Unlike in criminal proceedings, only professional judges rule in civil cases. Only in commercial, labor or social law cases do lay judges also participate in the decision-making.
If, for example, a decision is requested by a senate in commercial matters, so-called commercial councils, which have special knowledge of business operations, participate in the decision as lay judges. In labor and social matters, too, expert lay judges are involved in all instances; as a rule, half of them belong to the employer’s circle and half to that of the employee.
