Legal Representation in Court

Preparing the case and procedural documents

We analyse documents, the timeline, claims and the other party’s objections. Agreed assistance may cover a claim, defence, application, complaint, submissions, a lawyer’s formal information request and a legal opinion. Contract terms are reviewed separately where they determine the parties’ rights or dispute resolution procedure.

For an individual document, you can agree remote preparation of legal documents. This differs from handling the entire case. Drafting a claim does not automatically include hearings, appeals or enforcement; each stage must be defined in the instruction.

Matters for individuals

We consider family disputes, divorce, including where one spouse is a foreign national, division of assets, children’s residence and upbringing, paternity, adoption and marital agreements. Where necessary, we assess the use of relevant expert reports, including relationship testing. Inheritance matters include establishing rights, wills, division of assets and possible steps where deadlines have been missed.

Property-related matters include ownership, housing, land, contracts, debts and insurance compensation, including after a road traffic accident. Property assistance may cover document checks, purchases by foreign nationals and transaction preparation. Out-of-court stages, valuations and notarial acts are agreed separately with the appropriate providers.

Criminal proceedings require appropriate expertise and an established procedural status. Enquiries may concern homicide, bodily injury, serious road traffic incidents, drugs, document forgery, robbery, theft, extortion, fraud, weapons or smuggling. The availability of defence or other involvement is checked for the particular proceedings.

Business, investment and international matters

For companies, we consider corporate, commercial, administrative, tax and land disputes, contractual debts, insurance and intellectual property. Related work may concern business registration and sale, foreign founders, representative offices, accounts, investments, insolvency, commercial property, construction and agricultural projects.

For IT businesses, we separately assess business structuring, offers, contracts, e-commerce, and legal and financial matters. International commercial arbitration, recognition of foreign decisions and enforcement abroad require jurisdiction and local authority to act to be established. The language of assistance for international clients, including English, is confirmed with the individual professional.

Evidence and enforcement

Gathering information, locating witnesses and checking documents, assets or the circumstances of a case must be lawful. The availability of a lawyer-led investigation is assessed separately. This may concern a road traffic accident, an alibi, a missing person, marriage fraud or a marital dispute, company checks or transaction security; the task and sources must be established as permissible before work begins.

Where necessary, expert examination, replacement documents, translation, an apostille or legalisation are agreed. Following a decision, assistance with enforcement proceedings and liaison with an authorised enforcement officer may be needed. A lawyer does not replace the court, expert or enforcement officer and does not guarantee actual recovery regardless of the debtor’s assets.

Documents for an initial assessment

Prepare a brief timeline, the court’s name, case number and documents received. State the date of service, scheduled hearings, payments made and any other representative. Include material that does not support your position, as it may affect risks and potential objections.

Originals, the full file and authority to act are provided once the required set has been identified. For another country, we clarify translation and proper representation requirements. Do not arrange a power of attorney using an arbitrary template before agreeing what the professional needs to do.

Scope of the instruction and case updates

Before work starts, we agree the stage, documents, hearing attendance, fees and separate costs. We establish communication arrangements and how new developments should be reported. Negotiations and possible settlement are considered alongside procedural risks, while keeping track of important deadlines.

An appeal or enforcement may need a further agreement. The duration of proceedings depends not only on the lawyer’s preparation but also on the court, other participants and procedural circumstances. Tell the professional about new decisions or notices even if they were sent directly to the client.

If the other party proposes a settlement, assess its consequences for the claims, costs and subsequent enforcement before signing. Agreeing verbally to negotiate and entering into a documented agreement are different outcomes. Arrangements for approving the position with the client are agreed separately, especially where a case involves several related claims.