Liquidation · Germany
Liquidation lawyers in Germany
Whether you are closing a company, chasing an unpaid invoice or defending a claim that outlives the business, the German route depends on the court level, the amount in dispute and the limitation clock. Tell us what happened and we match you with a lawyer who handles liquidation work in the right jurisdiction.
- Lawyers who handle winding-up and creditor claims
- Matched to the right German court level
- Free, confidential, no obligation
Matching is free and confidential. We do not provide legal advice.
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Why this page
Getting the right German lawyer for a liquidation matter
Closing down a company, recovering money from a debtor or defending a claim during winding-up raises questions that rarely fit a single legal label. In Germany the answer depends on where you are in the process, which court would hear the matter and which limitation period applies to the claim you hold. Liquidation lawyers in Germany work across that ground: they advise directors and shareholders on an orderly wind-up, act for creditors pursuing outstanding invoices, and represent parties in disputes that survive the company’s closure. Because German civil procedure is codified in the ZPO and the Civil Code, and because costs follow a statutory fee scale rather than open negotiation, early legal input usually shapes the whole strategy. We do not give legal advice; we listen to your situation and match you with a lawyer who handles liquidation-related work in the relevant German jurisdiction.
Germany in practice
How liquidation and winding-up matters work in Germany
Germany is a codified civil-law country: procedure and substantive rights sit in federal statutes, principally the BGB and the Zivilprozessordnung (ZPO), and federal law generally prevails over state law. A liquidation matter can therefore begin before a local court, move up to a regional court and end before the Federal Court of Justice on points of law alone. These are the features that shape that route.
Where a liquidation dispute is heard
Ordinary civil jurisdiction has four tiers: local courts (Amtsgerichte), regional courts (Landgerichte), higher regional courts (Oberlandesgerichte) and the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) in Karlsruhe. Local courts are the first instance mainly for claims up to about €5,000. Regional courts hear larger claims and act as appeal court for local-court judgments, while the BGH reviews only points of law.
When a lawyer must represent you
Before a regional or higher regional court, and before the Federal Court of Justice, parties must be represented by a lawyer (Section 78(1) ZPO); at the BGH only specially admitted lawyers may appear. In other civil matters before a local court you may generally represent yourself, although a lawyer is mandatory in most family-law matters.
How court and lawyer fees are calculated
Court fees are fixed by statute under the Court Fees Act and calculated on a scale tied to the amount in dispute. Lawyer fees follow the statutory Lawyers’ Remuneration Act (RVG), which sets a rate for each procedural step, so they are predictable and largely independent of hours worked. The losing party generally bears the court fees and the winner’s statutory fees (Section 91 ZPO).
Legal aid: what is covered and what is not
German legal aid distinguishes advisory assistance (Beratungshilfe) for out-of-court advice from legal aid for court proceedings (Prozesskostenhilfe). Prozesskostenhilfe can cover court and lawyer fees in civil, voluntary-jurisdiction, labour, administrative, social and fiscal proceedings after an income and circumstances test, with repayment if circumstances improve — but it is not available to debtors in insolvency proceedings.
Limitation: how long a claim survives
The regular limitation period for most civil claims is three years under Section 195 BGB, running from the end of the year in which the claim arose and the creditor knew, or ought to have known, of the facts and of the debtor’s identity (Section 199 BGB). Special periods apply to other claims — for example 30 years for claims established by final judgment — so limitation is fact-sensitive.
Who may practise and in which language
Every admitted lawyer is a compulsory member of the regional Rechtsanwaltskammer in whose district they practise (Section 60 BRAO), and the 28 regional chambers are coordinated by the federal Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer (BRAK). Admission requires the qualification for judicial office, obtained through two state examinations. Court proceedings in Germany are conducted in German.
All country details on this page are drawn from official German and EU sources — the EU e-Justice Portal, the German legislation portal gesetze-im-internet.de, the Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer and the federal administration portal — last reviewed in 2025.
- EU e-Justice Portal — National justice systems: Germany
- EU e-Justice Portal — Legal aid
- Section 78 ZPO — Representation before the courts
- Section 195 BGB — Regular limitation period
- Section 4 KSchG — Three-week period for dismissal claims
- Section 1566 BGB — Divorce after one year of separation
- Section 1944 BGB — Disclaimer of inheritance
- Section 573c BGB — Notice period for residential tenancies
- Section 70 VwGO — Time limit for the Widerspruch
- Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer (BRAK) — German federal bar
Typical situations
The problems clients bring to us
Liquidation work rarely arrives as a clean question. These are the patterns we see most often when people search for liquidation lawyers in Germany.
