Legal advice & representation

• ·Extension, change or first issue of a residence permit
• ·Settlement permit and EU long-term residence
• ·Naturalisation, including multiple citizenship
• ·Spouse and child reunification, formal obligation letter
• ·Interim certificate and extension while proceedings are pending
• ·Rejection decisions, expulsion, notice of deportation

Instead of general support you receive a named plan – who is responsible, what is missing, what follows in which order.

1. 01Initial analysis
2. 02Document checklist
3. 03Procedural steps
4. 04Responsibilities
5. 05Anticipated risks
6. 06Preparing communication with authorities
7. 07Optional representation

Deadline: As a rule, one month from the date served applies against a rejection decision. What matters is the notice of legal remedies at the end of the decision.

Not covered: Asylum proceedings.

Discuss your matter ↗︎

• ·Reviewing the service charge statement: allocation key, chargeable items, advance payments
• ·Checking rent increases and modernisation notices for validity
• ·Own-use and immediate termination, objection and grounds of hardship
• ·Defects, rent reduction, repairs
• ·Deposit: retention, settlement, repayment

• ·Reviewing and drafting sale, work and service contracts
• ·Terms and conditions review for the self-employed and smaller businesses
• ·Rescission, withdrawal, warranty and damages
• ·Contract adjustment and termination by agreement

Deadlines: Objections to the service charge statement must be raised within twelve months of receipt. An objection to a termination must be declared no later than two months before the notice period expires.

Discuss your matter ↗︎

• ·Out-of-court demand for payment with a deadline
• ·Court order-for-payment procedure and obtaining a title
• ·Enforcement, attachment, statement of assets
• ·Suspending limitation before it takes effect

• ·Objection to the order for payment – two weeks from the date served
• ·Appeal against the enforcement order
• ·Review of merits and amount, plea of limitation
• ·Protection from enforcement, instalments, settlement

• ·Claims handling with the other party's liability insurer
• ·Repair costs, diminished value, loss of use, hire car
• ·Expert costs and compensation for pain and suffering
• ·Dispute over liability shares and contributory liability

Deadline: From the date the order for payment is served you have two weeks to object. The standard limitation period is three years, ending at the close of the year.

Discuss your matter ↗︎

• ·Objection and court action against adverse decisions
• ·Trade, hospitality and licensing law
• ·Decisions on social benefits, reclaims and reimbursements
• ·File access and hearing in administrative proceedings
• ·Action for failure to act when the authority does not decide
• ·Urgent relief when a measure takes immediate effect

Deadline: As a rule one month from the date served for an objection or court action. The notice of legal remedies is decisive – if it is missing, the period extends to one year.

Not covered: Tax and fiscal administrative law.

Discuss your matter ↗︎

• ·Remaining silent is your right and does not count against you
• ·Access to the file before any statement – only then can you decide
• ·No statements to the police without prior consultation

• ·Investigation, search, seizure, questioning
• ·Penalty order: appeal within two weeks of the date served
• ·Main hearing before the local or regional court
• ·Appeal on facts and on points of law
• ·Support for private accessory prosecutors and witnesses

Twofold impact: For non-German nationals, criminal proceedings can have consequences under residence law. Both are considered together here.

Discuss your matter ↗︎

• ·Reviewing and drafting development, maintenance, SaaS, cloud and licence agreements
• ·Service level agreements: availability, response times, penalties
• ·Freelancer and supplier contracts, rights of use in the source code
• ·Change requests and acceptance provisions

• ·Contract for work or for services? Remedies for defects and acceptance depend on it
• ·Subsequent performance, price reduction, rescission, damages
• ·Setting deadlines and robust documentation of defects
• ·Terminating ongoing projects and invoicing work performed

Not covered: Data protection law. We advise on IT contract law, not on data protection law.

Discuss your matter ↗︎

You do not have to attend a police summons as an accused person; there is no obligation to make a statement. You have the right to remain silent – and exercising it does not count against you. The sensible first step is access to the case file: only once you know what is alleged and what the allegation rests on can you decide whether making a statement helps. A summons from the public prosecutor or the court has different legal consequences. Contact us before the date.

• ·Complete summons letter, with all pages
• ·File reference and name of the investigating authority
• ·The date on which the document was received or formally served
• ·Any earlier letters in the same matter
• ·Whether a statement has already been made

Request defence ↗︎

Which documents are required depends on the purpose of residence – employment, study, family reunification or a settlement permit each lead to different lists. Identity, secured livelihood, housing, health insurance and language skills are checked in almost every case. Incomplete applications are the most common cause of delay. We compile the list before the application is filed.

• ·Passport, all pages with stamps, plus previous residence permits
• ·Registration certificate and tenancy agreement
• ·Employment contract and the last three payslips
• ·Proof of health insurance
• ·Language certificate, if available
• ·Marriage, birth or custody certificates for family reunification, with translation

Request a procedure plan ↗︎

From the date on which the order for payment was served you have two weeks to file an objection. The period starts on the date shown on the yellow service envelope, not on the date of the order. If no objection is filed, an enforcement order may follow – after which only an appeal within two weeks remains possible. The objection does not need to be reasoned; it merely keeps the proceedings open. Keep the envelope, it proves the date served.

