Quick Reference to Abbreviations

Kirchner: Abkürzungsverzeichnis der Rechtssprache ". 1993 RF73 KIR.

This gives an alphabetical listing of abbreviations and also arranges them in separate lists under the headings of Official Publications, Journals/Law Reports and Primary/Subsidiary Legislation.

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Finding Legislation

The principal sources for up to date versions of any type of legislation (code, statute or regulation) are Schönfelder: Deutsche Gesetze (German statutes) GO15.D.1 SCH and Sartorius: Verfassungs- und Verwaltungsgesetze (constitutional and administrative statutes) GO15.C.1 SAR. These will be subsequently referred to as SCH and SAR.

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From an abbreviation

An abbreviation will usually end with G (for Gesetz = Act) or any of O, VO or V (Ordnung or Verordnung = regulation/order. Examples might include the following:

JÖSchG - Jugendschutzgesetz (Law relating to the protection of young people)

ZPO - Zivilprozessordnung (Order relating to civil procedure)

AZV -Arbeitszeitverordnung (Order relating to working time)

The exceptions to this general rule are the Codes: BGB (Burgerliches Gesetzbuch: Civil code), HGB (Handelsgesetzbuch: Commercial code) , SGB (Sozialgesetzbuch: Social /social security code) and StGB (Strafgesetzbuch: Penal code)

SCH and SAR both include a key to abbreviations from which you can then refer to an entry in the yellow table at the front. The table refers to the item number in the volume. Alternatively refer to Kirchner or the abbreviations table at the back of the annual (grey) index (Fundstellennachweis) to the BGBl Bundesgesetzblatt (FOL GO15.E.1). This key refers to subject entries within the volume.

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From a named piece of legislation

Refer directly to the yellow table at the front of SAR or SCH as appropriate to the topic in question. Examples might include:

Telekommunikationsgesetz (SAR)

Strafgesetzbuch (Penal code) (SCH)

SCH and SAR provide citations to the original publication of the Act in BGBl and to any subsequent amendments.

Watch out for consolidated texts [marked " i.d. Bek. v" (as published on [date]) or "i.d. F. v" (in the version of [date])

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Finding Cases

It is not possible to locate German cases using the party names alone. Additional details relating to the subject of the case, the date of the decision and the type of court are required (but not necessarily all three). This section gives information about the published sources, which may help and the types of index provided.

· Fundhefte : IALS receives annual volumes of Fundhefte (type of digest) covering four topic areas, Arbeits und Sozialrecht (labour and social insurance law), Offentliches Recht (public law), Zivilrecht (civil law) and Steuerrecht (tax law). The indices allow users to search for cases and articles using hierarchical subject headings/keyword index and by titles/sections of relevant Acts and Codes.

E.g. Using "Zivilrecht" one might search for cases concerning the "Luftverkehrsgesetz" (air traffic act) or Ehescheidung (divorce)

A case reference might be OLG Nürnberg 18.4.2001 (12 U 4114/00) , VersR 2001, 1567

The above case was heard at the Oberlandesgericht in Nuremberg and is reported in the journal Versicherungsrecht 2001 p. 1567

· Neue Juristische Wochenschrift : A number of specialist legal journals also publish law reports and provide detailed indices. NJW provides detailed subject / keyword / legislation indices in a similar way to the Fundhefte. In addition it supplies a chronological listing of cases published in the various series of reports with precise dates arranged under the headings of the various courts.

For example

Court: Bundesgerichtshof (Federal Supreme Court)

Case 16.3.2000 (IZR 229/97) GRUR 02 187

Other titles include Juristenzeitung (JZ) Monatsschrift für Deutsches Recht (MDR), Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht (GRUR) (intellectual property) and Die Offentliche Verwaltung (DOV) (public administration). These are all held at IALS and index in a similar way.

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Internet Sources

A selection of web sites covering German law reports and legislation is available within INTUTE. The more recent material is more likely to be in German than English.

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