Deutsche Gesellschaft für Baurecht e.V.

What Deutsche Gesellschaft für Baurecht e.V. does

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Baurecht e.V. (DGfB) is a registered German non-profit professional association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1971 and headquartered in Wiesbaden, with a secondary presence referenced in Berlin. It serves approximately 1,000 members active in German construction law (Baurecht) — both public and private — and organizes the profession across four member categories: natural persons (€200/year), legal entities (€1,230/year), students (€30/year), and young practitioners, the last being onboarded via a structured fee ramp running from €60 in year one up to €200 in year four. The association is governed by an 11-member board under Chairman Dr. Burkhard Siebert (in office since 2020).

DGfB's core product is SL Bau (Streitlösungsordnung für das Bauwesen), a codified dispute resolution procedure for construction conflicts developed in cooperation with Deutscher Beton- und Bautechnik-Verein E.V. (DBV) and revised in five-year cycles — with material updates in 2010, 2013, 2016, 2020, and September 2021. Around this core, the association runs an annual Frankfurt conference, distributes multiple regional seminars across major German cities, publishes journals and curated content, awards the long-running Baurechtspreis (instituted 1986), maintains the Forum Junges Baurecht sub-brand for early-career practitioners, and engages in legislative consultation on Baurecht reforms. The organization is an active member of the European Society of Construction Law (ESCL), holding the ESCL chair for the 2022-2024 cycle, which positions DGfB as the primary German interlocutor in European construction law coordination.

The business model is member-funded: annual dues constitute the principal revenue line, supplemented by seminar and conference fees, journal/advertising income, and ancillary member services. There is no external equity funding, no commercial technology product, and no acquisition or geographic expansion activity in the disclosed record. Operating scale is small — a lean Wiesbaden office — and the association's competitive position rests on brand longevity (50+ years), institutional standing with the German judiciary and Federal Ministry, and the SL Bau rulebook's entrenchment as the de facto ADR procedure for major German construction contracts.

Name

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Baurecht e.V.

Legal name

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Baurecht e.V.

Website

https://dg-baurecht.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Baurecht e.V. is a German non-profit professional association founded in 1971, serving approximately 1,000 construction law practitioners through membership services, the SL Bau dispute resolution ruleset developed with DBV, publications, conferences, and continuing legal education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Construction Law Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Professional Organizations (813920), All Other Legal Services (541199)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction, Engineering & Skilled Trades Licensure Prep (EDAAANAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction & Trades Licensure (Contractor, Electrician, Plumber, HVAC CE) (EDAAALAH), Architecture, Construction & Building Codes Reference (Design, BIM, Safety Codes) (EDAGAGAH)

Keywords

• Construction law
• Professional association
• Dispute resolution
• Continuing legal education
• Membership services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wiesbaden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Annual membership fees constitute the primary revenue stream. Fee structure: natural persons €200/year, legal entities €1,230/year, students/referendars €30/year (with annual proof required), young practitioners (under 40) €60 in first year then €200/year. Members receive access to publications, training events, and networking platforms as part of membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Deutsche Gesellschaft f\u00fcr Baurecht e.V. is a non-profit professional membership association that develops, promotes, and administers construction law expertise in Germany. Its core offerings are the SL Bau multi-stage out-of-court dispute resolution system, FAO-certified legal education (online and in-person seminars), an annual flagship conference (Jahrestagung), nine specialist and nine regional working groups, access to specialist journals, and the Deutscher Baurechtspreis award. It serves construction lawyers, construction engineers, architects, judges, public institutions and young practitioners across Germany.

