Das Gebot der zivilprozessualen Waffengleichheit

In German law, the concept of ‘equality of arms’ in civil proceedings is widely accepted. Yet, its scope of application is still vague and in need of further clarification. While the basic idea that both parties to a civil proceeding should be able to fight each other with equal means and that every party should have the opportunity to present their case to the court in circumstances which do not place them at a substantial disadvantage vis-à-vis the opposing party seems to be common sense, the general definition offers a broad spectrum of possible interpretations with regard to various details. The paper discusses the meaning of the equality of arms principle in Germany.