An electrosurgical instrument including a jaw part made up of mutually movable instrument legs which have facing sides on which one or more electrode areas are arranged/formed in each case, the movement of the instrument legs relative to each other being able to be limited by at least one first spacer acting on proximal end portions of the instrument legs and at least one second spacer acting on distal end portions of the instrument legs. At least one of the spacers on at least one electrode is manufactured from an electrically conductive material and is connected to the electrode in electroconductive fashion. Furthermore, the spacer cooperates with a local spacer abutment surface which is made of a non-conductive material and arranged in electrically insulating manner on at least one opposing electrode.