Effect 3573. Effect of the Prior Judgment 3604. Proceedings for Reopening of Civil Judgments 3625. Res Adjudicata and European Law 365

Chapter 10 Appellate Justice 367A. Purpose and Function of Appellate Justice 367B. Kinds of Appellate Remedies 369C. Prerequisites and Principles Applicable to All

Appellate Remedies 370D. Second Instance Appeals 373

1. Procedure on Second Instance Appeals 3752. Scope of Review 3813. Plenary Proceedings in Second Instance Appeals 3834. Judgments in Second Instance Appeals 384

E. Review Appeals 3861. Initiation of Review appeals 3872. Scope of Review 3903. Procedure on Review Appeal 3934. Oral Argument in the Federal Supreme Court 394

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5. Judgments on Appeals of Law and Procedure 3966. Direct Review Appeal 398

F. Miscellaneous Appeals 3991. Initiation of Miscellaneous Appeals 4002. Procedure on Miscellaneous Appeals 4023. Disposition of Miscellaneous Appeals 4034. Miscellaneous Appeals of Law to the Federal

Supreme Court 403G. Costs and Attorneys’ Fees on Appeals 405H. Constitutional Appeals to the Federal Constitutional Court 408

1. Grounds for Constitutional Appeal 4092. Procedure on Constitutional Appeal 4133. Decisions and Judgments of the Constitutional Court 416

Chapter 11 Special Proceedings 419A. Family Court Proceedings 419

1. Special Procedures in Marital Cases 4202. Procedures in Other Family Cases 423

B. Documentary and Check Proceedings 425C. Civil Warning Proceedings 427

1. Claims Eligible for the Warning Procedure 4282. Procedure in Warning Proceedings 4293. Procedure if Objection Is Raised 432

D. Pre-Judgment Attachment and Provisional Measures 4331. Prejudgment Attachment 4342. Other Preliminary Measures 4373. Claim for Unjustified or Improper Attachment 441

E. Non-Contentious Civil Proceedings 4421. Non-Contentious Jurisdiction 4432. Procedure in Non-Contentious Proceedings 444

F. Execution of Civil Judgments 4451. Execution on Money Judgments 4472. Enforcement of Non-Monetary Judgments 4593. Remedies of Judgment Debtors 464

G. Bankruptcy and Insolvency 4701. Purpose and Structure of Insolvency Proceedings 4702. Bankruptcy Procedure 4713. Relationship to Basic Principles of Civil Procedure 4754. Discharge in Bankruptcy 4765. Consumer Bankruptcy 477

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H. Arbitration 4781. Availability of Arbitration 4782. The Arbitral Tribunal 4793. Procedure on Arbitration 4814. The Arbitral Award 4835. Costs and Attorneys Fees in Arbitration 4836. Review and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards 484

I. Case Settlement and Alternative Dispute Resolution 4861. Role of the Judge in Case Settlements During Litigation 4872. Costs and Attorneys Fees in Cases Settled

During Litigation 4923. Formalities of In-Court Case Settlements 4944. Alternative Dispute Resolution 496

Chapter 12 German Civil Justice in International Matters 499A. Sources of International Civil Procedure Law 499B. Jurisdiction of German Courts in International Matters 504

1. Jurisdiction Based on the Defendant’s Domicile 5052. Jurisdiction Based on Specific Connections 5073. Exclusive International Jurisdiction 5194. International Jurisdiction by Agreement 5215. Jurisdiction to Determine International Jurisdiction 524

C. Recognition of Foreign Judgments 5251. The Basic Rules for Recognition of Foreign Judgments 5262. Grounds for Non-Recognition 5333. Procedure for Recognition of Foreign Judgments 5394. Effects of Recognition of Foreign Judgments 540

D. Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 5411. Judgment of Enforceability - German

Statutory Procedure 5422. Declaration of Enforceability - EU Procedure 5443. Proceedings Following a Judgment or

Declaration of Enforceability 5454. Alteration of Foreign Judgments 546

E. Proceedings in Aid of Foreign Jurisdiction 5471. Recognition of Pendency of Foreign Litigation 5472. Service of Foreign Process 5503. Provisional Measures to Secure Claims in Foreign Courts 5564. Taking of Evidence for Use in Foreign Proceedings 557

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Chapter 13 Some Comparative Observations 571A. The Comparative Law Framework 571B. The Purposes and Roles of Civil Justice in Germany

and the United States 575C. Institutional Independence and Credibility 581

1. Independence of the Judiciary 5822. Training and Qualifications of Judges 5863. Sufficiency of Funding and Resources 588

D. Quality of Fact Finding and Application of Law 5891. Fact Finding 5922. Application of the Law 6103. Overall Quality of Adjudication 612

E. Delay and Cost 6131. Cost of Litigation 6142. Duration of Proceedings. 6223. The Impact of Likely Reform 624

F. Access to Justice 625G. Development and Explication of the Law 629H. Overall Public Satisfaction and Confidence 630I. Convergence in European and American Civil Justice Systems 632

1. Convergence in the Purpose and Role of Civil Justice 6332. Convergence in Civil Justice Institutions 6353. Signs of Convergence to Date 6354. The Future of American Civil Jury Trial 6405. The Role of International Commercial Arbitration 6426. The Recent Reforms in England 6457. The Proposed Transnational Principles of Civil Procedure 6468. The Face of Civil Justice in the Future 647

Brief Bibliography 653I. English Language Literature on German Civil Justice 653II. Principal German Treatises and Commentaries 654

Index 655

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xv

1 . Von Meh ren , “The Judicial Proce s s : A Com p a ra tive An a lys i s”, 5 Am . J. Com p. L .197, at 198 (1956).

