Rising case numbers. Constant expectations. How can ADR work at scale?
What the webinar covered
ADR and ombudsman proceedings in Germany are reaching new record highs: more than 130,000 proceedings per year, with double-digit growth across all industries. The conciliation body for telecommunications (Schlichtungsstelle Telekommunikation) more than doubled its applications year on year (+118 %), and the insurance ombudsman (Versicherungsombudsmann) recorded an increase of 34 percent in 2025 and, for the first time since it was founded, exceeded the statutory 90-day limit for complex cases. In this webinar, we analysed what happens when this growth in volume meets administrative structures designed for far lower intake – and at what case volume a legal task turns into a question of operational management.
Regulatory framework and operational reality
The pressure is growing – and it is coming from several sides at once. In April 2026, BaFin set out clear expectations for processing times, and the EU ADR reform extends the scope to online platforms, streaming services and e-commerce by 2028. Whether the capacity is in place for this remains to be seen.
How should this be assessed? Björn Frommer talked to Prof. Dr. Simon J. Heetkamp – former judge, academic, and someone who knows high-volume proceedings from his own practice. Then it got concrete: what could the technical foundation of an ADR procedure look like that really meets these requirements? Automatic recognition of incoming letters, admissibility checks, compliant deadline management – and reporting that delivers the annual report and supervisory filings along the way.
Who is this webinar for?
- General Counsel as well as management and boards of ombudsman schemes and ADR bodies
- Legal & compliance at insurers, energy suppliers, telecommunications providers and banks
- Partners and specialist lawyers in insurance, ADR and arbitration law
- Legal Operations and legal tech leads
- Anyone responsible for large case volumes – operationally and strategically
Our guest: a pioneer of digital dispute resolution
We were pleased to welcome Prof. Dr. Simon J. Heetkamp, LL.M., a recognised expert at the intersection of insurance law, high-volume proceedings and the digitalisation of the judiciary. He holds the professorship for business law, mobility and insurance law at TH Köln (University of Applied Sciences Cologne) and conducts research at its Institute for Insurance Studies.
He previously served as a judge at the Regional Court of Cologne, including in a chamber of appeal and a construction chamber. He began his career as a litigation lawyer at a major international law firm, where he was part of the leadership team of a mass litigation case in the automotive sector. In 2022, together with the IT officer of the Regional Court of Cologne, he initiated “digitale richterschaft”, an exchange platform for the digitalisation of the judiciary. Heetkamp combines academic depth with procedural practice where proceedings broaden and existing structures come under strain.
Further speakers
- Björn Frommer, Co-Founder JUNE & CEO: discussed the current state of the ADR market and the outlook for upcoming developments with Prof. Dr. Heetkamp.
- Katja Nikolaus, Co-Founder JUNE & CBDO: showed, using examples from other industries, how similarly structured high-volume procedures are solved there.
- Christian Häp, Co-Founder JUNE & CTO: gave a live walkthrough of a high-volume legal procedure on the platform.
