Experience shows: When debtors in Germany do not fulfil their obligations and legal action becomes inevitable, a lot of creditors abroad fear exploding costs and loss of control of credit management.

Judging from the experience with international lawyers who in general often charge on an hourly basis between 175.00 and 300.00 Euros per hour plus and with the creditor not even knowing how many hours pursuing the debtor might take, it is obvious that it seems likely that costs might easily grow out of all proportion to the principal claim.

The German law on (minimum) lawyer’s remuneration provides a chart of fees which depend on the so-called value in dispute which usually equals the principal claim. There is a fee for debt-recovery out of court and another for the written pleadings in a civil law suit as well as yet another for the hearing together with a 20.00 € lump sum for the attorney’s out-of-pocket expenses for postal and telecommunication services. And that’s it! Your lawyer may have to call and discuss and / or write 2, 5, 10 times but the fees will not rise. He may have to appear in 1, 2 and / or more hearings in court but the fee remains the same. Furthermore, in the case of winning, the debtor has to reimburse you.