Family law matters — divorce, child custody, financial settlements, and protection orders — are among the most personally significant proceedings a client will face. LexBerg's family law team combines deep knowledge of German family law (BGB, FamFG) with sensitivity to the human dimensions of each case. We represent clients at all stages of family proceedings, from negotiated separation agreements through to contested hearings before the Familiengericht, and in appellate proceedings before the Oberlandesgericht.
Germany's family courts operate under the principle that the welfare of any child is paramount. In all proceedings involving children — whether custody disputes, contact arrangements, relocation applications, or international child abduction cases — LexBerg focuses on achieving outcomes that are sustainable, enforceable, and genuinely in the child's best interests, whilst robustly protecting our clients' parental rights throughout.
Where possible, we pursue agreements through mediation and collaborative law rather than adversarial litigation — preserving co-parenting relationships and reducing the emotional and financial cost of proceedings.
When contested proceedings are unavoidable, our advocates have extensive experience before German family courts and, in international matters, before foreign courts and under the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction.
Many of our family law clients have connections to more than one country. We advise on international divorce jurisdiction, foreign matrimonial property regimes, and cross-border custody and abduction proceedings under both EU and Hague Convention frameworks.
Financial matters in German divorce proceedings — including the Zugewinnausgleich (equalisation of accrued gains), Versorgungsausgleich (pension sharing), and ongoing spousal maintenance — are technically complex and highly fact-specific. LexBerg works with forensic accountants and financial advisers to ensure our clients have a fully informed view of their financial position and negotiating leverage before any settlement is agreed or contested in court.
- Divorce proceedings and judicial separation
- Child custody, residence, and contact arrangements
- Child maintenance and spousal maintenance
- Matrimonial property and the Zugewinnausgleich
- Pension sharing (Versorgungsausgleich)
- Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements (Ehevertrag)
- Domestic violence and protection orders
- International child abduction and Hague Convention return proceedings
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