Jürgen Burkhard, Managing Director of the BURKHARD GROUP, was appointed as an honorary Commercial Judge at the Kempten Regional Court on February 26, 2024, for a five-year term. In the Chambers for Commercial Matters, he contributes his commercial expertise to legal proceedings, with the same voting rights as professional judges.
“Well, I was surprised and at the same time very honored when I was contacted and informed that I had been proposed as a future Commercial Judge of the Regional Court.”
Jürgen Burkhard, Managing Director, BURKHARD GROUP
What is a Commercial Judge?
Commercial Judges are honorary judges. They are not lawyers, but businesspeople and executives from the economy. In the Chambers for Commercial Matters, they sit alongside a presiding professional judge and, like them, wear a black robe. They exclusively apply their commercial expertise and economic competence and have equal voting rights.
The office has a long tradition: In Germany, its origins can be traced back to 1804 in Nuremberg.
The Path to Appointment
After the proposal, Jürgen Burkhard researched the office and found that it is a purely honorary judicial office. He did not have to think long. After consulting with his wife, he had the necessary support from his family, as hearing dates can interfere with personal scheduling.
The formalities were quickly completed; he only had to research certain periods of time for the required resume. Then things moved quickly:
- 02/20/2024: Formal notification from Regional Court President Erlbeck regarding the appointment for a term of five years
- 02/26/2024: Presentation of the certificate of appointment at the Regional Court, in the presence of the Presiding Judge
- March 2024: Swearing-in directly before the first chamber hearing
Honorary Experience as a Foundation
Honorary positions are nothing new for Jürgen Burkhard. To this day, he is the Regional Chairman of the bayme employers’ association and was a member of the IHK Regional Assembly until mid-2023. What is new for him, however, is the role of holding a public office.
“Now I am all the more pleased to contribute my knowledge here as a Commercial Judge, to gain new experiences myself, and to actively help shape a centuries-old tradition […].”
Entrepreneurial Responsibility at BURKHARD
Since 1995, the BURKHARD GROUP has stood for contract services in the areas of soldering, annealing, and welding. The fact that an entrepreneur from the region contributes his economic expertise to the judiciary fits our self-image: taking responsibility, both in the company and in society.
