District Courts (Amtsgerichte)
Next to the District court of Hamburg there are seven smaller city-district courts in Altona, Barmbek, Bergedorf, Blankenese, Harburg, St. Georg and Wandsbek.
There exists an exclusive jurisdiction for registry and ships-registry proceedings as well as bankruptcy proceedings (Amtsgericht Hamburg) and judicial admonitions (Amtsgericht Hamburg-Altona).The District Courts adjudicate petty crimes and misdemeanors with a maximum potential sentence of two years imprisonment (single judge) and crimes with a maximum potential sentence of four years imprisonment (Schöffengericht - a panel of one professional judge and two lay judges).