Category Archives: Family Law

Quite some Drama

Pro tip: Whenver a woman e-mails on behalf of her boyfriend, most likely unknowingly, and refers to the boyfriend as “fiance”, expect some drama. And expect only half of the story. At most. Although this half is confusing enough. Okay … Continue reading

Posted in Family Law, Law | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

German Law: What happens to Children when the Parents die?

Recently, parents seem to be thinking about their possible early demise, because I have been getting this question more frequently: “What will happen to our children if we, mother and father, were to die?” I don’t know why people are … Continue reading

Posted in Family Law, German Law, Germany, Law, Travel | Tagged , | 14 Comments

How to deal with disorganized clients

A lady who already displayed some warning signs wanted me to advise her about a child custody case in Germany. In the following conversation, I am the part in dark blue. I haven’t heard from her again. By the way, … Continue reading

Posted in Family Law, German Law, Law | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Beware of the “Quick Question”

I you provide professional services, you should add the words “quick question” to your e-mail configuration settings and send those messages straight to the spam folder. Case in point from today: RE: Quick Question Hello Andreas, my German husband and … Continue reading

Posted in Family Law, German Law, Law, UK | Tagged | 16 Comments

AllExperts is dead

Quite a number of readers have come to this blog through AllExperts, where I have been answering questions on German law for a decade. With more than a thousand thoroughly answered questions, my profile there was a great source of … Continue reading

Posted in Family Law, German Law, Germany, Immigration Law, Law, Technology, Travel | Tagged , | 40 Comments

10 FAQ on Getting Married in Germany

As part of my very popular series of legal FAQ, I now address a subject which I am personally completely opposed to: how to get married in Germany? My personal advice would be not to do it. Don’t throw away freedom like that. … Continue reading

Posted in Family Law, German Law, Germany, Immigration Law, Law | Tagged , | 217 Comments

If you insist on free advice, you will get it

You might think I am stupid because I give heaps of legal advice for free in my FAQ. I could earn millions instead by charging for this service. But I am a nice guy and it warms my heart when I can help people … Continue reading

Posted in Family Law, German Law, Law | Tagged , | 16 Comments

Advice on litigating a child custody case in Germany

I received this question about child custody in Germany and some related matters: Hello, I am an American living abroad in Germany. 5 months ago I married an Estonian man and gave birth to our daughter. Due to a series of … Continue reading

Posted in Family Law, German Law, Germany, Law | Tagged | 19 Comments

Why it’s important to get the best divorce lawyer

Note that I wrote “best”, not “most expensive”, because these two do not always coincide. How do you find the best lawyer? Luckily, there is my 10-step guide. (Thanks to @littlewisehen for the photo.)

Posted in Family Law, Law | Tagged , | 2 Comments

I will raise my fees by 100%

At my current standard fee of 200 EUR for a legal consultation I still receive far too many inquiries, meaning that it often takes me weeks to reply. Therefore, I have to resort to that powerful tool to regulate supply and demand: the … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Family Law, German Law, Immigration Law, Law | Tagged , , | 3 Comments