Courts of Germany
At the lowest level are the local courts (Amtsgerichte; sing., Amtsgericht), which hear cases involving minor criminal offenses or small civil suits. These courts also carry out routine legal functions, such as keeping the company register. Most cases in the local courts are decided by a single judge. However, in criminal cases in which the sentence is expected to exceed two years, the professional judge is assisted by two part-time judges with equal rights as the professional judge (Schöffengericht). There are 687 'Amtsgerichte'.