Category Archives: German Law

Does the Federal Republic of Germany even exist? A discussion with a “Reichsbürger”.

Posted on 2019-08-07 by

Many years ago, someone walked into my law office, showed me a notice about some traffic fine and explained, confusing our respective roles in the attorney-client relationship, why he definitely wouldn’t need to pay the fine. According to him, the … Continue reading →

Posted in German Law, Germany, History, Law, Military, Politics, World War II | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Testing a Client’s Sense of Humor

Posted on 2019-02-18 by

Five years ago, an American lady contacted me about applying for German citizenship. She fell into that group of people who could qualify without living in Germany, but she would need to pass the German language test at a high … Continue reading →

Posted in German Law, Language, Law | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Renting in Germany

Posted on 2018-05-28 by

Rental contracts all over the world: You agree on the monthly rent, the landlord gives you the key, you move in and pay the rent every month. If there is an issue, you call each other and talk about it. … Continue reading →

Posted in German Law, Germany, Law | 45 Comments

How to deal with disorganized clients

Posted on 2018-02-25 by

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

How to spot a querulous client

Posted on 2018-01-20 by

Some clients are better not having. When you find out that someone takes up too much time or causes you a headache, it’s often the best thing to fire that client. Whenever I did that, clients were surprised: “But you … Continue reading →

Posted in German Law, Germany, Law | Tagged , | 23 Comments

Beware of the “Quick Question”

Posted on 2018-01-13 by

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 | 14 Comments

10 FAQ on Reclaiming German Citizenship

Posted on 2017-07-28 by

The FAQ on German Citizenship are the most popular post on my blog. But some aspects are so complicated that they deserve their own list of FAQ, like those on applying for naturalization without living in Germany and the following … Continue reading →

Posted in German Law, Germany, Law | Tagged , , | 66 Comments