Tag Archives: legal advice

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 , | 14 Comments

Random Thoughts (22)

Posted on 2018-04-06 by

In 2017, I seem to have been a bit lazy. I did not run a single half-marathon. But with the risk of war rising, I want to become fitter again. Last weekend, I began by running a half-marathon near Pilsen … Continue reading →

Posted in Bolivia, Books, Education, Elections, Facebook, Germany, Sports, Statistics, Travel, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 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

Is this the craziest client ever?

Posted on 2018-01-19 by

I don’t even know why I am putting so much effort into writing short stories, when all you need to do is become a lawyer and then wait for people to send their own crazy stories. Latest example: Re: My … Continue reading →

Posted in Law | Tagged | 29 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

Random Thoughts (17)

Posted on 2017-10-30 by

Now I know why it’s called CATalonia: it doesn’t know if it wants to walk through the door or not. Shouldn’t nobody sign no contract that they ain’t read before. (I am now giving legal advice in country lyrics, at … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Law, Lithuania, Media, Politics, Spain, Statistics, Time, Travel, USA | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

How to tell if a lawyer is experienced

Posted on 2017-06-26 by

As I mentioned in the 10 Rules on Finding a Good Lawyer, I think that experience is overrated. Nonetheless, it seems an important criterion for some clients. So, here is a simple test to determine a lawyer’s experience: you have to approach … Continue reading →

Posted in Law, Life | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

AllExperts is dead

Posted on 2017-04-25 by

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 , | 38 Comments

10 FAQ on Getting Married in Germany

Posted on 2017-04-01 by

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, Marriage | Tagged , | 189 Comments