Connect With A Lawyer In Germany.
Make sure your medical, legal, financial and inheritance wishes are clearly documented under German law. We connect expats with an English-speaking legal service partner for living wills, powers of attorney and estate planning.
The initial inquiry, review and consultation scheduling are free of charge. The legal consultation and document preparation are paid services provided by the legal partner.
Who decides for you if you cannot speak for yourself?
Illness, accidents and emergencies can happen unexpectedly. Without the right legal documents, your loved ones may face delays, uncertainty or court involvement when medical, legal or financial decisions need to be made.
For expats, planning is even more important.
International families often have assets, relatives or obligations in more than one country. A German lawyer can help clarify which documents you need and how your wishes should be documented properly.
The three documents many expats should check.
The right setup depends on your family situation, assets, residence plans and nationality. These are the most common areas to review.
Living Will
A living will, called Patientenverfügung in German, documents your medical wishes if you are no longer able to communicate or consent yourself.
- Medical treatment preferences
- End-of-life decisions
- Guidance for doctors and family
- Should be clearly worded and reviewed
Power of Attorney
A Vorsorgevollmacht allows a trusted person to act for you in defined areas if you cannot act yourself.
- Health care decisions
- Financial and contract matters
- Authorities, banks and institutions
- Can help avoid court-appointed guardianship
Will / Testament
A will helps define how your estate should be distributed instead of relying only on default legal rules.
- Protect spouse, partner or children
- Clarify inheritance wishes
- Important for international assets
- Especially relevant for unmarried couples
“My spouse will handle it” may not be enough.
Germany has rules for emergency representation between spouses in certain health situations, but this is limited. It does not replace comprehensive planning for medical wishes, finances, contracts, bank matters, children, real estate or inheritance.
Planning becomes especially important if you have:
- Children or dependent family members
- A spouse or partner who relies on your income
- Assets in Germany and abroad
- A mortgage or real estate
- An unmarried partnership
- Different nationalities in the family
This service is useful for expats who want clarity before an emergency happens.
The goal is not fear. The goal is to reduce uncertainty for your family and make sure your wishes can be understood and implemented.
Families with children
Parents should think about medical decisions, guardianship questions, inheritance, financial access and protection for the surviving family.
Couples and partners
Married and unmarried couples often need different planning. Unmarried partners usually need especially clear documentation.
International assets
If you have assets, family or inheritance questions in more than one country, your planning should be reviewed carefully.
Property owners
Real estate, mortgages and joint ownership can create complexity if one person becomes incapacitated or passes away.
Professionals and founders
Business owners and self-employed professionals should plan who can act if they are temporarily or permanently unable to work.
People with legal insurance
If you already have legal insurance, it may be worth checking whether initial advice or parts of the legal work are covered.
What is free — and what is paid?
German Sherpa helps with the initial inquiry and connection process. The legal advice itself is provided by the legal service partner.
- Initial inquiry through German Sherpa: free
- Basic review and scheduling: free
- Legal consultation: paid service
- Document drafting: paid service
- Final pricing depends on scope and complexity
Your legal insurance may help with costs.
If you have valid legal insurance in Germany, your policy may cover all or part of the consultation or legal review. This depends on your provider, tariff, waiting periods and whether coverage is approved.
- Check your current legal insurance contract
- Ask whether estate or family-related advice is covered
- Coverage usually requires provider approval
- We can point you to the right next step
From first check to lawyer consultation.
The process is simple: submit your request, we review it, and the legal partner contacts you for the next steps.
Submit request
Use the free legal check and tell us briefly about your family, assets and planning needs.
Initial review
We review your inquiry and check whether the legal partner is a suitable match.
Contact by partner
The legal service partner contacts you to schedule a no-obligation consultation.
Legal documents
If you proceed, the lawyer helps with advice, drafting and review of your documents.
We guide you through the process — so your family and future are protected, even in uncertain times.
Helpful information for your inquiry:
- Your family situation: single, married, partner, children
- Whether you have assets in Germany or abroad
- Whether you own property or have a mortgage
- Whether you already have a will or power of attorney
- Whether you have legal insurance
- Your preferred language: English or German
Please do not send sensitive documents first.
For the initial check, a short overview is enough. Detailed legal, medical or financial documents should only be shared directly with the legal partner through their secure process.
- No passport copies in the first message
- No medical records in the first message
- No complete bank or asset statements first
- No full tax IDs or sensitive IDs unless requested securely
- First step: simple situation overview only
Request your free initial legal review.
Tell us your situation and we will help you get started with the right legal documents — tailored to your family, assets and life in Germany.
Clarity Starts With Structure.
We advise expats who live and work in Germany.
