Germany
Legal Service Provider
We practise law in Germany through Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC328697 and registered office at 3 More London Riverside, London, SE1 2AQ, United Kingdom.
Contact Details
Contact details for our German offices may be found under Locations.
Professional Regulation
Norton Rose Fulbright LLP has been admitted by the Rechtsanwaltskammer Frankfurt am Main as a foreign professional practice corporation under section 207a paragraph 1 no. 5 and 59f Federal Lawyers’ Act and provides legal services through its Frankfurt branch in Germany with its branch offices in Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Munich.
Practitioners in our German offices are:
- Rechtsanwälte (Lawyers) admitted in Germany and members of the relevant Rechtsanwaltskammer;
- Steuerberater (Tax consultants) admitted in Germany and members of the relevant Steuerberaterkammer;
- Patentanwälte (Patent attorneys) admitted in Germany and members of the Patentanwaltskammer;
- England and Wales qualified solicitors and registered foreign lawyers (RFLs), who are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA); and
- foreign qualified lawyers, who are admitted in their respective home jurisdiction.
Please refer to the “People” section of our website for further details. Information about our members can be found at http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/.
Lawyers
Unless otherwise stated, all lawyers working in a German office (Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg and Munich) of Norton Rose Fulbright LLP are admitted as lawyers in Germany. They are members of the respective bar associations responsible for the location of the office. Unless otherwise noted, they have been granted the right to use the professional title “Rechtsanwalt” in Germany. The database of the Federal Bar Association contains the admission details of the individual lawyers.
Contact details of the relevant bar association:
Düsseldorf
Email: info@rechtsanwaltskammer-duesseldorf.de
www.rak-dus.de
Frankfurt am Main
Email: info@rechtsanwaltskammer-ffm.de
www.rechtsanwaltskammer-ffm.de
Hamburg
Email: info@rak-hamburg.de
www.rak-hamburg.de
Munich
Email: info@rak-muenchen.de
www.rak-muenchen.de
The relevant regulations governing the professional conduct of lawyers admitted in Germany are:
- Federal Code for Lawyers (BRAO) - BRAO - englisch (gesetze-im-internet.de)
- Professional Code of Conduct for lawyers (BORA) - https://www.brak.de/fileadmin/02_fuer_anwaelte/berufsrecht/BORA_Stand_01.06.2023.pdf
- The Lawyers‘ Compensation Act - Act on the Remuneration of Lawyers (Rechtsanwaltsvergütungsgesetz - RVG) (gesetze-im-internet.de)
- Specialist Lawyers Act (FAO) - BORA/FAO in BRAK-Mitt. 6/96 Amtliche Bekanntmachungen
- Law on the Activities of European Lawyers in Germany (EuRAG) - eurag_en_stand-30-10-2017.pdf (brak.de)
- Code of Conduct for Lawyers of the European Union (CCBE Code of Conduct) - NOVELLIERUNG DER CCBE-BERUFSREGELN (brak.de)
- General Information (Professional Laws and Rules) | Federal Bar Association (brak.de)
The professional regulations can be accessed in German and English on the homepage of the Federal Chamber of Lawyers www.brak.de under the heading “Berufsrecht”.
Tax consultants
Tax consultants working in our offices are admitted as such in Germany. They are members of the respective Chamber of Tax Consultants responsible for the respective location of the office. Unless otherwise stated, they have been granted the right to use the professional title “Steuerberater” in Germany.
Contact details of the relevant Chambers of Tax Consultants:
Düsseldorf
Email: mail@stbk-duesseldorf.de
www.stbk-duesseldorf.de
Frankfurt am Main
Email: geschaeftsstelle@stbk-hessen.de
www.stbk-hessen.de
Hamburg
Email: mail@stbk-hamburg.de
www.stbk-hamburg.de
Munich
Email: info@stbk-muc.de
www.stbk-muc.de
The relevant regulations governing the professional conduct of Tax Consultants are:
- StBerG – Tax Consultancy Act https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stberg/
- DVStB – Implementing Ordinance to the Tax Consultancy Act https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stbdv/index.html
- BOStB – Professional Conduct of the Federal Chamber of Tax Consultants
https://www.bstbk.de/downloads/bstbk/recht-und-berufsrecht/fachinfos/BStBK_Berufsordnung-inkl-Fachberaterordnung.pdf - StBGebV – Tax Consultant Fee Regulations https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stbgebv/index.html
The professional regulations can be accessed on the homepage of the Federal Chamber of Tax Consultants www.bstbk.de under the heading “Berufsrecht”.
Patent Attorneys
Patent attorneys working in our German offices are members of the Chamber of Patent Attorneys.
Email: dpak@patentanwalt.de
www.patentanwaltskammer.de/en
They are registered in the patent attorney list of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office and are members of the Féderation Internationale des Conseils en Propiété Industrielle and bound by its professional rules, which can be accessed here.
Unless otherwise stated, they have been granted the right to use the professional title “Patentanwalt” in Germany.
The relevant regulations governing the professional conduct of patent attorneys are:
- Patent Attorney Act https://www.patentanwalt.de/en/patent-attorneys/patent-attorneys-act.html
- Professional Code of Conduct for Patent Attorneys https://www.patentanwalt.de/en/patent-attorneys/professional-code.html
- FICPI Code of Conduct https://ficpi.org/system/files/FICPI%20Rules%202021.pdf
If the professional title “Authorized Representative before the European Patent Office” or “European Patent Attorney” is indicated, the respective patent attorney is admitted at the European Patent Office (www.epo.org) and a member of the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent office (epi – www.patentepi.com). She/he is bound by the rules of the epi (available here and is subject to the disciplinary rules of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation.
Complaints Procedures
We are determined to ensure that all complaints are sensitively, sensibly and satisfactorily resolved. Please refer to our complaints policy (here).
Specifically in Germany, the Schlichtungsstelle der Rechtsanwaltschaft (German Conciliation Body for the Legal Profession) hears consumer disputes for claims arising out of the lawyer-client relationship. The Federal Lawyers' Act also establishes the lawyer's court (Anwaltsgericht) which is an institutionalised form of self-regulation.
The European Commission provides a platform for online dispute resolution: https://.ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr. We do not participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.
Information under section 36 Consumer Dispute Resolution Act (Verbraucherstreitbeilegungsgesetz)
Like all German lawyers, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP is not obliged to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer conciliation board. Neither is Norton Rose Fulbright LLP prepared to participate in such proceedings.
Professional indemnity Insurance
We maintain professional indemnity insurance cover as required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales Indemnity Insurance Rules 2013, on a world-wide basis with two Lloyds Syndicates: QBE Syndicate 0386, QBE Syndicate 1886 and Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance. Please refer to the General Counsel in London for further details of the insurance and how to contact the insurers.
In cases where professional indemnity insurance is required to be placed locally in accordance with statute or regulation, details of such policies can be provided upon request by the General Counsel in London. In Germany, the insurer is ERGO Versicherung AG, Victoriaplatz 2, 40477 Düsseldorf.
VAT Number
DE813204087
Please refer also to Legal notices and disclaimers which apply to the whole of Norton Rose Fulbright.