Arbitration Court
Grofor e.V. maintains its own arbitration court at its headquarters.
An arbitration court is an institution similar to the public local and regional courts and serves to resolve disputes between parties that submit to its jurisdiction.
All disputes arising from or in connection with contracts containing an arbitration clause (e.g., the Grofor Terms) shall, insofar as legally permissible, be decided exclusively by the Grofor Arbitration Court. This also includes questions regarding the validity of the arbitration clause itself.
The course of arbitration proceedings is governed by the Arbitration Rules in their respective current version. Diese können Sie hier einsehen.
The Grofor Arbitration Court therefore offers an alternative to proceedings before public local or regional courts. Its key advantage lies in its high level of efficiency and expertise. The qualified and specially trained arbitrators on our list of arbitrators are primarily merchants and lawyers from within the industry who are distinguished by their strong professional expertise. An arbitration tribunal consists of three arbitrators who are newly appointed by the parties for each proceeding. Wherever possible, they should be selected from the Grofor list of arbitrators.
The procedure is as follows:
- Filing of a Claim: Written statement of claim with attachments submitted to the office.
- Preliminary Proceedings: Correspondence and evidence must be submitted within the specified deadlines.
- Oral Hearing: Usually held at the association’s headquarters or at an agreed location; not open to the public.
- Arbitral Award: Written decision signed by all arbitrators. The arbitral award has the same legal effect as a court judgment.
- Legal Force: Binding upon delivery and enforceable after confirmation by the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court.
Appeals against arbitral awards may be filed with the Grofor Supreme Arbitration Court, which also makes a final decision in a panel of three arbitrators.
The costs (arbitrators’ fees, administrative costs, and expenses) are based on the amount in dispute. In principle, the losing party bears the costs; otherwise, they are apportioned at the discretion of the arbitration court. Advances or securities may be required. For a non-binding estimate of the possible costs of arbitration proceedings, we provide our fee calculator here.
Court Cost Calculator
FAQ
A claim before the arbitration court is initiated by submitting a statement of claim. This must be sent in writing to the office of the Grofor e.V. Arbitration Court, Adolphsplatz 1, Kontor 57, 20457 Hamburg. To meet deadlines, the statement of claim and its attachments may also be submitted electronically by email to schiedsgericht@grofor.de .
- Parties: Name, full address, if applicable legal form and authorized representatives.
- Subject Matter of the Dispute: Description of the facts of the case.
- Value of the Subject Matter of the Dispute in EURO
- Statement of Claim (Relief Sought)
- Nomination of an Arbitrator (preferably from the Grofor list).
All documents relating to the subject matter of the dispute must be attached to the statement of claim. They should be marked as annexes and numbered in sequence. All submissions must be filed in five copies together with complete annexes.
Arbitrators must remain independent and impartial. They are bound by the principle of neutrality. They may not be advised or influenced and must disclose any possible prior connections in a declaration.
The Board of Grofor e.V. is entitled, upon application by the entitled party, to publish the name of a company that fails to comply with a final and binding arbitral award (blacklist). In addition, enforcement proceedings may be initiated based on the arbitral award after the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court has declared the award enforceable.
We are happy to answer your questions regarding arbitration and support you throughout the entire process with regard to formal requirements and procedural steps. Please note that the arbitration court office and the arbitrators are not permitted to provide substantive legal advice.