Litigation Costs in Germany: Basic Principles and an Online Cost Calculator

By German Litigation Expert Bernhard H. Schmeilzl, LL.M. (Leicester), admitted to the Munich Bar and qualified to represent clients in Courts of Law throughout Germany

Court fees (Gerichtskosten) in Germany are based on the value of the claim (Streitwert or Gegenstandswert). The same is true for lawyers fees (Anwaltsgebühren) which are regulated by statutory law, the so called Rechtsanwaltsvergütungsgesetz (RVG). We explain the details of German civil litigation procedure including litigation costs in our expert law blog German Civil Procedure.

By way of example, here are some actual figures (based on the court fee table as of December 2017):

  • If claimant A sues defendant B for payment of EUR 50,000, the claimant must pay court fees of EUR 1,638.
  • If A sues B for EUR 2m, the court fees are EUR 26,800.

The German litigation financing company FORIS offers an English language version of a litigation cost calculator here.

The full court fee must be paid in at the same time the claimant files the “Klageschrift” (statement of claim). Until the court fee is fully paid, the German court will not serve the offocial court papers to the defendant. Thus, a delay in payment to the court can have catastrophic results if a claim is about to become statute barred.

If, at any time during the German civil lawsuit, the parties come to a settlement, the court fees are reduced by 2/3. This is meant to be an incentive for the parties to settle. Also, it reflects the fact that the judge does not have to write a judgement (Urteil). At the same time, the respective litigation lawyers earn a so called settlement fee (Vergleichsgebühr), which is also an incentive to come to an amicable solution.

Under German law, the winning party is entitled to full compensation for the statutory legal fees. However, experienced litigation experts in Germany are usually not willing to work for the statutory fees alone. They will usually ask for higher fees. Such additional fees are then not recoverable from the opponent.

More information on litigation and legal fees in Germany is available in these posts:

For more on German business and corporate law see these posts:

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Experts on German-British and German-American Legal Matters

Since 2003, the German business and corporate law firm Graf Partners LLP specialises in British-German and US-German legal cases. Our German business and corporate lawyers are native speaker level fluent in English, have many years of practical experience with clients from Britiain and the USA and are part of a well established network of law, tax and accounting firms.

Managing partner Bernhard Schmeilzl was admitted as German Rechtsanwalt (attorney at law) to the Munich Bar in 2001 and specialises in international cases ever since, with a focus on German-American and German-English commercial, corporate and also probate cases. In addition to obtaining his German legal exams with distinction, he also graduated from the English University of Leicester where he obtained his Master of Laws degree in EU Commercial Law in 2003.

In 2014, Graf Partners LLP has set up the international litigation department GP Chambers which focuses on providing professional litigation services to British and US-American clients, both on a commercial and a private client level. The Graf Partners litigation lawyers regularly appear before German law Courts throughout the country and provide specialist legal advice, support and advocacy services in all commercial and civil law matters, ranging from contract disputes, corporate litigation and employment, to damage claims, divorces and contentious probate. If you wish us to advise or represent you in a German or cross border case, or if you need an expert report on German law, please call +49 941 463 7070.

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