Product overview

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Baurecht e.V. is a professional membership society offering a comprehensive ecosystem of construction law services centered around its core SL Bau (Streitlösungsordnung für das Bauwesen) dispute resolution system. The organization provides a multi-tiered portfolio including professional journals (Baurecht/Vergaberecht/Bauwirtschaft), annual conferences (Jahrestagung), online seminars, and nine specialized professional working groups plus nine regional working groups. A dedicated sub-brand, Forum Junges Baurecht, serves young construction professionals. The organization also awards the Deutsche Baurechtspreis and maintains a Streitlöser-Liste of qualified dispute resolvers. Membership-based model with tiered fees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SL Bau (Streitl\u00f6sungsordnung f\u00fcr das Bauwesen) A comprehensive multi-stage out-of-court dispute resolution system for the German construction industry offering five procedural options: Mediation, Schlichtung (conciliation), Adjudication, Schiedsgericht (arbitration), and Schiedsgutachten (expert determination). Developed jointly with DBV and administered with a jointly maintained roster of qualified Streitl\u00f6ser (dispute resolvers). For construction industry participants, contractors, planners and legal practitioners needing alternatives to overloaded German courts.
• Jahrestagung (Annual Conference) Annual flagship multi-day conference in Frankfurt am Main with presentations by renowned speakers on public and private construction law. Attracts 100+ members and practitioners for in-person exchange. Members receive reduced registration fees. The 2027 edition is scheduled for 11 June 2027.
• Online-Seminare (FAO-certified online and in-person seminars) Web-based and in-person educational seminars covering construction technology for legal professionals (Bautechnik f\u00fcr Baujuristen), public construction law (Aktuelle Entscheidungen im \u00d6ffentlichen Baurecht), private construction law jurisprudence (Neues von den OLGs / BGH), and procurement law (Vergaberecht Veranstaltungen). FAO-certified for continuing legal education credits. Prices range \u20ac40\u2013\u20ac100 for online seminars and \u20ac225 (members) / \u20ac275 (non-members) for in-person events.
• Facharbeitskreise (Specialist Working Groups) Nine specialized working groups covering Architektenrecht, \u00d6ffentliches Baurecht, Vergaberecht, Außergerichtliche Streitl\u00f6sung, Europa und Internationales Baurecht, Baurecht und Baubetrieb, and Sachverst\u00e4ndigenrecht. Regular sessions drive professional dialogue and knowledge exchange among DGfB members.
• Regionale Arbeitskreise (Regional Working Groups) Nine regional working groups operating across Germany (Bayern, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Sachsen/Sachsen-Anhalt, Berlin/Brandenburg, Nord, Th\u00fcringen, Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg, Rhein-Main) holding regular sessions for ongoing regional dialogue.
• Deutscher Baurechtspreis Distinguished industry/trade award endowed with \u20ac5,000 presented by DGfB for outstanding achievements in public or private construction law. Recognizes leading academics, judges and practitioners and reinforces DGfB's brand authority.
• DGfB Mitgliedschaft (Membership) Annual membership subscriptions for construction law professionals and institutions. Tiered pricing: natural persons \u20ac200/year, legal entities \u20ac1,230/year, students and Referendare \u20ac30/year (annual proof required), young practitioners under 40 \u20ac60 first year then \u20ac200/year. Includes access to two specialist journals, working groups, events, and SL Bau.
• Forum Junges Baurecht (Young Construction Law Forum) Specialized sub-organization of DGfB for young construction professionals — lawyers, judges, architects, engineers, students and Referendare. Offers reduced membership fees, a XING-based community, regional groups, an annual central event and career development support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 1,000 members from all key branches of construction industry and planning.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• European Society of Construction Law (ESCL)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017The DGfB is a member of the ESCL, one of 19 national construction law societies from European member states. From 2017–2024, board member Prof. Dr. Bastian Fuchs served as the DGfB's representative, holding the ESCL chairmanship from 2022–2024. Currently, Dr. Stephanie Englert-Dougherty represents the DGfB on the ESCL Council.
• Deutscher Beton- und Bautechnik-Verein E.V. (DBV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009The DGfB and DBV jointly developed the SL Bau (Streitlösungsordnung für das Bauwesen), a comprehensive multi-stage out-of-court dispute resolution system for the construction industry, first entering into force on 1 January 2010. The system was subsequently amended in 2013, 2016, 2020, and 2021. Both organizations jointly maintain a list of qualified 'Streitlöser' (dispute resolvers) and operate a joint admissions commission for this list. They also co-published a commentary on SL Bau in 2011 (Werner Verlag).
• Humboldt-Universität zu BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1974The DGfB initiated the founding of the Institute for German and International Construction Law at Humboldt University Berlin in 1974. Prof. Wolfgang Heiermann served as its president until 2009. Prof. Ulrich Battis served as director from 1994–2009, and Prof. Klaus Englert took over the presidency from 2009–2012. The institute was converted from an 'An-Institut' to an 'In-Institut' of the law faculty in 2012 but was discontinued in 2016.
• Werner VerlagminorOthersThe Werner Verlag publishes the journal BauR, which became the official journal of the DGfB since 2009, and also published the joint DGfB-DBV commentary on SL Bau in 2011.
• German legislative bodies, courts, and universitiesminorOthersThe DGfB maintains close contact with legislative organs, administrative authorities, and courts at the federal and state levels. It is also partnered with universities and higher education institutions. It collaborates with organizations of similar or identical purpose at both national and international levels.
• Wolters KluwerminorOthersThe DGfB has a partnership with Wolters Kluwer providing members with a 10% discount on the Werner Privates Baurecht module (base price €924/year or €77/month plus VAT). Wolters Kluwer handles delivery of the selected specialist journals (Baurecht, Vergaberecht, Bauwirtschaft) to members.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• CBTR – Centrum für Deutsches und Internationales Baugrund- und Tiefbaurecht e.V. A smaller German professional association focused specifically on construction ground and underground construction law. DGfB board member Dr. Florian Englert serves as its president, indicating close structural ties. CBTR is a niche adjacent peer with overlapping technical-legal scope.