Trading has stopped but nothing has been closed properly
Directors and shareholders face outstanding creditors, unfinished contracts and personal exposure, yet nobody has mapped which claims survive the wind-up and which can still be pursued before a German court. Delay weakens every position.
You are a creditor holding an unpaid invoice
You may not know whether the debtor is still active, which court would hear the claim, or how much of the three-year limitation period is left. German civil procedure rewards early, well-documented steps.
You cannot tell which court or fee scale applies
Local courts, regional courts and the Federal Court of Justice each operate differently, and representation by a lawyer is mandatory from the regional courts upwards. Choosing the wrong route costs both time and money.
How we help
What you get from our matching service
We are not a law firm. We are the shortest route to a German lawyer who already works with liquidation and winding-up matters.
Specialists in winding-up and creditor claims
We match you with German lawyers whose practice covers liquidation and insolvency-related disputes, so you speak to someone who handles these questions routinely rather than a general practitioner.
Matched to the right German court level
Tell us the amount in dispute and where the matter sits, and we route you to a lawyer used to appearing before the relevant Amtsgericht, Landgericht or higher court.
Answers on fees before you instruct anyone
Because German lawyer fees follow the statutory RVG scale, the lawyer you are matched with can explain how fees are calculated from the amount in dispute before you commit to anything.
Free, confidential and without obligation
Describing your situation costs nothing and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. We simply connect you with a specialist, and you decide whether to instruct them.
Cross-border matters
Liquidation questions that cross German borders
Creditors, shareholders and business partners are often based outside Germany. If assets, contracts or counterparties sit in more than one country, the lawyer you are matched with may need to coordinate with advisers elsewhere in Europe. We also match clients in the following jurisdictions.
Common questions
Liquidation lawyers in Germany: frequently asked questions
What do liquidation lawyers in Germany actually handle?
They advise on winding up a company and on the disputes that survive it: recovering unpaid invoices, defending claims brought against a closing business, and personal exposure questions for directors and shareholders. Because German law separates procedure from substance, the same lawyer often coordinates both the commercial wind-up and any court proceedings that follow.
Do I need a lawyer to bring a liquidation-related claim in Germany?
Not always. In most civil matters before a local court (Amtsgericht) you may generally represent yourself. Before a regional court (Landgericht), a higher regional court or the Federal Court of Justice, however, a lawyer must represent you, and at the BGH only specially admitted lawyers may appear (Section 78(1) ZPO).
Can I get legal aid for a liquidation or insolvency matter in Germany?
German legal aid separates advisory assistance (Beratungshilfe) for out-of-court advice from Prozesskostenhilfe for court proceedings. Prozesskostenhilfe is available in civil, labour, administrative, social and fiscal proceedings subject to an income and circumstances test, with repayment if circumstances improve, but it is not available to debtors in insolvency proceedings.
How are lawyer and court fees set in German liquidation disputes?
Court fees follow the statutory Court Fees Act scale tied to the amount in dispute. Lawyer fees follow the Rechtsanwaltsvergütungsgesetz (RVG), which fixes a rate for each procedural step, so they are predictable and largely independent of hours worked. Hourly or success-based fees are permitted only within narrow statutory limits.
How long do I have to pursue an unpaid debt in Germany?
The regular limitation period is three years under Section 195 BGB, running from the end of the year in which the claim arose and the creditor knew, or ought to have known, of the facts and the debtor’s identity. Some claims carry far longer periods, such as 30 years for claims established by final judgment, so limitation analysis is fact-sensitive.
How quickly will I hear from a matched lawyer?
Our average first response is 24 to 48 hours. You describe the matter once, we pass it to a lawyer who handles liquidation work in the relevant German jurisdiction, and you decide whether to take it further. Matching is free and creates no obligation.
Next step
Find a liquidation lawyer in Germany
Describe your situation in a few lines — what happened, the amount involved and where the parties are based. We use that to match you with a German lawyer who works on liquidation and winding-up matters, and you decide whether to instruct them.