2. 71 Harv. L. Rev. at 1193

Foreword

Arthur T. von Mehren

As our world becomes increasingly complex and interconnected, compar-a tive stu dy of l aw and legal sys tems is ren dered ever more diffic u l t . Wh en Ibegan to stu dy law com p a ra tively more than half a cen tu ry ago, most legal or-ders could be seen as shaped by two major legal cultu re s , the com m on - l awand the civi l - l aw sys tem s , re s pectively. By now, as the third mill en n ium be-gi n s , the tasks faced by com p a ra tive stu dy of l aw have gre a t ly incre a s ed innu m ber and com p l ex i ty. Si n ce “e ach sys tem functi ons as a wh o l e [ , i]ts gen-eral ten dencies depend on the interacti on in con c rete situ a ti on s . ..”, accord-ingly “all . . . [relevant] historical, institutional and social”circumstances mustbe considered before “comparative generalizations [can safely] be offered”.1

In the 1950s Ben jamin Ka p l a n , Ru do l f S ch aefer and I undertook to con-sider the elements of civil procedure in the Federal Republic of Germany in astudy which was ultimately published as “Phases of German Civil Procedure”,71 Ha rv. L . Rev. 1193 and 1443 (1957, 1 9 5 8 ) . We de s c ri bed the sys tem of G er-man civil procedure in its own setting but did “not undertake extended com-p a ri s on with the markedly different Am erican practi ce . ..”. Nor did we “ i n qu i rehow far German procedure may be regarded as typical of modern proceduralmethods in other countries on the continent of Europe”.2 In effect, our effortwas to trace the course of procedure in civil cases passing through the regularGerman courts of first and later instance.

“ [ C ] on cern ed with sketching the stru ctu re of m odern German civi lprocess, . .. [we] paid scant attention to the historical evolution of proceduralnorms and practices”. Nor did we make broad assessments of “German suc-cess or failu re in ach i eving ulti m a te aims profe s s ed by all modern sys tem s :

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xvi FOREWORD

3. 71 Harv. L. Rev. at 1470.

t h oro u ghness of con s i dera ti on of the facts and the law, re s o luten e s s , s peed ,economy and impartiality in the handling of cases”. 3

We sought answers to some of the “classical antinomical questions” raisedby German scholarship: e.g., to what extent are case materials to be presentedby the parti e s , to what ex tent must or may they be search ed out by ju d i c i a linitiative? To what degree do the parties determine the pace of their lawsuit,to what degree does the court control it?

The com p a ra tive stu dy of l aw can be undert a ken with va rious obj ectives inm i n d . S tu dents may, for ex a m p l e , s eek det a i l ed inform a ti on on certain are a sof forei gn su b s t a n tive and procedu ral law. Aga i n , t h eir interests can be pri m a-ri ly ju ri s pru den tial or histori c a l . Or they may be seeking a bet ter unders t a n d-ing of the insti tuti ons and processes of growth of t h eir own legal sys tem . Th e s eobj ectives do not exclu de each other – though , of co u rs e , d i f feren ces in em-phasis wi ll flow from the stu den t’s pri m a ry con cern . A mastery in fair detail ofs ome part of the law of the legal sys tem under inve s ti ga ti on is, in all even t s , e s-s en tial before more ju ri s pru den tial or historical work can be fru i tf u l . Con-vers ely, a knowl ed ge of the det a i l ed rules of a particular area of su b s t a n tive orprocedu ral law is of little practical va lue unless inform ed by insight into theprocesses of growth and devel opm ent of the sys tem under con s i dera ti on andby an understanding of the habits of t h o u ght current in that sys tem .

German Civil Justice presents a synthesis and evaluation of the entire Ger-man sys tem that we did not undert a ke in “Phases of G erman Civil Procedu re”.Profe s s ors Mu rray and Stürn er stu dy the German sys tem as a whole and atm a ny level s . The work inclu des an ex p l a n a ti on of G erman civil procedu re lawranging from a discussion of the oft-cited principles underlying the doctrineto a det a i l ed de s c ri pti on of the processing of l aw suits in their va rious instance sf rom the initi a ti on of suit thro u gh revi s i on appe a l . The aut h ors analy ze insome detail those structural elements and role divisions in the processing ofGerman civil litigation, which our earlier study recognized but did not grap-ple with. The work addresses other features of German civil justice not seri-ously touched on in “Phases of German Civil Procedure” such as the educa-ti on and training of G erman ju d ges and the stru ctu re and reg u l a ti on of t h eG erman bar. This work should provi de stu dents and practi ti on ers with a com-preh en s ive understanding of the German of c ivil ju s ti ce sys tem . It also givecomparative law scholars entree to the necessary material to support and en-a ble meaningful com p a ra tive work invo lving German civil procedu re law andinstitutions of civil justice.

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FOREWORD xvii

Profe s s ors Mu rray and Stürn er bring to this form i d a ble task both thescholar’s and the practitioner’s perspective and experience. German Civil Jus -ti ce is a major ad d i ti on to com p a ra tive - l aw sch o l a rship in Civil Procedu re , on eof the most challenging comparative law fields, in which the observer finds itboth more nece s s a ry and more difficult to com bine an understanding of prac-tice and theory than is normally the case.

F i n a lly it should be noted that German Civil Ju s ti ce i n corpora tes de s c ri p-ti on and discussion of the many reforms to the German Civil Procedu re Codeand practi ce that have taken place since our work was publ i s h ed in 1958. Som eof these reforms have directly affected features of German civil justice that wefound worthy of comment. An example is the “Stuttgart” reforms of the late1970’s, which have tended to concentrate German proceedings for oral argu-ment and taking of evidence in a single main hearing. These newer develop-ments, even up to the very recent changes effective January 1, 2002, have allbeen included in the Murray-Stürner text.

German Civil Justice is an outstanding contribution to comparative schol-arship in an especially difficult field of law.

Arthur T. von Mehren

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Preface

1. Why This Book Was Written

This book was wri t ten to provi de ju rists in the Engl i s h - s peaking world wi t ha comprehensive description and analysis of the German system of civil jus-ti ce as seen and interpreted by ob s ervers from both German civil law andAmerican common law backgrounds.

