Appointments

 

If you want to become our client or make an appointment for a consultation, you can call our lawyers oder send thema a e-mail: luensmann@menschenundrechte.de or tondorf@menschenundrechte.de or tolmein@menschenundrechte.de.

We will then inform you about the next steps, including the applicable fees. If desired, we will arrange a personal appointment with the solicitor working on your case; phone consultations are also possible. In case of an emergency, appointments can be arranged at short-notice too.

During the consultation, you and your solicitor will also determine the means of communication you will use in the future.

Sometimes, when the circumstances of your case change drastically, or a court hearing needs to be prepared, it makes sense for you and your solicitor to have another personal meeting; in this instance you will arrange another appointment according to your needs.

 
 

Communication

 

We find e-mail communication the most efficient. It allows us to forward relevant mail to you directly and at a low cost, as well as to ensure that you receive information promptly.

In addition, emailing is usually the most effective way of getting in touch with our solicitors, even more so than phoning them. We may respond to emails also outside general working hours when you would not usually try calling us.

Once we have agreed on email as our standard means of communication we rely on you checking your emails regularly. We, on the other hand, have no means for checking whether you have read our emails.

If you do not possess an email account we can of course send you all relevant information by fax or mail.

If required, we are happy to contact our deaf clients by sms. You can also call us using TESS. If you are planning on dropping by with your sign language interpreter, please do make an appointment first with our secretaries (by email or phone).

As needed we can also hire one of the sign language interpreters we regularly work with for a consultation at our offices; of course, we will clarify with you beforehand who will cover the costs.

We also offer consultations in easy language, in English and in French.

We possess extensive experience working with foreign language and sign language interpreters.

 
 

Duration of the proceedings

 

You will also always be notified when we receive mail from Court or from the opposite party, as soon as the solicitor in charge has viewed them. This will happen automatically, you do not need to ask for this information first!

At the beginning of our contractual relationship, we will discuss with you what the estimated duration of legal proceedings is going to be or, how long we expect dealing with your case will take us.

Proceedings in certain areas, e.g. before the Sozialgerichte (courts dealing with social welfare matters), can be very lengthy, unfortunately: sometimes they even continue for several years.

As much as we would like to we are often unable to predict the exact duration of court proceedings; it depends on the pace at which the particular court, opposite party and expert witnesses work.

Sometimes it may also play a role how quickly we can respond to a request by the court. We always do our best to react promptly and adhere to the time frame agreed upon.

However, the processing time agreed upon can be prolongued if we are required to act on unexpected urgent matters. In that case, we will apply to the court for a deadline extension and will inform you about this. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to you.

Therefore, we find it very helpful if you trust us on informing you about all important developments despite your understandable eagerness (for matters to proceed quickly). You really do do us a big favour if you refrain from inquiring frequently and without cause about the state of proceedings because that way, we and our staff will be able to commit our time to your material case, rather than to responding to this type of inquiry.