The team of the Commercial Chamber | Civil Division 33
Presiding Judge at the Regional Court Malte Hansen
Malte Hansen has been a judge in Hamburg since 2007. After serving several years at the Hamburg District Court (Amtsgericht) as a trial judge in civil as well as criminal proceedings, he was seconded to the German Federal Court of Justice, Second Civil Senate, from 2014 until 2017. Since October 2017 he has been the presiding judge of the 18th Grand Criminal Chamber, an economic crimes chamber, at the Regional Court of Hamburg. Prior to his judicial career he worked several years as a lawyer, primarily in corporate litigation and post-M&A disputes.
Regional Court Judge Dr Tim Lanzius, LL.M. (University of the West of England, Bristol)
Dr Tim Lanzius has been a judge in Hamburg since 2010. Before that he worked for several years as a lawyer in the areas of M&A and litigation (with a focus on corporate disputes). In 2002, Mr. Lanzius obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Commercial Law from the University of the West of England (Bristol). He then completed a doctorate in international corporate law.
Regional Court Judge Dr Katharina Seiffert
Dr Katharina Seiffert has been a judge since 2012. After having worked in different civil divisions of the Regional Court of Hamburg and at the Higher Regional Court of Hamburg, she is currently part of a civil division of the Regional Court of Hamburg. Prior to becoming a judge, she worked as a lawyer in M&A for an international law firm in London and Hamburg and advised clients on various M&A transactions. Dr Seiffert has been a lecturer at the University of Hamburg for more than ten years.
Regional Court Judge Dr Christopher Sachse, LL.M. (Sydney)
Dr Christopher Sachse worked as a lawyer in the litigation department of an international law firm from 2009 to 2014, where he also conducted English-language arbitration proceedings. He was Managing Director of the 73rd German Jurists' Conference and is a member of the Presidium of the German Association of Judges. In 2024, he was seconded to the Senate of the Higher Regional Court of Hamburg responsible for transport and shipping cases.
Regional Court Judge Dr Torsten Sommer
Dr Torsten Sommer began his judicial career in Hamburg in 2017 after practicing law at a local firm. At the Regional Court of Hamburg, he served as an associate judge in a Civil Division specialising in insurance law. In 2023, he was appointed deputy chairman of a chamber exclusively dedicated to insurance law. Dr Sommer is a lecturer in the Master’s program in Insurance Law at the University of Hamburg and serves on the board of the Association of Friends of the Seminar for Insurance Science (e.V.) at the University of Hamburg.