Modern Germ a ny has evo lved a high ly soph i s ti c a ted and rel a tively su c-cessful system of civil procedure law, constitutional doctrine and institutionsof justice for civil litigants in German courts. It is a good example of an effi-cient and respected system by which the rule of law can be maintained in theeveryday world of civil litigation.

Moreover, the modern German sys tem (toget h er with its Au s trian co u n-terpart) has had greater influence on civil justice systems worldwide than anyo t h er procedu ral sys tem of the civil law worl d . In Eu rope , the civil ju s ti ce sys-tems of Swi t zerl a n d , Greece , Tu rkey, The Czech Rep u bl i c , Sl ova k i a , Hu n ga ry,Poland, and Croatia have been strongly influenced by German and Austrianc ivil procedu ral law. In As i a , Ja p a n , So uth Korea and to a som ewhat lesser ex-tent China derive their civil ju s ti ce sys tems more or less direct ly from the Ger-m a n - Au s trian model . G erman procedu ral law has played sign i fic a n t , a l t h o u ghl e s s er ro l e s , in the devel opm ent of c ivil ju s ti ce sys tems in the Sk a n d i n avi a nand Ba l tic co u n tri e s . Any stu dent intere s ted in the devel opm ent of i n s ti tuti on sof civil justice in general would do well to become familiar with the Germansystem as a prototype of modern continental-European civil justice on whichmany other systems are founded in whole or in part.

The German civil justice system has been documented, described and cri-ti qu ed in a vo luminous litera tu re of tre a ti s e s , com m en t a ri e s , texts and arti-cles wh i ch have appe a red over the last cen tu ry. However almost all of the cur-ren t ly extant litera tu re is wri t ten and publ i s h ed in Germ a n , and hen ce notaccessible to persons not familiar with that language.

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Over the last dec ades English has become an intern a ti onal language for lega ldiscourse among legal professionals from cultures in which English is not theprimary national language. By writing this work in English the authors hopeto provide a first-hand description and analysis of German civil justice to ju-rists from com m on law, c ivil law and hybrid legal trad i ti ons who otherwi s ewould have limited access to relevant explanatory and analytical literature.

One could ask the question, “Why not merely translate some of the excel-l ent tre a tises on German civil ju s ti ce wh i ch have been wri t ten by German lega lscholars in German?” While such translations are of great value, the work astranslated continues to reflect the cultural and legal perspective of its originalauthor. By writing this work in English the authors hope to lend a more in-ternational common-law perspective from which to describe and analyze theG erman law and insti tuti ons of c ivil ju s ti ce in a way that wi ll make them moreu n ders t a n d a ble to law yers , ju d ges and law stu dents from other legal trad i ti on s .

The pri m a ry purpose of this book is to dep i ct and analy ze the German civi ljustice system, not to compare it in any detail to another specific legal systemor tradition. On the other hand, the authors hope and expect that the mate-rial in this work wi ll provi de bases for re aders’ com p a ra tive analyses of el e-m ents of G erman civil ju s ti ce with functi on a lly corre s ponding fe a tu res ofo t h er civil law or com m on law sys tem s . For these re a s ons the aut h ors havegen era lly ref ra i n ed from conscious com p a ri s ons in the body of the tex t . At theend of the work the authors venture some of their own comparative observa-tions on certain salient features of German and Anglo-American civil justice.

As a Mem ber State of the Eu ropean Un i on , G erm a ny and its civil ju s ti ces ys tem have been sign i fic a n t ly impacted by the devel opm ent of a growing bodyof European law. The significant features of this developing law are includedin this description, especially as they relate to international civil procedure.

It is the authors’ hope that this work will help foster the inclusion of Ger-man legal insti tuti ons in the everyd ay gl obal discussion and com p a ra tivea n a lysis of c ivil ju s ti ce and its evo luti on . In that vein the aut h ors would begrateful for the reactions and comments of readers and users of this book tothe end that it might achieve greater usefulness over time.

2. Intended Readership

This book is intended to be read by English-speaking judges, lawyers, lawacademics and law students from all modern legal cultures who seek a basicknowledge of the German system of civil justice. The text is accompanied bysufficient references to source materials to enable interested readers to make

PREFACE xix

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m ore det a i l ed inqu i ry into areas of s pecific intere s t . It can be re ad as a de-scriptive, analytical and comparative account or can be used as an entry-levelbasic referen ce work in the law of fice or ac ademic libra ry. G erman law yers andlaw academics may find this text useful in explaining German civil procedureand civil justice institutions to foreign students, colleagues, and clients.

The first chapter, which provides an introductory overview of the Germanc ivil ju s ti ce sys tem , is inten ded to be su i t a ble for use as a com p a ra tive per-s pective in law sch ool and univers i ty co u rses on dom e s tic civil procedu re . Per-m i s s i on is hereby given for non - com m ercial reprodu cti on of Ch a pter 1 for usein academic programs at the university or law school level, provided that ap-propriate attribution accompanies such use.

3. Scope and Coverage

G erman civil ju s ti ce is a major topic abo ut wh i ch many vo lumes have beenwritten and about which many more will be written. An explanatory work ofthis kind must make com promises in both scope of covera ge and detail ofanalysis in the interest of compact presentation.

The aut h ors’ aim has been to provi de a re a s on a ble de s c ri pti on of the keyel em ents of G erman civil ju s ti ce with en o u gh detail so that the re ader can ga i nan understanding of the degree of legal sophistication and nicety with whichthe system operates. The work addresses both the written civil procedure lawand the va rious insti tuti ons su ch as the ben ch and bar, wh i ch put that law intopractice.

