When should Corporate Clients get their Lawyer involved?
Hiring a lawyer is often subject to a cost/benefit consideration, especially in business law matters. The corporate client asks himself: – Is it worthwhile to involve a lawyer, or is it better/cheaper if I settle the conflict with my opponent directly? – Do I involve the lawyer already when potential difficulties are on the horizon, […]
Lawyers and Judges in Germany
Are judges the better lawyers? 1. In order to become a judge in Germany, you generally have to have a certain average grade in the (first and) second state exam. Depending on current staffing needs, the required average is such that – let’s say – only the best 30% of graduates can become judges. (- […]
Is the “specialist lawyer” always the better choice?
Some clients think: If a lawyer does “only media law” or “only corporate law,” then he or she is necessarily always better in that area than a lawyer who also deals with other areas of law. But is that true? I think you have to be careful here and distinguish: 1. The specialist is usually […]
As a larger company, getting legal advice from a small law firm or sole practitioner?
Occasionally, one has the impression that larger companies have reservations about seeking legal advice or legal representation from a small law firm or a sole practitioner. Why is that? 1. Mind you, if you are Mercedes Benz and want to merge with BMW, then of course I fully understand that you would rather seek advice […]
Covid-19 Economic Relief, Corona bonds … – Taxpayers will pay the Bill
I am going to say something very unpopular now. Unpopular because it is considered good and noble to help people in economic need. Anyone who refuses to do so is considered heartless and selfish. Nevertheless, I will say it anyway: 1. Economic Relief for Businesses in financial Need a) Financial assistance is given (only and […]
Are lawyers “systemically relevant”?
In these Corona times, there is a lot of talk about some professions being “systemically relevant.” Do we lawyers count among them? 1. Well, at first glance this claim seems a bit presumptuous. Of course, doctors and nurses are system-relevant, i.e. professions that save human lives. Lawyers, on the other hand, are rarely life-savers. 2. […]
Corona and no end: “Munich does not relax its restrictions”.
Beer gardens, theaters and cinemas will remain closed, the city of Munich has decided. The development of the pandemic does not allow any opening. Is this decision right? Military and soccer strategists know: A defense is only as strong as its weakest link. Take, for example, a dam designed to protect people from flooding. If […]
Commencing legal action in Germany and New York
How does a civil trial actually start? What are the parallels and differences of a court case (lawsuit) in Germany and in the US, namely in New York? What are the reasons for and the effects of these differences? … Let’s start at the beginning, i.e. with how to file a lawsuit in a German […]
What you may have always wanted to know about American and German lawyers …
What images go through your mind when you imagine a lawyer? Do you think of television series like L.A. Law, Ally McBeal, Boston Legal or Suits? Or more likely Better Call Saul or Goliath? Or the movie The Lincoln Lawyer? … If you’re a little older, like me, maybe you remember Petrocelli or Matlock? Many […]
US class action against German virologist Drosten and others
Did you read this in the Tagesschau (News) app? A group of lawyers, it says, wants to bring a U.S. class action on behalf of German citizens to assert claims for damages against German virologist Christian Drosten of the Charité (Berlin hospital) and the director of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, because of the […]