Dr. Markus Wessel: Lawyer for inheritance in Berlin

Death and taxes are certainties in life. Whereas tax is due on defined paydays, your time of death will be undefined. Therefore only a few of us will want to look after consequences of our own death. Making a last will implies the advantage for you to decide who is going to receive your property and possessions. If you do not decide the law will. For more than 30 years I have been doing inheritance law and shall advise you properly as to all questions of inheritance or disinheritance.

If you do not make a last will, your estate will go to legally stipulated heirs or to the state. To take a portion of your valuable time and see a lawyer as to the consequences of your death, will not be at the top of our list of priorities. An advice on inheritance law does not focus on who is going to receive what, but also on defining  of the circumstances of your own death and avoiding tax traps same as minimizing the risk of quarrel between your loved ones.

As a lawyer for inheritance I also advise you being an heir and will help you to define you rights same as your duties. I shall represent you against third parties in respect to a proof of inheritance, legal conflicts, interpretation of wills, contested wills, filing claims, dealings with legacies and debts and administration of an estate.

Public knowledge has it about ten percent of all inheritance are cross border cases. An estimated 10 million Citizens of the EU do no longer live where they had been born. Even if you are reluctant to encounter the consequences of your death understandably, you should take care of planning your estate especially, if you live in a different state from the one you were born in.  

Possibly you are right now considering to move your domicile to a place abroad. If you do, please think about how your estate shall be settled and if this settlement requires a last will. Also you should consider, in which language a last will shall be written and at which court it shall be filed. Where would heirs file an application for a certificate of inheritance and which country’s law shall be  applied to the settlement of the estate?

Inheritance law in other counties may differ severely from German law of inheritance. E.g. legal succession or compulsory rights may be stipulated differently from the laws of another country. If you are an heir or you are entitled to a compulsory right, you might want to know, how you realize your rights. This also applies, if you live abroad in Europe and there is an estate in Germany. A lot of the cases mentioned above are dealt with in EU inheritance law regulation and in addition to that within national civil law codes. It seems impossible to specify the conclusions following out of these here. Please make an appointment in my office to discuss further details - by telephone by 030 / 88 70 77 77 or via email.