Performance-based financing
Enforce your share
A close relative who has been omitted from a will does not, as a rule, end up empty-handed. The law guarantees them a financial entitlement in the form of a compulsory share.
However, it is not always paid voluntarily. Some heirs remain silent, whilst others underestimate the value of the estate or try to stall. In such cases, we take care of all the costs involved in securing your money – from the first letter from our solicitor right through to court proceedings – on a no-win, no-fee basis. An enquiry costs nothing and does not commit you to anything.
No cost risk
We cover all necessary costs, starting with the first invoice.
Audited figures
Your solicitor will obtain information and a valuation report, if necessary through the courts.
Performance-based
The amount of our investment will be confirmed before you sign.
Free choice of lawyer
It is entirely up to you to decide which specialist solicitor in inheritance law will handle your case.
Initial legal situation
Sections 195, 2303, 2317 and 2331a of the German Civil Code (BGB)
Who is entitled to what
Being disinherited or passed over does not mean coming away empty-handed. To protect the next of kin, the law grants them a claim for money against the heirs in the form of a compulsory share. This minimum share becomes due immediately upon death and amounts to half of what they would have been entitled to had there been no will. If the estate consists of a property, the heirs must still raise the money. Payment can only be deferred in genuine cases of hardship. The claim to the compulsory share generally becomes time-barred three years after the end of the year in which the claimant became aware of the death and the disinheritance.
Section 91 of the Code of Civil Procedure (ZPO), Section 12 of the Court Costs Act (GKG)
Where the cost risk comes from
A claim to money does not automatically mean money in your account. Anyone who receives nothing and is unaware of what the estate contains needs a solicitor and, if necessary, to go to court. However, the bills arrive before the money does. In the case of six-figure claims, the court requires an advance payment of several thousand euros before it will even take action. Anyone who loses the case also has to pay the other party’s legal fees. In inheritance cases, legal expenses insurance usually only covers the initial consultation, not representation in court. As a result, many claims fail not because of the law, but because of a lack of funds. We take this financial risk off your hands.
Real-life situations
When the payout hits a snag
Most cases involving a compulsory share do not require any financing. The claim is lodged with the heirs, information is provided, an agreement is reached on the amount, and the money is transferred. However, the higher the sums involved, the greater the potential for conflict.
We come across certain situations time and again. They may look different, but they are all based on the same imbalance. The heirs already have control of the assets and can simply wait, whilst every further step costs you money.
What’s changing in terms of funding
Such delaying tactics only work as long as time and costs are working against you. Financing turns this situation on its head. If every stage up to the judgement is covered, there is no longer any point in stalling, and you can reject an offer that is too low without feeling under pressure. You retain the claim throughout; the bills are sent to us.
We’ll take a look at your situation
This is how funded enforcement works
Enquiry and Quotation
Please explain your situation to us; you do not need to provide any documents at this stage. We will review the case, and if we are able to finance it, you will receive an offer setting out our fixed share. You will incur no costs or obligations until you have signed the agreement.
Enforcement
Your solicitor will ensure that information is provided and an inventory of the estate is drawn up, arrange for disputed assets to be valued, and negotiate payment with the heirs. If that is not sufficient, legal action will follow. All invoices from this period will be sent to us.
Secure your
As soon as the heirs make the payment, the money goes to you, minus the agreed share. We do not earn anything before then. If we are unable to enforce the claim, we will bear all the costs and will not claim anything back from you.
A comparison of the two approaches
| Criterion | Funded enforcement Enforce your share | Immediate sale Sell your legal share |
|---|---|---|
| When will the money arrive? | Once a settlement has been reached or a judgement handed down – often after a few months, or later in contentious cases. | A few days after the appointment with the notary, regardless of what happens next. |
| How much will it be? | The solicitor is claiming the full amount. If the case is successful, our pre-agreed share will be deducted from this. | A fixed purchase price that is below the full value and is no longer subject to renegotiation. |
| Who bears the costs and the risk? | We’re with you every step of the way, from the first solicitor’s bill right through to the expert report. If the case is lost, we’ll also cover the other party’s costs. | We. When we make a sale, we take on not only the costs but also the risk that, in the end, no payment will be made. |
| Who is this approach suitable for? | If receiving the full amount is more important to you than a quick settlement. | When a fixed sum is worth more today than a larger sum at an uncertain future date. |
| More on the sale of a compulsory share Direct sale |
Is this financing suitable for your situation?
Financed enforcement is one of two options we offer; the other is the sale of the claim. Which one is right for your case depends on the estate, the behaviour of the heirs and how long you can wait. Please give us a brief outline of how the case has progressed so far; you do not need to provide any documents. We’ll look at your situation and tell you frankly what we can and cannot offer you. The enquiry is free of charge and confidential; it does not commit you to anything.
Questions & Answers on Financing
We cover all costs incurred in the process of securing your payout, and in return we receive a pre-agreed share of the proceeds. If payment is not received, we bear the costs and earn nothing. The claim itself remains yours throughout. You do not sell anything or assign any rights.
The technical term for this is litigation funding. This model has been in place in Deutschland since the late 1990s, and major commercial litigation cases have long been funded in this way. The name is somewhat misleading, however, as litigation is not a prerequisite. Our financing begins with the lawyer’s first letter and continues right up to a judgement, if it ever comes to that.
Whenever the payout is held up. The heirs fail to respond, provide only incomplete information, value property or company shares at conspicuously low levels, or drag out the process until the beneficiary gives up. Even a case that is foreseeable to be complex can be a reason, for example where several properties need to be valued or gifts made in previous years need to be clarified.