Both of the aut h ors have practi ce back grounds in civil ju s ti ce to com p l e-m ent their ac ademic pers pective s . Vi s i ting Profe s s or Mu rray actively practi cedas an Am erican civil and criminal liti ga tor for over 25 ye a rs before en teri n gf u ll - time ac adem i c s . Profe s s or Stürn er served as ju d ge on the German stateco u rts early in his career and con ti nues to serve as part - time ju d ge of the StateAppeals Court of Karlsruhe. Professor Murray has gained familiarity with theGerman civil justice system through academic research, discussions with col-l e a g u e s , ju d ges and practi ti on ers , and actual ob s erva ti on of and parti c i p a ti onin German civil proceed i n gs du ring visits to Germ a ny over several ye a rs forre s e a rch and te aching as a Fu l bri ght Vi s i ting Profe s s or at the Un ivers i ty ofFrei bu r g. Profe s s or Stürn er has come to know the An gl o - Am erican sys tem sof c ivil ju s ti ce not on ly thro u gh ac ademic stu dy and dialog u e , but also thro u ghob s erva ti on and discussion with English and Am erican ju d ges and practi-ti on ers as well as thro u gh his work as UNIDROIT Reporter of t h eA L I / U N I D ROIT Tra n s n a ti onal Principles of Civil Procedu re and as Vi s i ti n g

xx PREFACE

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Profe s s or at Ha rva rd Law Sch oo l . We are both intere s ted in how things are ac-tually done as well as how they are supposed to take place as a matter of the-ory. The work inclu des occ a s i onal men ti on of practical re a l i ties wh en requ i redin order to give a fair description of how the system actually works.

From time to time we have attempted to sketch images of how actual legalproceed i n gs take place . We have inclu ded some details of procedu re su ch asthe statutory time periods for various legal acts to provide a sense of the “tex-tu re” of the sys tem . Su ch details help portray, for ex a m p l e , the ex tent to wh i chG erman civil ju s ti ce sys tem goes to pre s erve the ri ght of a fair hearing at allstages of civil proceedings. The aim is to give the reader a sense of the “feel”of German civil justice as well as its legal and institutional features.

We have inclu ded a few words of h i s tory (Ch a pter 2) to give some ide aof the cultu ral con text from wh i ch the modern German civil ju s ti ce sys temhas devel oped . Ot h er key el em ents of the work inclu de a de s c ri pti on of t h es tru ctu re and fe a tu res of the German judicial sys tem (Ch a pter 3), m a teri a lon the com po s i ti on and role of the German bar (Ch a pter 4), bri ef a n a lys i sof su bj ect matter ju ri s d i cti on and venue of the German co u rts (Ch a pter 5),and a discussion of certain fundamental principles of G erman civil ju s ti ce( Ch a pter 6). The core of the work is the de s c ri pti on and analysis of G er-man civil proceed i n gs starting with the prel i m i n a ry stages of a law su i t( Ch a pter 7), going on to plen a ry proceed i n gs and proof ( Ch a pter 8), toju d gm ents and other case dispo s i ti ons (Ch a pter 9) and ulti m a tely to appe a l s( Ch a pter 10). We also cover certain important special procedu res (Ch a pter11) and ad d ress German civil ju s ti ce in intern a ti onal matters (Ch a pter 12).We close the work with a bri ef eva lu a ti on of certain key fe a tu res of G erm a nc ivil ju s ti ce in com p a ri s on with the An gl o - Am erican civil ju s ti ce sys tem s( Ch a pter 13).

We have not been able to cover every conceivable feature of German civiljustice in the broad sense. Certain features have been omitted. For instance,we have not given any covera ge to practi ce and procedu re in the spec i a l i zedLabor, Administrative, Social Welfare or Tax Courts, even though collectivelythese ju ri s d i cti ons en compass important com pon ents of what is con s i dered ascivil justice by Anglo-American lawyers. We have omitted covering these spe-cialized jurisdictions because we believe that a more detailed depiction of theopera ti ons of the “ord i n a ry co u rt s” wi ll give a bet ter sense of the process ofG erman civil ju s ti ce than using the space to give bri efer de s c ri pti ons of the ac-tivities of the courts of specialized jurisdiction.

Our covera ge of o t h er important areas is limited . For instance , this text in-clu des on ly bri ef tre a tm ent of exec uti on of ju d gm ents and the law of b a n k-

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ru ptcy although both are major areas of c ivil procedu re law in Germ a ny. Inrecent ye a rs the Federal Con s ti tuti onal Co u rt has ten ded to exercise a large in-f lu en ce on civil ju s ti ce and procedu re in Germ a ny. However space has per-mitted us only a rather brief description of this activity. The same is true ofthe growing role of the Eu ropean Co u rt of Ju s ti ce of the Eu ropean Un i on andthe Eu ropean Co u rt of Human Ri gh t s , a bo ut wh i ch there is alre ady some Eng-lish language literature extant. We are all too conscious of the effects of lim-i ted time and space on the com p l eteness of a ny de s c ri pti on and analysis asambitious as that attempted by this work.

4. Terminology

Al t h o u gh this book is inten ded to be unders t a n d a ble to re aders from everylegal culture, it is expected that many of the readers will have some pre-exist-ing familiarity with the Anglo-American civil justice system. Many of the fea-tures of the German civil justice system are best understood by Anglo-Amer-ican lawyers in terms of the legal language and concepts with which they arealready familiar, at least to the extent that such language and concepts can befairly used to describe the German system. At the same time we have tried toavoid arcane language and terms assoc i a ted on ly with a particular legal sys-tem or tradition.

Some German terms or concepts do not easily translate into Anglo-Amer-ican legal cogn a te s . In su ch cases the aut h ors have attem pted to explain theGerman terms and concepts as best we can. Key terms appear parentheticallyin German. We have also inc luded the original German language of materialquoted in translation so that readers with knowledge of German can have theoriginal terminology available.

