Rapid court intervention at the beginning of or during proceedings. This prevents further damage or ensures the future enforceability of a claim.

The pre-litigation phase begins once an obligation is due and lasts until the lawsuit is filed. Both parties are motivated to resolve their dispute before filing a lawsuit, which generally leads to increased costs for both sides, not to mention the expenses and duration of the entire court proceeding.

A lawsuit defines the scope of the proceedings. It must therefore contain not only the identification of the parties involved but also the claim itself, including a description of the decisive facts, the designation of evidence, and a statement of what the plaintiff is seeking.

A claim represents the right of one person (the creditor) to demand and effectively obtain specific performance from another person (the debtor). However, a claim is only enforceable once it has "matured," meaning the point at which the debtor is in default toward the creditor.

After proceedings have commenced, the court will call upon the plaintiff to correct or supplement the lawsuit if necessary, and will also request payment of the court fee. For monetary claims, the fee is based on the amount being sued for. For non-monetary or other types of claims, fees are defined directly in the fee schedule.

A simpler version of a lawsuit is filing a standardized form for the issuance of an electronic payment order. The court will subsequently issue an electronic payment order.

If you have received a payment order, electronic payment order, European payment order, or a bill of exchange payment order from the court regarding an obligation you disagree with, you must follow the attached instructions and file an objection or defense against such an order within the prescribed time limit. This is the only way to continue defending yourself against the claim.

We know all too well how exhausting legal disputes can be. Whether it’s a lawsuit arriving in your mailbox or data box, or watching helplessly as a debtor ignores your invoices or the other party fails to respect contractual terms. It is a massive drain on your peace of mind and the energy you would rather spend elsewhere. We understand that when the pressure is at its highest, you need a partner to lead the strategy and help you regain your footing. Give yourself the benefit of an expert in litigation.

The court may send the defendant a so-called qualified summons. In a timely response to this summons, the defendant must describe the decisive facts and provide evidence for their claims. If the defendant fails to do so within the time limit set by the court, the court will issue a judgment by admission against the defendant.

A judgment by admission is one of the so-called default judgments that a court may issue if the defendant explicitly admits the claim or is not sufficiently procedurally active and fails to respond in time to a qualified court summons.

Before the first hearing is scheduled, an exchange of statements between the parties may take place through the court. The court may request statements from the parties, or the parties may submit them on their own initiative. The goal of this preparation is to ensure that the lawsuit can ideally be resolved in a single hearing.

The court may occasionally order a preliminary hearing, for example, to address defects in the lawsuit or to prepare for the first court hearing. The primary goal of a preliminary hearing is to review whether the procedural conditions are met, to inform the parties of the court's preliminary factual and legal conclusions, and to instruct them on the specific nature of their burden of proof and duty to plead.

If you receive a court summons, it means the court will hold a hearing, technically referred to as a "hearing on the merits." The court hearing is a crucial part of the process, as it involves direct confrontation between the parties and the court.

A default judgment is another type of so-called contumacious decision. The defendant is required to appear at the first court hearing or provide a valid excuse. If they fail to do so, the court may rule against them upon the request of the plaintiff present.

Through a judgment, the court establishes certain rights or obligations for the parties to the proceedings. At the same time, the court decides on the legal costs of the prevailing party based on the extent of their success in the case.

If the parties to the proceedings are dissatisfied with the decision of the court of first instance, they may challenge it by filing an appeal. If an appeal is filed, the decision does not become final until the appellate court has made a final ruling on the matter.

The appellate court decides on the appeal. It may review the contested decision for reasons other than those stated by the appellant in the appeal.

If a court decision imposes a specific obligation on a party to the proceedings, and that decision has become final and enforceable, but the party fails to fulfill their obligation voluntarily, you may request enforcement of the decision—that is, the forced fulfillment of the obligation against the will of the obligated party. A motion for enforcement can be filed either with the court or with a selected bailiff.

A final decision by an appellate court can be challenged through extraordinary legal remedies. These include appeals on points of law, actions for nullity, and petitions for a retrial. In the event of a violation of constitutional rights, a constitutional complaint may be filed. However, the grounds for using these procedural remedies should only arise in exceptional cases.