Legal principals on lawyer's fees and court costs in Germany
In Germany the legal basis for lawyer's fees, court fees and additional costs are extremely transparent and regulated by specific statutes.
Lawyers fees are regulated according to German law (RVG - Rechtsanwaltsverguetungsgesetz) and statutory fee scales exist for lawyer's fees and court fees (GKG - Gerichtskostengesetz).
Basic statutory costs for lawyers show a cost range, which can vary in each case, depending on the specifics of the case, e.g.:
- the out-of-court activities,
- the necessity of court activities and/or,
- a final agreement terminating the case.
Statuary fees in litigation cases are fixed.
Comprehensive guideline on out-of-court and litigation costs in Germany
In the following sections we have described the fundamentals of the German system regarding out-of-court and litigation costs and will provide some examples of a complete calculation in order to make it easier for you to evaluate the expenditure of your individual cost risk.