Directorate-General R (Judicial System)
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Directorate-General R (Judicial System) is responsible for the courts constitutions – i.e. for Federal law regulations on the structure and organisation of the courts and the public prosecution offices (also in the Federal Länder). It also has responsibility for the provisions of procedural law for the different jurisdictions, including the law governing costs and fees and the rules on investigation proceedings in criminal matters. It also deals with the law on judicial procedure in the field of non-contentious proceedings, especially the procedure in guardianship cases, matters relating to the custody of persons of full age, probate cases and register cases – as well as the law relating to debt enforcement and insolvency law. Lastly, it is also competent for the law governing the legal professions (above all, judges, public prosecutors, Rechtspfleger (senior judicial officers), lawyers and notaries), including the law governing lawyers’ fees. Directorate-General R provides assistance for the further training of judges and public prosecutors, notably within the framework of the Deutsche Richterakademie (German Judicial Academy). Current focal points include fundamental issues relating to pre-court and extrajudicial dispute settlement at national and international level, as well as promoting the use of mediation procedures.