• ·Complete order for payment, with file reference
• ·Envelope showing the date on which the document was served
• ·Objection form, if enclosed
• ·Invoice or contract the claim is based on
• ·Correspondence with the opposing party to date

Have the objection reviewed ↗︎

Only what the court has expressly defined as an area of responsibility – for instance health care, financial affairs, dealings with authorities or housing matters. Outside those areas there is no power of representation. The person under guardianship remains legally competent unless otherwise ordered, and their wishes are decisive. Particularly intrusive measures – such as placement in an institution or terminating the tenancy – additionally require court approval.

• ·Guardian ID or certificate of appointment
• ·Guardianship court order listing the areas of responsibility
• ·Any existing health-care proxy or guardianship directive
• ·Recent letters from authorities, banks or institutions
• ·Medical records, if available

Discuss guardianship ↗︎

The statement must reach you no later than twelve months after the end of the accounting period – after that the landlord can generally no longer demand a further payment. What can be checked: the allocation key, whether individual items may be passed on at all, administration and maintenance costs that must not be allocated, and the advance payments actually made. You are entitled to inspect the receipts. Objections must be raised within twelve months of receiving the statement.

• ·Complete service charge statement, with all annexes
• ·Tenancy agreement, in particular the clause on operating costs
• ·Statements from the two previous years for comparison
• ·Proof of advance payments made
• ·The date on which the statement was received

Have the statement reviewed ↗︎

Ordinary notice by the landlord is only effective with a legitimate interest – such as own use or a serious breach of contract – and the notice must state those reasons. Depending on the length of the tenancy the notice period is three, six or nine months. Termination without notice for arrears can, in certain cases, be rendered ineffective by paying the arrears in full within two months of service of the eviction claim. You may object up to two months before the notice period expires at the latest.

• ·Notice letter with envelope and date served
• ·Tenancy agreement with all amendments
• ·Proof of rent paid over the last twelve months
• ·Correspondence with the landlord
• ·Documents on grounds of hardship, e.g. medical certificate, proof of severe disability, school certificate

Have the notice reviewed ↗︎

What matters is the notice of legal remedies at the end of the administrative decision: it states the deadline, the form and the competent body. As a rule, one month from the date served applies for an objection or a court action. The period runs from the day of service, not from the date of the decision. If it is missed, the decision becomes final and can only be challenged in narrow exceptional cases. Where there is an obligation to leave the country, an urgent application may also be necessary.

• ·Complete administrative decision, including the notice of legal remedies
• ·Envelope or certificate of service showing the date served
• ·Application and all documents submitted
• ·Passport and previous residence permits
• ·Correspondence with the authority

Secure the deadline ↗︎

First the type of contract has to be determined: a contract for work owes a result, a service contract only reasonable efforts – remedies for defects, acceptance and termination options all depend on this. Contracts for work give rise to claims for subsequent performance, price reduction, rescission and damages, usually after a deadline has been set and passed. Robust documentation of the scope of work, acceptances, defect reports and deadlines is essential. Data protection questions are not covered by this advice.

• ·Contract with all annexes, scope of work and specification
• ·Quotes, order confirmations and change agreements
• ·Acceptance records and ticket or defect lists
• ·Correspondence about defects and deadlines set
• ·Invoices and proof of payment

Have the IT contract reviewed ↗︎

No. Legal advice is a service that carries a fee. For an initial consultation with consumers the law sets an upper limit: under § 34 RVG the fee for an initial consultation is capped at 190 € net (plus VAT), unless a different fee agreement is made. We discuss the exact framework openly with you before we start.

Read § 34 RVG ↗︎

Billing with the legal expenses insurer runs exclusively through you as the client. We are happy to support you, prepare the request for cover and compile the necessary documents. Our invoices are, however, addressed to you and are usually settled by you – you then obtain reimbursement from your insurer.

Without a separate fee agreement, fees follow the German Lawyers' Remuneration Act (RVG). In civil and administrative matters remuneration is based on the value of the matter or the amount in dispute (value-based fees under the RVG). In criminal matters framework fees apply instead, determined within a statutory range according to the scope and significance of the proceedings. We work with clearly named billing models:

·Initial legal consultation – for consumers capped at 190 € net under § 34 RVG.·Fixed price – for clearly delimited services such as a contract review, the founders' legal package or the Legal Health Check.·Hourly fee – by fee agreement, for ongoing support without a fixed value of the matter.·RVG – statutory fees based on the value of the matter, framework fees in criminal matters.·Legal expenses insurance – we prepare the request for cover; billing runs through you.·Legal aid for advice and for litigation – for people on a low income; we tell you whether the requirements may be met.·Monthly advisory packages – for self-employed people and smaller businesses, excluding court work.
Estimate the costs yourself in advance:

RVG calculator (rvg-rechner.de) ↗︎  ·  Full text of the RVG ↗︎

A lawyer–client engagement exists only once we have expressly confirmed that we are taking the matter on and the costs have been clarified. The engagement agreement and power of attorney regularly document the agreed scope. An engagement does not arise incidentally through an enquiry, a conversation or a message – legal work on your matter begins only after express confirmation.

Yes. Lawyers are bound by professional confidentiality obligations (among others § 43a BRAO). What you entrust to us stays confidential and is handled securely. Please send particularly sensitive documents only via a suitable, protected channel – not via open channels such as WhatsApp.

Mistakes are human and can never be entirely ruled out, however careful one is – even though clear processes, deadline control and the four-eyes principle do a great deal to prevent them. Should a mistake nevertheless occur, our professional indemnity insuranceapplies. It covers the loss suffered so that you as a client are not disadvantaged.