The names of the va rious German co u rts are tra n s l a ted va ri o u s ly in thec u rren t ly ava i l a ble Engl i s h - l a n g u a ge source s . Some aut h ors retain the Ger-man de s i gn a ti ons and do not attem pt to tra n s l a te them . We have ch o s en“n eutra l ” de s i gn a ti ons de s i gn ed to de s c ri be the actual legal roles of the re-s pective co u rts wi t h o ut attem pting to match them with corre s ponding co u rt sin any particular An gl o - Am erican ju ri s d i cti on . Thus we refer to the lowe s tl evel of ord i n a ry co u rt , the German Am t sgeri ch t, as the “l ocal co u rt”. Th eG erman La n d geri ch t a ppe a rs here as “s t a te distri ct co u rt ,” the Oberl a n d e s -geri ch t is the “s t a te appeals co u rt ,” and the B u n d e sgeri ch t s h of is the Federa lSu preme Co u rt . Our aim is to sti ck with English term i n o l ogy that acc u ra telyde s c ri bes the functi ons of the co u rts referred to, a l beit at the ex pense of el e-ga n ce of l a n g u a ge .

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5. Sources, Citations and Bibliography

E n gl i s h - l a n g u a ge referen ce material on po s t - World War II German civil ju s-ti ce is rel a tively scanty. The most aut h ori t a tive sys tem a tic analysis that has ap-peared to date is Kaplan, von Mehren and Schaefer, “Phases of German CivilProcedure,” 71 Harvard Law Review 1193, 1443 (1958). The insights embod-i ed in this standard work are sti ll of va lu e , a l t h o u gh intervening legi s l a tive re-form and devel opm ents at the EU level have ren dered some of the spec i fic sout of date.

Professor John Langbein’s “The German Advantage in Civil Procedure,” 52Un ivers i ty of C h i c a go Law Revi ew 823 (1985) and its progeny of c ri tical andsupporting commentary have played an important role in awakening the in-terest of the American procedural law community to comparative procedurallaw in general and German civil procedure in specific. These publications donot, however, purport to give comprehensive descriptions or anal yses of theGerman civil justice system.

There are also a few short descriptions of German civil procedure such asKoch , Civil Pro cedu re in Germ a ny ( Kluwer 1998), as well as a nu m ber of E n g-lish-language articles or chapters in comparative law journals, legal encyclo-pedias, or books covering German law in general. While these offer interest-ing glimpses at German civil ju s ti ce , t h ey do not cover the su bj ect in depth ordetail. Several of these articles and other sources are listed in the Brief Bibli-ography accompanying this text.

The inform a ti on set forth in this work is based on the ori ginal Germ a n - l a n-g u a ge statutory tex t , com m en t a ries on that text by German legal sch o l a rs , a n ds ome of the leading German tre a ti s e s . Ro s en ber g, S chw a b, Gottwald Zivi l -proze s s re ch t (15th Ed. 1993) is frequ en t ly cited in the ed i ti on ava i l a ble at the ti m ethis book was wri t ten . It is thus of s om ewhat limited usefulness because of i t sd a te . L ü ke , Zivi l proze s s re ch t (7th Ed. 1999) is an easily re ad a ble shorter tex twh i ch is current except for the most recent 2001 reform s . Ja u ern i g, Zivi l -proze s s re ch t (27th Ed. 2002) inclu des covera ge of the most recent reform s .G ei m er, In tern a tionales Zivi l proze s s re ch t (4th Ed. 2000) and Sch ack , In tern a -tionales Verf a h ren s re ch t ( 3 rd Ed. 2002) provi de up to date covera ge of i n tern a-ti onal civil procedu re . Th om a s , Put zo, Ko m m entar zur ZPO ( 2 0 0 2 ) , Zoell er,Ko m m entar zur ZPO ( 2 0 0 2 ) , and Mu s i el a k , Ko m m en t a r zur ZPO (2002) are themost frequ en t ly cited com m en t a ri e s . The work inclu des citati ons to a nu m berof judicial dec i s i on s , a rti cles and other source s , ch i efly in the German language .

We have adopted a style of citation based largely on the American model.Statutes and other sources in the German legal literature have been abbrevi-

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ated in accord with German practice. A few frequently cited texts are also ab-brevi a ted . However each citati on is inten ded to en a ble the re ader to loc a te them a terial referred to. Appen ded to the Pref ace is a Ta ble of Abbrevi a ti ons toassist with abbreviations in references to statutes and other similar material.

6. Acknowledgements

The aut h ors wish to ack n owl ed ge with thanks the hel pful coopera ti on ofs everal co ll e a g u e s , ac ademic assistants, ju d ge s , l aw yers and others who havecontributed to the writing of this work and its preparation for publication.

Profe s s or Mu rray ex presses deep apprec i a ti on to co lleagues Art hur vonMehren and Detlev Vagts of the Harvard Law School faculty for their encour-a gem en t , advi ce and su pport of his interest in com p a ra tive law. Profe s s orS t ü rn er is gra teful to Profe s s or Geof f rey Ha z a rd , Un ivers i ty of Pen n s ylva n i aLaw School, and Professor Neal Andrews, Cambridge University for their en-co u ra gem ent of his undertaking to coa ut h or an Engl i s h - l a n g u a ge book abo utGerman civil justice.

The aut h ors thank Vi ce Pre s i dent Heri bert Vei t , Frei burg Am t sgeri ch t , Pre s-ident Klaus Kunath, Ellwangen Landgericht, colleagues of the Freiburg panelof the Ka rl s ruhe Oberl a n de sgeri ch t , and Vi ce - Pre s i dent Profe s s or Dr. Hors tHa gen of the Bu n de sgeri ch t s h of for gen ero u s ly providing access to co u rt pro-ceed i n gs and taking time to discuss civil ju s ti ce issues with the aut h ors . D r.Wolfgang Schmid and the partners and associates of Bappert, Witz, Selbherrin Freiburg are thanked for arranging several visits to court proceedings. Dr.Robert Schumacher, Prof. Dr. Alexander Bruns, and Axel Dittmann, formeracademic assistants in the Institut für Zivilprozessrecht, Department 1 at theUniversity of Freiburg helped coordinate Professor Murray’s court visits andother work in Freiburg in the ear ly stages of this project.

