Category Archives: Law
Charlie Hebdo
“Je suis Charlie” – “I am Charlie” – we could read on many Facebook and Twitter profiles after the attack on the French satirical newspaper. That was cheap and maybe a bit presumptuous, even though it was of course intended as a show of … Continue reading
The effects of FATCA?
For more than 10 years, I have been helping clients to obtain German citizenship. Those who have German parents, grand-parents or further removed ancestors either are German already (often without knowing it) or eligible for naturalization under less strict conditions than other applicants. … Continue reading
Welcome to Serbia!
At the airport in Belgrade, I spotted this poster. That shows a welcoming culture! Two weeks later, it had been removed however.
Europe, still divided
Twenty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain, Europe has grown together. Countries which didn’t even exist as independent states back then are now member states of EU and NATO. The European Union reaches all the … Continue reading
Easily Confused (44) Taxes
Tax rate: Tax raid: Whenever I heard the word “tax rate” during law school, I imagined a “tax raid” and a film began to play in my head. I never learnt much about tax law.
10 FAQ on Freedom of Movement in the EU
As part of my very popular series of legal FAQ, I now address a subject which can often help to resolve immigration cases which seem hopeless under national immigration law: the right to freedom of movement within the EU. Before … Continue reading
What do we need ISIS for?
After all, we already have Saudi Arabia: (Auf Deutsch.)
Scotland, a Lawyer’s Dream
If you know someone who is eligible to vote in this week’s referendum in Scotland, please tell them to vote “yes” for an independent Scotland. There are probably good arguments for an independent Scotland (as there may be against it), but … Continue reading
Easily Confused (40) Beheadings
People whom we call “barbaric” and “monsters” when they cut somebody’s head off: ISIS, IS, Al-Qaeda. People whom we do business with when they cut somebody’s head off: Saudi Arabia.
“… and the noble gesture of the German commander”
“If I hadn’t followed orders, I would have been shot myself” the culprits say, and their defense attorneys call it “acting under superior orders” when someone is indicted for crimes committed during World War II. A handy excuse, this alleged moral dilemma. Except that … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 