Others

• European Society of Construction Law (ESCL): The umbrella organization of 19 national construction law societies in Europe, of which DGfB is a member. ESCL is not a direct competitor but the parent federation framework in which DGfB participates, including former DGfB board members serving as ESCL chair.
• Zentralverband Deutsches Baugewerbe (ZDB): The German central association of the building trade (mittelstand construction firms). ZDB is a comparable industry association adjacent to construction law, with overlapping member constituencies (medium-sized construction firms) and parallel engagement on construction-related regulation.

Broad incumbents

• Deutscher Anwaltverein (DAV): Germany's largest professional association for lawyers, with ~67,000 members. DAV is comparable as a national legal professional association offering working groups, specialist certifications, and publications, but operates across all legal fields rather than specializing in construction law.
• Hauptverband der Deutschen Bauindustrie: The central association of the German construction industry, representing major construction firms. While broader in industry scope than DGfB, it overlaps heavily in stakeholder base (large construction contractors) and policy engagement, and its publications intersect with DGfB's content areas.
• Deutsche Institution für Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit (DIS): Germany's leading arbitration institution, offering a comparable dispute resolution framework to SL Bau but broader across industries. Like DGfB, DIS maintains a list of qualified arbitrators and provides procedural rules, but operates at a much larger scale and across all sectors, not just construction.
• American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law: The largest construction law membership community in the United States, operating as a forum within the ABA. Comparable in mission (continuing education, conferences, publications, industry advocacy) but significantly larger and embedded within a broader legal association infrastructure.
• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb): A globally recognized chartered body for dispute resolution practitioners, with overlapping membership in arbitration and adjudication. CIArb's membership and accreditation functions for arbitrators are comparable to DGfB's Streitlöser-Liste, but it operates across all dispute types globally.

Direct peers

• Société Française de Droit de la Construction (SFDC): The French national construction law society and fellow ESCL member. SFDC is a directly comparable peer with similar structure: a professional association for construction law practitioners that organizes conferences, publishes, and engages in policy advocacy in its national jurisdiction.
• Society of Construction Law (UK): The UK's national construction law membership society, with a similar mission of advancing construction law through publications, events, and member networking. SCL is a sister member of ESCL alongside DGfB and offers a directly comparable model of member-led conferences, working groups, and specialist publications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deutsche-gesellschaft-f%C3%BCr-baurecht-e.v.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Deutsche Gesellschaft für Baurecht e.V.