Du ring the time this work has been “in proce s s” a nu m ber of pers ons havem ade hel pful con tri buti ons to porti ons of the text and note s . At Ha rva rd LawS ch ool Moritz Bael z , Anna Cro s s , Claus Bi n der, Ho l ger Sch elling and Ba r-b a ra Ni ederkof l er perform ed hel pful re s e a rch and devel oped foo tn o te s . InG erm a ny Mi ch ael Breyer assisted with late revi s i ons to Ch a pters 12 and 13as well as final manu s c ri pt revi ew. Nils Meppen prep a red the Ta ble of Ab-brevi a ti on s . Ch ri s tian Ni ck and Florian Rink re s e a rch ed ad d i ti onal citati on sfor foo tn o te s . Lena Wa ll en h ors t , Nils Meppen , Sven Mo s s l er, Brit Neu bu r gerand Fri ederi ke Ba u er hel ped with ch ecking citati ons and reconciling foo t-n o te s . As s i s t a n ce in proof re ading was provi ede by the foregoing as well as byCh ri s toph Kern , D r. Ma rius Ko h l er, Ma l te von Ba r gen , Ben jamin Glunz and

xxiv PREFACE

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D a n i el Adl of f . The aut h ors thank Vi ctoria Ma rini for typing a large porti onof the manu s c ri pt .

The authors acknowledge with gratitude the financial support of the Har-va rd Law Sch oo l , Eu ropean Legal Studies Fu n d , and the German Ac adem i cExch a n ge Servi ce -Al ex a n der von Hu m boldt Fo u n d a ti on Tra n s coop Progra m ,wh i ch have joi n t ly funded out l ays for travel and re s e a rch assistance in theco u rse of this proj ect . Wi t h o ut this su pport it is unlikely that this proj ect co u l dhave been completed.

F i n a lly, the aut h ors wish to thank our re s pective spo u s e s , Deborah Mu r-ray and Ursula Stürner, for their continued support, encouragement and un-derstanding of our enterprise and the necessary travel and focus of our ener-gies which it required. This book is dedicated to them, and to our families.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and Freiburg im Breisgau, GermanySeptember 2003

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Table of Abbreviations

ABA American Bar AssociationAcP Archiv für die civilistische PraxisAD Anno DominiADR Alternative Dispute ResolutionAfP Zeitschrift für Medien- und Kommunikationsrecht

(until 2001: Archiv für Presserecht)AktG Aktiengesetz of September 6, 1965 (BGBl. I, p.1089)Ala. L. Rev. Alabama Law ReviewALI American Law InstituteAm. J. Comp. L. American Journal of Comparative LawAm. U. L. Rev American University Law ReviewAMG Gesetz über den Verkehr mit Arzneimitteln (Arzneimit -

telgesetz) of August 24, 1976 (BGBl. I, pp. 2445,2448)

AnfG Ge setz über die An fe ch tung von Re ch t s h a n dl u n gen ei n e sS ch u l d n ers außerhalb des In solven z verf a h ren s of O cto-ber 5, 1994 (BGBl . I , p. 2911) (An fe ch tu n gsge set z)

AnwBl AnwaltsblattAnwZ Anwaltszeitung ArbGG Arbeitsgerichtsgesetz in the version promulgated on

July 2, 1979 (BGBl. I, pp. 853, 1036)AusfG Ausführungsgesetz zum Haager Übereinkommen über

die Zustellung gerichtlicher und außergerichtlicherSchriftstücke im Ausland in Zivil- und Handelssachenof December 12, 1977

AVAG Gesetz zur Ausführung zwischenstaatlicher Verträgeund zur Durchführung von Verordnungen der Eu -ropäischen Gemeinschaft auf dem Gebiet der Anerken -nung und Vollstreckung in Zivil- und Handelssachen ofFebruary 19, 2001

german civil justice fmt 12/10/03 7:14 AM Page xxvi

B. C. L. Rev. Boston College Law ReviewBauGB Baugesetzbuch of June 23, 1960 (BGBl. I, p. 341) in

the version promulgated on August 27, 1997 (BGBl.I, p. 2141)

BB Betriebs-BeraterBBesG Bundesbesoldungsgesetz of May 23, 1975 (BGBl. I, p.

1173) in the version promulgated on August 6, 2002(BGBl. I, p. 3020)

BBG Bundesbeamtengesetz of July 14, 1953 (BGBl. I, p.551) in the version promulgated on March 31, 1999(BGBl. I, p. 675)

BegrRegE Begründung des Regierungsentwurfs eines Gesetzes zurReform des Zivilprozesses

BER Brussels Regulation on Cooperation between theCourts of the Member States in the Taking of Evi-dence in Civil or Commercial Matters, EuropeanUnion Regulation No. 1206/2001, OJ L 174,28/05/2001, p.1

BGB Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch of August 18, 1896 in the ver-sion promulgated on January 2, 2002 (BGBl. I, p. 42)

BGBl. BundesgesetzblattBGH BundesgerichtshofBGHSt Entscheidungen des Bundesgerichtshofs in StrafsachenBGHZ Entscheidungen des Bundesgerichtshofs in ZivilsachenBGHZ (GS) Entscheidungen des Großen Senats des Bundesgerichts -

hofs in ZivilsachenBinnSchiffG Binnenschiffahrtsgesetz of June 15, 1895 in the version

promulgated on June 15, 1898BMinG Gesetz über die Rechtsverhältnisse der Mitglieder der

Bundesregierung of June 17, 1953 (BGBl. I, p. 407) inthe version promulgated on July 27, 1971 (BGBl. I, p.1166)

BNatSchG Bundesnaturschutzgesetz of March 25, 2002 (BGBl. I,p. 1193)

BORA Berufsordnung für Rechtsanwälte of August 1, 1959(BGBl I, p. 565), as amended

BRAGO Bundesgebührenordnung für Rechtsanwälte of July 26,1957 (BGBl I, pp. 861, 907), as amended

BRAK-Mitt. Mitteilungen der Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer

