German-American Probate Law and Estate Planning
Our team of German bar-certified specialist attorneys in estate and trust law (Fachanwälte für Erbrecht) and U.S. lawyers has been successfully advising U.S. and German clients on German-U.S. estate and trust law for many years. What sets us apart is that
- All German attorneys of the firm are bar-certified specialists in estate and trust law (Fachanwälte für Erbrecht),
- We have focused on estate/trust law and related tax law for many years,
- We have many years of experience in German-U.S. trust, probate, and estate planning law,
- We have a good understanding of the respective U.S. laws and publish frequently in renowned German law journals on U.S. estate and trust law (see publication list),
- We fluently communicate in English with our clients, U.S. attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors,
- long-standing working relationships with U.S. attorneys in many States.
Services
On-site and remote consulting services
We typically provide consulting via remote communication channels, such as Zoom, MS Teams, telephone, or email.
We offer on-site consulting in Berlin and (to a limited extent) in Munich and Hamburg.
Representation throughout Germany
We represent clients in courts throughout Germany. In the case of representation in a probate court (responsible, e.g., for certificate of inheritance proceedings), travelling to the probate court is generally not necessary, as correspondence in probate matters is usually exclusively electronic/postal and a personal appearance is almost never necessary.
Do You have any Questions?
We look forward to assisting you. For the sake of simplicity and efficiency, we request that you use our contact form for your inquiry and describe the matter as clearly as possible. In addition, you can include relevant attachments. After submitting your inquiry, we will contact you either by telephone or e-mail within 2 working days. If we can assist, we will suggest a time and date for an initial consultation. Of course, you can also contact this firm or a particular attorney directly to make an appointment for a personal consultation or telephone consultation (find contact details here). Please be advised that no attorney-client relationship is created by sending us an email or filling out this contact form. For information on our fees, please click here.
Upon request, we offer consultation via Zoom. For general information on how to join an instant meeting through an email invite, please visit the Zoom website.
Trust Quaterly Review: Election FeverNews
- Germany: Amendment to the Rules on the Taxation of Lifetime Benefits from Foreign tax-priviledged Retirement Assets
- Tax Court of Münster: Distributions upon the Termination of a Trust may be Subject to German Income Tax
- BFH: The Treaty does not prevent Germany from imposing Inheritance Tax on the Acquisition of a U.S. citizen beneficiary resident of Germany even if he has stayed no longer than 10 years in Germany
- German Federal Fiscal Court Ruling on Gift Tax triggered by Distributions from a Foreign Trust
- German Federal Fiscal Court: Assets titled in Trust to which the Grantor has reserved comprehensive Powers are to be considered owned by him for German Inheritance and Gift Tax Purposes
- Decicison of the German Federal Fiscal Court on the Taxation of Distributions from a 401(k) to Beneficiary in Germany
Related publications
- Determination of the Law Applicable to German-American Estate Matters
- Taxation of Income of a U.S. based Trust in Germany
- Taxation of Trusts under the German Inheritance and Gift Tax Act
- German-American Probate and Inheritance Law - FAQ
- Taxation of U.S.-Trusts under the German Inheritance and Gift Tax Act
- Recognition of a Will executed under the laws of California in Germany