0
0
was successfully added to your cart.

Cart

All Posts By

Bernhard Schmeilzl

Conveyancing GermanyGerman LawProperty in Germany

Purchase German Property by Online Auction?

Beware of buying German real estate through the internet. It does not work that way in Germany! Our firm specalises in German-British and German-Amercian legal matters. Thus, we are sometimes contacted by non-German clients who proudly tell us that they have just successfully bought German property by way of online auction, for example from "MIDLAND ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD" or another online auction service provider. There is just one small problem with this: In order to…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
May 29, 2017
German LawGerman ProbateGerman Succession & Inheritance LawInternational ProbateLitigation in Germany

Does a German Last Will & Testament become void if the Testator later marries or has Children?

Does marriage automatically void previous wills under German law? Not automatically, but the surviving spouse and/or the child may challenge the Will for being "outdated". The German legal term is "Anfechtung" according to section 2079 German Civil Code (Section Wills & Probate), which states: Section 2079 German Civil Code Avoidance for omission of a person entitled to a compulsory portion A testamentary disposition may be avoided if the testator has omitted a person entitled to a…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
May 29, 2017
German Succession & Inheritance LawInternational Probate

Higher Probate Fees in the UK as of May 2017

Update 25 April 2017: The below post is outdated because due to Theresa May's snap election called for 8th June 2017, the British government has dropped the plans to raise probate fees (at least for now). More on the matter here. Please note that the UK Probate fees will change from May 2017. For estates with a value of up to £50,000 (pre IHT) the fees will be nil. This is an improvement, because the…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
April 7, 2017
Business in GermanyGerman Corporate Law

Checklist for forming a UK Limited Company

If you do business on an international level, you should carefully choose the ideal company form to use. Should, for instance, your business depend upon attracting German customers and/or suppliers, the best choice may not be an English limited liability company, because such a company does not have the best reputation in Germany. In this case, you might want to opt for a German GmbH (for details on how to establish a German limited liability…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
March 27, 2017
Civil actionDebt collectionGerman Corporate LawGerman LawGerman Tort LawGoing to courtLitigation in Germany

Pursuing Legal Action in Germany?

You found the German law firm perfectly equipped to address your legal needs in Germany Since 2003, German law firm Graf & Partners specialises in providing legal advice and litigation services to British and American clients. Our international litigation lawyers run the leading expert law blog on German civil litigation rules in English language: www.GermanCivilProcedure.com The majority of our clients come from Britain, the USA or other English speaking countries and are in need of pursuing…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
March 15, 2017
Business in GermanyCivil actionDebt collectionGerman Corporate LawGerman LawGoing to courtLitigation in Germany

Pitfalls of German Law (Part 2)

Be careful when suing a German Kommanditgesellschaft (KG), an Offene Handelsgesellschaft (OHG) or a Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts (GBR) The single most common mistake foreign claimants and their non-German litigation lawyers make when taking a German business to court is that they only sue the partnership itself and not the personally liable partners (persönlich haftende Gesellschafter). To avoid any misunderstanding: This post deals with German partnerships (Personengesellschaften) as debtors, not with German limited liability companies (GmbH)…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
March 15, 2017
Business in GermanyCivil actionDebt collectionGoing to courtLitigation in Germany

Dodging Debts by Moving to the UK?

Has your German debtor moved to the UK and declared himself or herself bankrupt under the UK / British insolvency rules? Since we specialise in British-German legal matters, our firm very often gets enquiries from German individuals, companies or banks regarding a situation whereby a German individual has moved to the United Kingdom and declared bankruptcy in order to avoid paying their debts and liabilities back in Germany. Even further, it is quite common that…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
March 10, 2017
Business in GermanyGerman Corporate LawGerman Labor LawGerman Law

Pitfalls of German Contract Law and German Company Regulations (Part 1)

Foreign Contract Lawyers beware of surprising German Laws and Directives! The German Civil Code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, BGB, available in English), the German Commercial Code (Handelsgesetzbuch, HGB, partly available in English), the German Act on Corporations (Aktiengesetz, AktG) and the Act on Limited Liability Companies (GmbHG, available in English) are all full of surprising regulations which can essentially void any agreement or deed drafted by a naive (in the nicest sense) British or US lawyer who…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
February 20, 2017
Business in GermanyGerman LawGerman ProbateGerman Succession & Inheritance Law

German-American Law Firm based in Munich

Need a German lawyer who knows how to swing a baseball bat?  Looking for a German lawyer who is aware of the fact that "morning joe" is not a coffee brand and that "take me out to the ball game" does not refer to soccer fans? Look no further. The lawyers of the Munich based German corporate, litigation and probate law firm Graf & Partners LLP specialise in German American legal issues since 2003. Founding…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
February 16, 2017
German LawGerman ProbateGerman Succession & Inheritance LawGerman Tax LawTrustee & Escrow Services

German Tax Clearance Certificate (Inheritance Tax)

What is required to get German assets released to British or US-American executors or beneficiaries? In order to get German assets released, the executors or beneficiaries must be able to provide the German banks or insurers with a German (or European) Grant of Probate - unless the testator has made the will in notarial form or the testator has granted a transmortal power of attorney. For more on how to access German assets without having…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
February 13, 2017