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All Posts By

Bernhard Schmeilzl

Conveyancing Germany

Legal Guide to buying a House or Apartment in Germany

Buying Real Estate in Germany as a Foreigner Compared with the UK and the USA, relatively few Germans own their own home. As Guardian recently titled: "Brits buy homes, Germans rent". To rent an apartment or even a house is much more common in Germany, especially since a tenant (lessee) is extremely well protected by German law. A landlord cannot simply terminate a residential rental agreement but must have legitimate cause (Sec 573 German Civil…
German ProbateGerman Succession & Inheritance Law

Executors and Trustees in German Inheritance Law

How estates are administered in Germany There exist, as we have explained here, fundamental differences between the inheritance law concepts of the UK and Germany. Since UK probate law requires a personal representative, many testators in the UK appoint an executor in their will. In Germany, however, where a "personal representative" is unknown due to the principle of universal succession, the inheritors come into ownership as well as into possession of the estate automatically and…
German ProbateGerman Succession & Inheritance Law

When a deceased UK Citizen owned Assets in Germany

How to get access to an Estate under German Inheritance Law When a UK citizen dies while having possessions in Germany (bank accounts, deposits, shares, insurance claims or property), one must first determine whether the estate is governed by German hereditary law and thus falls into the competence of German probate courts: Basically, both from a UK and a German legal perspective this depends on where the deceased was domiciled, i.e. the place where a…
Civil actionDebt collectionGoing to court

How to register and enforce UK judgments in Germany

Update November 2018: Please note that Brexit will bring significant and currently unforseeable changes in this field The below text explains the legal situation pre-Brexit: If a German debtor refuses to pay the first issue to clarify is whether you must sue him in Germany  or whether you can sue in the UK. In other words: It must be resolved which country’s courts have jurisdiction and which law shall apply. The parties may have agreed…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
April 16, 2013
Criminal Law

Arrested in Germany? Accused of a Crime?

German Criminal Proceedings In case you run into trouble with German police or customs authorities the basic rule is - as everywhere - do not speak to them without getting proper legal counsel first. Much less sign anything they put in front of you. Police will put any statement you make into an official interrogation protocol. And, quite often, the wording of such protocol is given a spin that is helping the authorities make their…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
April 15, 2013
German ProbateGerman Succession & Inheritance Law

Disinherit your no-good children? Not so easy in Germany

Close relatives are always entitled to a portion of the estate. Period! Really? According to German inheritance law, close relatives have a right to claim a portion of the estate, even if the testator did not want to leave them anything and has consequently disinherited them. This so called "Pflichtteil" is mostly translated with "statutory share", "forced share" or "compulsory share". However, it is difficult to find the correct English word, because this concept does…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
March 22, 2013
Civil actionDebt collectionGerman LawGoing to court

Making a Court Claim for Money in Germany: It’s actually quite easy

Debt Collection in Germany: A practical Guide to Civil Court Procedures So a German person or company owes you money but won't pay. And you find that German courts have jurisdiction. Well, that may be unfortunate but it is no reason at all to abandon your claim. In fact, to sue for and collect a debt in Germany is easier and cheaper than you might expect, especially if you are from Britain or the United…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
March 10, 2013
Business in GermanyStarting BusinessStarting or Expanding BusinessTrustee & Escrow Services

Fiduciary, Trustee and Escrow Services in Germany

To start or expand a business in Germany an existing enterprise can: (i) either trade directly from the UK; (ii) use a German partner as agent or distributor; (iii) set up a branch office in Germany or (iv) establish a separate legal entity for the German activities, which makes good sense when one wants to separate the risks of the specific German business. The best choice for option (iv) will in most cases be a…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
February 22, 2013
Business in GermanyContract TemplatesGerman Labor Law

Model Employment Contract (German Law, English Language)

In this article here we have explained the basic principles of German labour law, in particular the protection of employees against dismissal. To give you an idea what a typical German employment agreement looks like we have posted a model Employee Agreement here: Model_Employment_Contract_Germany_english_2013 The contract is based on German labour law, but drafted in English language. To use an English contract is of course only acceptable if the employee is fluent in English otherwise he/she…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
February 19, 2013