Category Archives: Law
The age of sexual consent in Germany
Sometimes, even I get a question that I haven’t had before and which I need to research. For example this week, when a young guy asked: Is it true that 14 years is the age of consent in Germany?Is it … Continue reading
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 unfortunate … Continue reading
The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations
This is something for my fellow international public law nerds. Q: When does the Vienna Convention of Consular Relations make front-page headlines? A: When there is a petty argument between Bolivia and Chile about the flag in front of the … Continue reading
No liability for intergalactic struggle
When I do legal translations, I often wonder if anyone will ever read all the terms and conditions and privacy policies that I translate. Probably not. Even I as a lawyer don’t read them very often. That brings up the … Continue reading
Pardon me!
When laws change, people who were once convicted as criminals are (sometimes) pardoned. We often find that just and necessary, like in the case of those convicted of homosexual acts when this was still a crime (which isn’t all that … Continue reading
Maritime Law with Cats
When I started this blog, I promised myself that I would never stoop as low as other blogs who use photos of cats to surreptitiously obtain their readers’ affection. But now I have come across a historical source of law … Continue reading
When people complain about my fees
I guess you can see that I was hungry when I replied to that comment. Sometimes people say: “I understand that you charge so much. After all, you had to study for 4 or 5 years to become a lawyer.” … Continue reading
Delinquent Debtors
This wouldn’t fly in Germany because someone would scream “violation of privacy” and lawsuits would ensue, but in Bolivia and in Romania, there are lists in the entrance hall of apartment complexes showing the tenants’ names and what they respectively owe … Continue reading
Copyright law in Bolivia
Bolivia must have negotiated the best intellectual property treaties of any country in the world (only Iran comes close, but that country is not a party to the Berne Convention). Respect to the hot-shot lawyers who did that! In Bolivia, you … Continue reading
Bury my heart – wherever
People ask me why I don’t go to a hospital when I am sick, when I get bitten by a bear/anaconda/piranha, when I have strange viruses, when I am bleeding from all orifices or when I have kidney stones (OK, … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 