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BRAO BundesrechtsanwaltsordnungBRD Bundesrepublik DeutschlandBRJE European Union Regulation No. 44/2001 of Decem-

ber 22, 2000 on Jurisdiction and Recognition and En-forcement of Decisions in Civil and CommercialMatters, OJ L 012, 16/12/2001, p. 1

Brussels Evidence see BERRegulation

Brussels Regulation see BRJEBT-Drs. Drucksachen des Deutschen BundestagsBT-Drucksachen see BT-Drs.BVerfGE Entscheidungen des BundesverfassungsgerichtsBVerfGG Gesetz über das Bundesverfassungsgericht of March 12,

1951 (BGBl. I, p. 243) in the version promulgated onAugust 11, 1993 (BGBl. I, p. 1473)

Cal. Rev. California Law ReviewC.J.Q. Civil Justice QuarterlyCath. U. L. Rev. Catholic University Law ReviewCDS Criminal Defense Servicecf. compareCh. ChapterCISG United Nations Convention on Contracts for the In-

ternational Sale of GoodsCLS Community Legal ServiceCMR Convention on Contracts for the International Car-

riage of Goods by Roadcol columnCOM Working Documents of the European CommissionComparative L. Rev. Comparative Law ReviewDB Der BetriebDDR Deutsche Demokratische RepublikDenv. U. L. Rev. Denver University Law ReviewDePaul L. Rev. DePaul Law ReviewDM Deutsche MarkDÖV Die Öffentlichen VerwaltungDRiG Deutsches Richtergesetz of September 6, 1961 (BGBl.

I, p. 1665) in the version promulgated on April 19,1972 (BGBl. I, p. 713)

DRiZ Deutsche Richterzeitung

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EC European CommunityECHR European Court of Human RightsECJ European Court of JusticeECR Report of Cases before the Court of Justice of the Eu-

ropean Communitiesed. edition or editorEFTA European Free Trade Associatione.g. for exampleEGGVG Einführungsgesetz zum Gerichtsverfassungsgesetz of

January 27, 1877 as amendedEGMR Europäischer Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte, see

ECHREGZPO Einführungsgesetz zur Zivilprozessordnung of January

30, 1877 as amendedEHRR European Human Rights ReportsEinl Einleitunget al. and otherEU Europäische Union / European UnionEuBVO EG-Verordnung Nr. 1206/2001 über die Zusammenar -

beit der Gerichte auf dem Gebiet der Beweisaufnahmein Zivil- und Handelssachen / Council Regulation(EC) No 1206/2001 of 28 May 2001 on cooperationbetween the courts of the Member States in the tak-ing of evidence in civil or commercial matters, OJ L174, 27/6/2001

EuGH Europäischer Gerichtshof, see ECJEuGRZ Europäische Grundrechtszeitschrift EuGVÜ Brüsseler EWG-Übereinkommen über die gerichtliche

Zuständigkeit in Zivil- und Handelssachen of Septem-ber 27, 1968

Eur. Ct. HR Rep. European Court of Human Rights ReportsEuratom European Atomic Energy Community / Europäische

AtomgemeinschaftEU Service European Union Regulation of May 29, 2000 on the

Regulation Service in the Member States of Judicial and Extra-Judicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters,European Union Regulation No. 1348/2000, OJ L160, 29/06/2000, p. 37

F. Supp. Federal Supplement

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F.R.Civ. P. Federal Rules of Civil ProcedureFamRÄndG Gesetz zur Vereinheitlichung und Änderung familien -

rechtlicher Vorschriften - Familienrechtsänderungsge -setz of August 11, 1961 (BGBl. I, p. 1221)

FamRZ Zeitschrift für das gesamte Familienrecht – Ehe undFamilie im privaten und öffentlichen Recht

ff. and followingFGG Gesetz über die Angelegenheiten der freiwilligen

Gerichtsbarkeit of May 17, 1898 as amendedFGO Finanzgerichtsordnung of October 6, 1965 (BGBl I,

p.1477) in the version promulgated on March 3, 2001(BGBl. I, pp. 442, 2262)

Fla. Cir. Ct. Florida Circuit CourtFordham Int’l L. J. Fordham International Law JournalF. R. Ev. Federal Rules of EvidenceGBO Grundbuchordnung of March 24, 1897 in the version

promulgated on May 26, 1994 (BGBl. I, p. 1114)Geo. J. Legal Ethics Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics GG Grundgesetz of May 23, 1949 (BGBl. I, p.1) as

amendedGKG Gerichtskostengesetz of June 18, 1878 in the version

promulgated on December 15, 1975GRUR Zeitschrift der Deutschen Vereinigung für gewerblichen

Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht GRURGRURInt GRUR International - Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und

Urheberrecht, Internationaler Teil, Zeitschrift derDeutschen Vereinigung für gewerblichen Rechtsschutzund Urheberrecht

GVG Gerichtsverfassungsgesetz of January 27, 1877 in theversion promulgated on May 9, 1975 (BGBl. I, p.1077)

GVGA Geschäftsanweisung für GerichtsvollzieherGVO Gerichtsvollzieherordnung GWB Gesetz gegen Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen in the ver-

sion promulgated on August 26, 1998, BGBl. I, 2546.Hague Service Hague Convention on Service Abroad of

Convention Judicial and Extra-Judicial Documents of November15, 1965

Harv. L. Rev. Harvard Law Review

xxx TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS

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Harv. Int’l L.J. Harvard International Law JournalHastings L.J. Hastings Law JournalHGB Handelsgesetzbuch of May 10, 1897 as amendedHMSO Her Majesty’s Stationery OfficeICC International Chamber of CommerceInsO In solven zo rd nung of O ctober 5, 1994 (BGBl . I , p. 2 8 6 6 )Int’l J. Legal Prof. International Journal of the Legal ProfessionIPRax Praxis des internationalen Privat- und VerfahrensrechtsJA Juristische AusbildungJuS Juristische SchulungJZ JuristenzeitungLAB Legal Aid BoardLG LandgerichtLSC Legal Services CommissionMass. Law Quarterly Massachusetts Law QuarterlyM. R. Civ. P. Maine Rules of Civil ProcedureMd. L. Rev. Maryland Law ReviewMDR Monatsschrift für Deutsches RechtMe. L. Rev. Maine Law ReviewMealey’s Int’l Arb. Mealey’s International Arbitration Quarterly Law

