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All Posts By

Bernhard Schmeilzl

Family Law

How to Change Your Name in Germany

German law is quite restrictive when it comes to changing last names In England, anyone can change their last name by simple deed poll. Not so in Germany! Under German law, one is usually stuck for life with the name selected by one's parents. The only easy method to get rid of one's last name is to marry. Because, upon marriage, each spouse is free to either keep their own last name, take on the…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
January 14, 2022
Civil actionDebt collectionInternational LitigationLitigation in GermanyProcess Server Germany

Process Server in Germany

How to serve legal documents in Germany We have previously explained why there is no tradition of instructing a private process server in Germany (see here). Since our law office GrafLegal specialises in international civil and commercial litigation, we are frequently contacted by British, US and Canadian law firms who need to serve court papers or other important legal documents on a party who is resident or has their legal seat in Germany. In order…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
November 10, 2021
Civil actionEuropean ProbateGerman ProbateGoing to court

Experts on Contentious Probate in Germany

How to challenge a German Last Will and Testament  German Probate Courts routinely issue a German Grant of Probate (Erbschein) to the applicant without any pro-active investigation into the question whether the testator did possess legal capacity or not. In other words, if nobody comes forward to challenge the validity of the last will, the German court will issue the Erbschein even if the German testator had suffered from severe dementia at the time the…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
October 29, 2021
Civil actionGoing to courtInternational LitigationLitigation in Germany

Dispute Resolution in Germany

GP Law - Leading Anglo-German Litigation Lawyers since 2003 British-German dispute resolution has been the focus of Graf Legal LLP ever since the firm was established by litigation experts Birgit Graf and Bernhard Schmeilzl about 20 years ago. Based in the south of Germany, with offices in Munich and Regensburg, we provide English speaking clients with bespoke advice in commercial and high profile private client litigation cases throughout Germany. Head litigator Bernhard Schmeizl has more…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
September 27, 2021
Civil actionGoing to courtLitigation in Germany

Graf Legal – The German Litigation Lawyers

We specialise in German commercial litigation since 2003 When German civil litigation expert Bernhard Schmeilzl co-founded Graf Legal LLP back in 2003, the goal was to provide top notch German legal advice for British and US-American clients, with a clear focus on high stakes civil litigation cases. And this is exactly what the Bavaria based boutique litigation firm has done ever since. Every day, we explain German law and especially German civil procedure rules to…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
September 27, 2021
Business in GermanyCivil actionLitigation in Germany

How to Win Commercial Lawsuits in Germany…

... is something we explain to our UK and US clients for more than 20 years now. Our German commercial litigation boutique specialises in advising and representing British and American businesses in civil and commercial courts throughout Germany. More on the German court system here.  In a German courtroom, pretty much everything is different! If you are a British or American litigator dealing with a German civil lawsuit: Forget everything you think you know about…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
September 15, 2021
Civil actionDebt collectionGerman LawGoing to courtLitigation in Germany

Litigation in Germany is Different — CPR Explained

Typical Misconceptions about Civil Litigation in Germany Since Brexit, less German companies are willing to accept English law to govern their business relationships with UK trading partners. As a consequence, if things go sour between the parties, UK businesses may find themselves in a German legal dispute. German Civil Procedure Rules permit immediate Court Action In this situation, many British company directors and their solicitors make the same mistake: They assume that a German civil…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
July 22, 2021
Business in GermanyGerman LawGerman ProbateLitigation in Germany

German Desk at London Law Firm

Experts in Anglo-German Law The German law office Graf & Partners provides legal advice on German civil and commercial law matters for English speaking clients since 2003. The Bavaria based lawyer team around co-founder and managing partner Bernhard Schmeilzl specialises in German-British civil litigation, commercial and corporate law, international probate cases and estate planning. German Civil Litigation Experts With more than 20 years of courtroom experience under his belt, Bernhard is a renowned German civil…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
July 9, 2021
Civil actionGerman Corporate LawGoing to courtLitigation in Germany

German Litigation Boutique Graf & Partners fends off EUR 26.5m Claim by UK Manufacturer

German Lawyers Settle 7-Year International Dispute for their German Client For seven years, from 2014 to 2021, a British manufacturing company based in Wales, and a south German constructor of energy plants fought an all out legal battle about whether the wood fired plant designed and built by the Germans in 2013 in Wales, was performing according to the contractual specifications. The UK claimant, a subsidiary of an international group with 14,000 employees, did not…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
May 17, 2021