Legal Services for Companies in Germany (English-Speaking Coordination)

How we work: coordination vs. advice

We are the English-speaking coordinator, not the adviser of record. Substantive legal advice and representation come from partnered admitted Rechtsanwälte, including Fachanwälte für Handels- und Gesellschaftsrecht (certified specialists in commercial and corporate law). Tax advice comes from a qualified Steuerberater. We coordinate the engagement, translate, project-manage and keep you oriented; we do not give reserved legal or tax advice ourselves. For a wary foreign founder, that transparency about who does what is more trustworthy than a "we do everything" promise, and it keeps the work on the right side of the RDG.

The corporate-legal lifecycle: what you need and who renders it

The table below maps the corporate-legal lifecycle of a German company. Each row pairs what the company needs with who lawfully renders it, and where to go next. Read it as a routing map: we coordinate, the named professional advises.

Compliance obligations your company carries

A German company's compliance burden spans anti-money-laundering duties, beneficial-ownership reporting and data protection. These are statutory obligations that apply regardless of how small the entity is, and the figures below are current as of 2026-06-10 but are amended from time to time, so re-verify on any later review.

AML due diligence (§10 GwG)

Where your company is an obligated party under the Money Laundering Act, it must carry out customer due diligence: identify the contracting party and the beneficial owner, assess the purpose and intended nature of the business relationship, screen for politically exposed persons (PEPs), and monitor the relationship continuously on a risk-based footing (§10 GwG). The design of an AML programme is best advised by a Rechtsanwalt; we coordinate the engagement and the practical roll-out.

Transparency register / beneficial owners (§20 GwG)

Legal entities and registered partnerships must obtain, retain, keep current and report their beneficial-owner data to the Transparenzregister without undue delay. Beneficial owners and shareholders holding more than 25% of the shares or voting rights must supply the relevant information (§20 GwG). This is a standalone filing duty, separate from the Handelsregister, and missing it carries fines.

Data protection officer (§38 BDSG)

A data protection officer (DPO) is mandatory where, as a rule, at least 20 persons are constantly engaged in the automated processing of personal data ("in der Regel mindestens 20 Personen ständig mit der automatisierten Verarbeitung personenbezogener Daten") (§38(1) BDSG). Below that headcount, a DPO can still be required where the processing triggers a data protection impact assessment, or where the company processes personal data commercially for transfer or for market and opinion research. We coordinate the appointment of a suitable DPO.

Contracts and general terms (AGB) under German law (§§305 ff. BGB)

German law applies strict statutory content control to general terms and conditions. Under §§305 ff. BGB, standard terms (Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen) are policed for fairness: surprising clauses and clauses that unreasonably disadvantage the other party can be void, even in a signed contract. That has a practical consequence: a template lifted from another jurisdiction often does not survive German review. Drafting and reviewing contracts and AGB is legal advice reserved to a Rechtsanwalt; we coordinate the work and manage it in English.

Corporate governance: directors' service agreements & shareholders' agreements

Sound governance rests on two documents in particular: the directors' service agreement (the contract between the company and its managing director, distinct from the appointment) and the shareholders' agreement (which regulates how the owners deal with each other beyond the articles). Both are drafted and advised on by a Rechtsanwalt. We coordinate the engagement, gather your commercial requirements, and keep the drafting moving in English.

Restructuring, M&A and exit coordination

When the structure has to change, whether a reorganisation, a share sale, an internal restructuring or a wind-down, we coordinate the project and a Rechtsanwalt provides the legal advice and documentation. We keep the strands aligned: corporate filings, tax input from the Steuerberater, and the practical sequencing. From here you can route to amending the company and filing changes in the commercial register or to winding the company down.

Disputes: a signpost, not an in-house service

Litigation in Germany is conducted through an admitted Rechtsanwalt. Before the Landgericht and the higher courts, lawyer representation is mandatory (Anwaltszwang), and the Rechtsanwalt is the appointed representative in all legal matters (§3 BRAO). We do not conduct cases, appear in court, or run litigation. What we do is signpost and refer you to a suitable admitted lawyer, then coordinate communication in English. Treat this section as a referral, not a service we provide.

AG, branch and partnership: how they differ (brief)

German corporate law is codified and sits primarily in the GmbHG, AktG, HGB and BGB; a company's existence and changes are recorded in the Handelsregister. This page is GmbH-first, because the GmbH and UG are the forms most foreign founders use. A stock corporation (AG), a German branch of a foreign company, and partnerships each have their own specifics; for those, route to their dedicated pages rather than assuming the GmbH rules apply unchanged.