The prerequisite is that you are entitled to a compulsory share in the first place. Those entitled include children and their descendants, spouses and registered civil partners, as well as the deceased’s parents – although the latter are only entitled if there are no children or grandchildren. The entitlement arises if a will or inheritance contract excludes you from the succession; simply not being mentioned in the document is sufficient for this. Even those who receive less than their statutory share may claim the difference (Section 2305 of the German Civil Code (BGB)). We also help to fund claims for supplementary payments arising from previous gifts (Section 2325 BGB).
Furthermore, the claim must not be time-barred. The limitation period is usually three years and begins at the end of the year in which you learnt of the death and, at the same time, became aware that a will either excludes you or awards you too little. Finally, the scale of the claim should be proportionate to the effort involved. We do not have a fixed lower limit; we assess this on a case-by-case basis.
You do not pay anything during the proceedings. We cover the solicitor’s fees as well as the court costs, including the advance payment, without which a court will generally not even take action (Section 12 of the German Court Costs Act (GKG)). If an expert is required – for example, to value a house or a share in a company – we will also pay for their report, which often costs a four-figure sum on its own. Anyone who loses a case must also bear the other party’s costs (Section 91 of the Code of Civil Procedure (ZPO)). This bill is then also sent to us.
Our commission is fixed before you sign and is based on how secure the claim is and the amount of work expected. It is only deducted from the money that has actually been received. You do not have to pay anything out of your own pocket at any stage, and there are no subsequent claims.
In that case, we’ll cover the loss. You won’t have to pay anything back, not even a proportionate amount, and we’ll also deal with the other party’s claims. As far as you’re concerned, the matter is then settled.
That is precisely why we carry out a thorough assessment before making any commitment. We only fund cases that we are convinced of ourselves.
The lawyer is in charge of the legal proceedings. They will advise you, write to the heirs, negotiate and, if necessary, represent you in court. We are there to provide financial support and a network, pay the bills, arrange for specialist solicitors and experts on request, and keep an eye on the progress of the case. We do not provide legal advice; that is the solicitors’ responsibility.
This has nothing to do with debt collection. Debt collection agencies recover debts that have already been established. In the case of a compulsory share, the amount is often not even known at the outset, because information must first be obtained and the value of the assets determined. It is precisely this process that we finance.
Yes. If you already have a solicitor you trust, we will work with them and cover their fees. The only important thing is that they specialise in inheritance law, as cases involving the statutory share have their own pitfalls, particularly when it comes to valuations and gifts. If you don’t have a lawyer yet, we can put you in touch with specialist solicitors with whom we’ve had good experience. In either case, the decision is yours.
Yes, at any stage, provided the claim is not time-barred. Whether you have only just filed the claim, have been negotiating for months, or have already brought legal proceedings, this merely affects the starting point of our assessment. Any existing documentation, such as an estate inventory or a valuation report, will actually speed up the process. Even if you’re already represented by a solicitor, this doesn’t prevent us from taking on your case; we’ll coordinate the coverage of costs directly with your solicitor.
Not necessarily. The solicitor first requests information and supporting documents, after which payment is negotiated. Some cases are settled without the need for a court ruling. Often, the mere fact that the heirs can no longer afford to let the proceedings drag on – because they have been fully funded until the end – is enough.
If this does not achieve the desired result, the funding will also cover the legal proceedings. In such cases, a staged claim (Section 254 of the German Code of Civil Procedure (ZPO)) is the usual course of action. This first seeks a declaration and only subsequently payment, meaning you do not have to specify the amount at the outset.
Yes, that is in fact the norm. Those who have been passed over rarely know which accounts existed, what work was last carried out on the house, or whether any assets had already been transferred during the deceased’s lifetime. This is precisely why the law provides for a right to information. You may request a full inventory of the estate from the heirs – drawn up by a solicitor if you wish – together with a valuation of individual items (Section 2314 of the German Civil Code (BGB)). The costs of this are borne by the estate. If an expert is required at a later stage in court proceedings, their fee will be charged to us.
For the first test, it is enough for us to know what you know or suspect. Any gaps in your knowledge are not a problem.
That depends mainly on the heirs. If they agree to the information provided and the valuation, it often takes just a few months. If legal action has to be taken, it can take a year or more, particularly if an expert is required to determine the value of a property. We won’t be able to say for certain until we’ve looked at the case.
When it comes to your planning, the most important thing is that you do not incur any costs during this period. And if a quick payout is more important to you than receiving the full amount, selling your entitlement may be the better option.
It is up to you, in consultation with your solicitor, to decide whether to accept an offer from the heirs. No settlement will be reached without your consent. As we are covering the costs, the funding agreement also stipulates that any settlement must be agreed with us in advance. This is stated in the agreement from the outset, so that it comes as no surprise to anyone later on.
No. Most legal expenses insurance policies exclude inheritance disputes or, at best, cover an initial consultation. There is then no cover for the actual enforcement of your claim, and it is precisely this gap that the financing scheme fills. Should your insurance policy do cover such a claim, we will discuss this openly during the assessment before a contract is concluded.
The compulsory share is subject to inheritance tax as soon as you claim it. The same tax-free allowances apply as for heirs – for children, for example, €400,000 – which is why no tax is often payable at all. A tax adviser is best placed to explain the specific implications of claiming your statutory share and the associated costs, as we are not authorised to provide advice on this matter.