Q. L. Rev. ReviewMich. L. Rev. Michigan Law ReviewMinn. L. Rev. Minnesota Law Reviewmn. marginMRSA Maine Revised Statutes AnnotatedNJW Neue Juristische WochenschriftNJW-RR NJW Rechtsprechungs-Report ZivilrechtNw. U. L. Rev. Northwestern University Law ReviewNYU Journal of New York University Journal of International Law

International Law and Politicsand Politics

OJ Official Journal of the European Communities /Union

OLG Oberlandesgericht OLGZ Rechtsprechung der Oberlandesgerichte in Zivilsachen,

Amtliche EntscheidungssammlungPatAnwO Patentanwaltsordnung of September 7, 1966 (BGBl I,

p. 557) as amended

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PatG Patentgesetz of May 5, 1936 in the version promul-gated on December 16, 1980, as amended

p. pagepp. pagesPrac. L. Inst. Practising Law InstitutePrac. L. Inst. / Lit. Practising Law Institute - Litigation and Administra-

tive Practice Course Handbook Series - LitigationRabels Zeitschrift Zeitschrift für ausländisches und internationales Priva -

trecht RGZ Entscheidungen des Reichsgerichts in ZivilsachenRIW Recht der Internationalen WirtschaftRpfleger Der RechtspflegerRPflG RechtspflegergesetzRutgers L. Rev. Rutgers Law ReviewS. Ct. Supreme Court ReporterSchiedsVfG Schiedsverfahren- NeuregelungsgesetzService Regulation see EU Service RegulationSGG Sozialgerichtsgesetz of September 3, 1953 (BGBl. I,

pp. 1953, 1239) in the version promulgated on Sep-tember 23, 1975 (BGBl. I, p. 2535), as amended

SMU L. Rev. Southern Methodist University Law ReviewStGB Strafgesetzbuch of May 15, 1871 in the version prom-

ulgated on November 13, 1998 (BGBl. I, p. 3322)Tulane J. Int’l and Tulane Journal of International and

Comp. Law Comparative LawU. C. Davis L. Rev. University of California, Davis Law ReviewU. Chi. L. Rev. University of Chicago Law ReviewU. Chi. Legal F. University of Chicago Legal ForumU. Chicago L. Rev. see U. Chi. L. Rev.U. Pitt. L. Rev. University of Pittsburgh Law ReviewU.C.L.A. University of California, Los AngelesU.S.C United States CodeU.S.C.A. United States Code AnnotatedUHG Umwelthaftungs-Gesetz of December 10, 1990 (BGBl.

I, p. 2634)UKlaG Unterlassungsklagengesetz of November 26, 2001 in

the version promulgated on August 27, 2002 (BGBl.I, p. 3422)

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UNCITRAL United Nations Commission on International TradeLaw

Unidroit International Institute for the Unification of PrivateLaw

Uniform L. Rev. Uniform Law ReviewUPA L.Rev. University of Pennsylvania Law ReviewU.S. United States ReportsUWG Gesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb of June 7,

1909, as amendedVand. L. Rev. Vanderbilt Law ReviewVersR Versicherungsrecht, Juristische Rundschau für die Indi -

vidualversicherungVerwArch VerwaltungsarchivVol. VolumeVwGO Verwaltungsgerichtsordnung of January 1, 1960 (BGBl.

I, p. 17) in the version promulgated on March 19,1991 (BGBl. I, p. 686) as amended

Wash. & Lee L. Rev. Washington and Lee Law ReviewWis. L. Rev. Wisconsin Law ReviewWM WertpapiermitteilungenWm. & Mary Bil l William and Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Rts. J.Wm . & Ma ry L. Rev. William and Mary Law ReviewWRP Wettbewerb in Recht und PraxisZaöRV Zeitschrift für ausländis ches öffentliches Recht und

VölkerrechtZIP Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht ZPO Zivilprozessordnung of January 30, 1877 in the ver-

sion promulgated on September 12, 1950 (BGBl. I, p.533), as amended

ZPO-RG Gesetz zur Reform des Zivilprozesses of July 21, 2001(BGBl. I, p.1887)

Z R H O Re ch t s h i l fso rd nung für Zivi l s a ch en of O ctober 19, 1 9 5 6in the vers i on promu l ga ted on Febru a ry 26, 1976

ZRP Zeitschrift für RechtspolitikZSEG Gesetz über die Entschädigung von Zeugen und

Sachverständigen of July 26, 1957 (BGBl. I, p. 902) inthe version promulgated on October 1, 1969 (BGBl.I, p. 1756) as amended

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ZustDG Gesetz zur Durchführung gemeinschaftsrechtlicherVorschriften über die Zustellung gerichtlicher undaußergerichtlicher Schriftstücke in Zivil- oder Han -delssachen in den Mitgliedsstaaten (EG-Zustellungs -durchführungsgesetz) of July 9, 2001 (BGBl. I, p.1536)

ZustRG Gesetz zur Reform des Verfahrens bei Zustellungen imgerichtlichen Verfahren (Zustellungsreformgesetz) ofJune 25, 2001 (BGBl. I, p. 1206)

ZVG Gesetz über die Zwangsversteigerung und Zwangsver -waltung of March 24, 1897 in the version promul-gated on May 20, 1898, as amended

ZvglRwiss Zeitschrift für vergleichende Rechtswissenschaft ZZP Zeitschrift für ZivilprozeßZZPInt Zeitschrift für Zivilprozeß International - Jahrbuch des

Internationalen Zivilprozessrechts

xxxiv TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS

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