LEGAL+ / INTERNATIONAL LITIGATION
Sued in
Germany?
German court papers. A deadline may already be running. I defend international clients personally before German courts.
THE STARTING POINT
First the procedure. Then the dispute.
German court papers should not be treated like ordinary business correspondence.
If you are sued in Germany, the first issue is procedural control. Before the underlying dispute can be defended, it must be clear what has been served, which court is involved, which deadline is running and which procedural step is required.
A German company may be demanding payment, damages or another legal remedy before a German court. You may be outside Germany and need to understand what the document means, whether a deadline is running and how to defend yourself.
A letter to the claimant, an email to the court or an internal explanation may not be enough to protect the defence. In many cases, the defence must be secured by a formal procedural filing.
I represent clients outside Germany in commercially relevant disputes before German courts. The immediate goal is to stabilise the situation: identify the document, preserve deadlines, assess jurisdiction and decide whether the case should be defended, settled or challenged procedurally.
IMMEDIATE ASSESSMENT
What needs to be checked first?
When German court documents arrive abroad, the essential questions are procedural. They should be clarified before sending explanations to the court or entering into informal discussions with the claimant.
Identify the document
Is it a lawyer’s letter, a statement of claim, a payment order, a court order or a judgment? Which German court or lawyer sent it?
Establish service and deadlines
When and how was it received or formally served? Has a response period begun? Is there a risk of default judgment or enforcement?
Secure the defence
Does the case require German counsel? Can the court’s jurisdiction be challenged? Which procedural response is necessary now?
Review the underlying dispute
Which contracts, correspondence and other records are needed to assess the claim, the defences and the prospects of a settlement?
Keep the papers and evidence of service together. The next step is to prepare the documents for an initial assessment.
YOUR SITUATION / DETAILED GUIDES
Where do you stand in the proceedings?
The right response depends on the document received and the stage reached. These guides address common situations for companies and individuals outside Germany.
DOCUMENTS & DECISIONS
Received a German Lawyer’s LetterA lawyer demands payment, threatens court action or asks for a response before proceedings begin. Received a Lawsuit from GermanyA statement of claim or other formal court papers have arrived from Germany. Received a German Payment OrderA payment order can become enforceable if no timely objection is filed. Received a German Default JudgmentProcedural action may already be overdue and enforcement risk may now be urgent.PROCEDURE & DEFENCE
German Court DeadlinesWhat matters is the correct procedural filing before the applicable deadline. Sued in Germany Without a ContractA claim may arise even where no formal written agreement was signed. Challenging the German Court’s JurisdictionJurisdiction should be examined before taking steps that might affect the defence. Defend a German Lawsuit from AbroadThe first phase of the defence can often be organised without travelling to Germany.Tell me which document you received. We can clarify the procedural starting point before discussing the dispute itself.
PERSONAL REPRESENTATION IN GERMANY
Your defence can begin from abroad.
Based outside Germany? We can begin with the documents, wherever you are.
Contact me about your defenceWhy early reaction matters
The danger in German litigation is often not that a foreign defendant has no defence. The danger is that the defence is not preserved in the correct procedural way.
A party outside Germany may misunderstand a document, wait for a translation, assume an email is sufficient or fail to appoint German counsel where counsel is required. These mistakes can cause procedural disadvantages even if the claim itself is disputed.
Early legal assessment creates time to secure deadlines, collect documents, examine jurisdiction and choose the right strategy.
Defence from outside Germany
In many commercial disputes, the urgent first phase is document-based. Court papers can be reviewed, deadlines secured and communications with the German court handled through German counsel.
Personal attendance may become relevant later, for example at a hearing or during witness evidence. In suitable circumstances, exemption from personal appearance may be requested.
My role is to act as your German litigation counsel: to review the documents, communicate with the court and opposing counsel, protect your procedural position and organise the defence personally from Germany.
PREPARING AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT
What documents should you send?
The court papers and information about service are often more important at the outset than a long explanation of the business relationship.
SEND YOUR DOCUMENTS
Email the documents directly to me, together with the date of receipt and any deadline stated in the court papers. A short outline of the dispute is sufficient initially.
kontakt@legal-plus.euAn enquiry does not stop or extend any court deadline.
- The German court papers or lawyer’s letter received
- The envelope, service form or delivery information
- The statement of claim, payment order, court order or judgment, as applicable
- Relevant contracts, orders, invoices and terms and conditions
- Key correspondence with the German company
- Evidence of delivery, defects, payments, termination or set-off, where relevant
- Information about assets or business contacts in Germany, if enforcement risk is relevant
Once the procedural position is clear, the underlying dispute can be examined in detail.
LEGAL+ / DIRECT CONTACT
Sued in Germany?
Let us address the procedural position first.
If you have received a German claim, payment order or court document, contact me with the document, the date of receipt and a brief outline of the dispute. I will personally assess how to proceed with your enquiry.
Daniel Meier-Greve / Rechtsanwaltkontakt@legal-plus.eu +49 (40) 571 99 74 80