I take care of families and inheritance cases all over Germany and can often help when the heirs themselves cannot be on site and want to make sure that the settlement of the estate is in good hands.
Nowadays, after a death, there is hardly any time left to mourn. Deadlines and appointments with the authorities, funeral homes, banks and insurance companies take a lot of time. If it is a large estate with several heirs, the death and the tasks around it quickly become a nightmare. Especially when a heir lives outside of Germany and can't oversee everything personally.
What happens to the properties? Were there several bank accounts or stock portfolios? What happens with the life insurance or the pension? Many relatives lack the time to deal with all the questions and being outside the country makes this that much harder.
As a specialist in German inheritance and family law, I have the necessary experience to help you. I see it as my task to take care of all these questions, formalities and problems and to ensure that you can concentrate on the important things.
I go through all the documents with a magnifying glass, work closely with the institutions, check the estate, wrap up insurance policies, pensions, loans and contracts and, if you wish, dissolve the household. So you can worry a little less.
I want to be by your side. Yours, Sabine Mayer.
Electricity, telecommunication, life insurance, rental contracts and many more. Depending on the contract or insurance, the remaining amount must be paid or the special right of termination can be exercised.
I contact all companies and take care of the right procedure.
Condominiums, commercial real estate or capital investments. When real estate is inherited, someone should check everything carefully so that it does not turn out to be a nasty surprise.
I check all documents and land registers carefully and, if necessary, arrange a valuation of property so that you can make an informed decision.
Hidden in the small print of existing insurance contracts, but also in seemingly worthless wooden boxes, I have discovered unnoticed treasures in the past that nobody would have expected.
Many people take the knowledge of their financial wealth with them into the grave. A thorough examination of the estate is therefore indispensable. Often I come across share deposits, bank accounts or life insurance policies that the heirs did not know about.
If stocks are part of the estate, they must be traded quickly. Otherwise, price fluctuations can cause a portfolio to lose a large part of its value.
I take care to quickly locate all accounts and to provide you with the rights to sell or keep them.
A good relationship of trust is immensely important. To ensure that you are well informed about everything, I document everything meticulously and make it available to you regularly.
In detailed discussions, conducted with the necessary sensitivity, the what, when and how is determined. So that the legal and personal considerations are clear from the start.
I take care of inheritance cases all over Germany and can often help when the heirs themselves cannot be on site and want to make sure that the settlement of the estate is in good hands.
You decide how you would like to be kept up to date on the status of the process. Sometimes this is not wanted by the heirs because it is too much of an emotional burden or because they are not interested. Whatever the case, we follow your wishes.
If you accept the inheritance, I will of course also take care of the German inheritance tax return. Here, false statements or missing deductions can quickly lead to an unnecessarily high tax burden.
Ideally, my firm will thus avert financial loss from the heirs and take care of the entire estate up to the payment of the proceeds to the heirs.
If the household shall be dissolved, I will organize this together with a professional service provider and make sure of a respectful handling of the process.
Through a thorough examination in advance, you have the certainty that no important records, documents or valuables will get lost.
Each estate has unique characteristics. Over the course of time, a dense network of people and companies has formed around us, which can be called upon as needed. This enables us to relieve the heirs to a large extent and to arrange the settlement of the estate together with a professional team in accordance with their needs.
Is the vase, painting or old vehicle in the estate of the deceased a valuable object? Often it is not obvious if certain objects are really valuable. I do the research myself or together with the heirs to determine the true value of individual estate items and sell them at a profit or place them with an auction house if so desired.
During the probate proceedings, the examination and the fulfilment of bequests. I will be at your side during the entire process from the beginning to the end. So that you have nothing to worry about.
First of all, we hold a preliminary meeting by telephone or video conference lasting about 10 minutes and determine whether there is a need for my services in your case.
If that is the case, we clarify the basic formalities of the situation. I will answer your questions and clarify the further procedure and your options. In the following detailed discussions we will determine what is when and how to be done and which legal and personal considerations play a role in this proceeding.
The required documents are collected. The testament is being looked through and I will prepare an overview of the estate and all persons, who are involved.
The entire estate will be reviewed and examined by me. I request all documents from the offices, institutions, banks and insurance companies and make the necessary inquiries. Existing real estate, documents and records are scrutinized thoroughly so that nothing is overlooked or lost.
Liabilities, such as insurances or loans, will be terminated, transferred or settled. Direct debit authorizations and standing orders will be revoked. Bequests mentioned in the testament will be examined and fulfilled.
The division and transfer of the estate will be examined and implemented. If desired, I can also help with the household liquidation or the sale of the property.
I take care of the preparation of the inheritance tax return and all other formalities necessary for the incorporation of the estate into your private assets. In order to give you legal security, I also check that all guidelines of the Money Laundering Act are observed. Finally, I will advise you on all outstanding issues.
A death alone causes enough feelings and problems. A conflict among the heirs should not cause more of the same. As a lawyer I am obliged to treat all clients equally and to achieve a result that is satisfactory to all.
Avoid conflicts and leave the estate administration to a neutral third party. In this way all parties can be sure that their wishes, concerns and priorities are heard and treated fairly.
Even if some of the heirs are scattered throughout Germany or the world, they will be kept informed of every step by e-mail, mail or video conferences and be sure to not miss anything.
This is my promise as an estate administrator and lawyer.
The heirs do not have to deal with the "paperwork", with the authorities, with going through the documents, with clearing out and selling antiques and real estate. Instead they hire me as a service provider to handle these extensive tasks.
My clients can be sure that no important records, documents or valuables will get lost. My clients also do not need to worry about legal or tax issues. Ideally, my law firm averts financial loss from the heirs and takes care of the complete estate settlement up to the payment of the proceeds to the heirs.
This is my promise as an estate administrator and lawyer.
