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Germany is built on a federal state system. Under this system, the individual states, or Länder assign part of their law-making authority to the central state, the Bund. Civil law regulates relations between citizens and companies. It includes the German civil code (BGB) and the German commercial code (HGB). Public law governs the relationship between citizens and the state. It encompasses administrative law and also criminal law.
Courts
The ordinary courts include the district courts (Amtsgericht), regional courts (Landgericht) and higher regional courts (Oberlandesgericht), as well as the federal court (Bundesgerichtshof). They have jurisdiction for disputes between individual citizens and for criminal cases. Disputes between employers and employees are settled in either the labor court (Arbeitsgericht). Social courts settle social security disputes; the fiscal courts resolve taxation disputes; and the administrative courts settle disputes between citizens and the state administration. Courts with the highest authority are the constitutional court for the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen and the federal constitutional court.
Attorney
All citizens and companies can seek advice and support from an attorney. Attorneys are members of the justice system and, as such, are subject to a specific professional code. Numerous international law firms are represented in Nordrhein-Westfalen.
Notaries
Supplementary legal support is provided by notaries, who, for example, must be involved in the completion of a real estate contract and establishment of a company. Documents managed by the land office provide information on the legal position and ownership of real estate, while the commercial register provides details of the legal position of companies. Both of these are available for consultation at the relevant local district court.erden.
