Marriage and Family

Marriage, partnership and family bring many rights and obligations. A prenuptial agreement or partnership arrangement creates clarity and certainty – both during the relationship and in the event of separation.

Prenuptial Agreements

A prenuptial agreement allows you to adapt the statutory provisions to your personal situation. Common subjects include:

• Matrimonial property regime – separation of property, modified community of accrued gains or community of property
• Post-marital maintenance – arrangements for the event of divorce
• Pension equalisation (Versorgungsausgleich) – exclusion or modification
• Allocation of assets – attribution of specific assets

Prenuptial agreements can be concluded both before and during the marriage. The notary is required by law to advise both parties impartially and to work towards a balanced arrangement.

Separation and Divorce Settlement Agreements

When a marriage has broken down, the spouses can settle the consequences of separation and divorce by mutual agreement. A notarial divorce settlement agreement often covers maintenance, equalisation of accrued gains (Zugewinnausgleich), pension equalisation, household goods and the marital home. This frequently saves time and costs compared with contested divorce proceedings.

Unmarried Partnerships

Even without marriage, a partnership agreement can be worthwhile – for example when purchasing property jointly, for mutual financial protection or for arrangements in the event of separation. We advise you on the options available and draft an agreement tailored to your situation.

Adoption

An adoption creates a legal parent-child relationship and affects names, maintenance, custody and succession. The notary notarises the required declarations of consent and the adoption application. We support two main scenarios:

• Minor adoption – in particular stepchild adoption by the spouse or civil partner of a parent (full adoption with full rights and obligations as for biological children)
• Adult adoption – adoption of an adult, for example to legally safeguard an existing parent-child relationship or in the context of estate and business succession

Via the Data Sheet Adoption you can conveniently submit the relevant information online – we will then prepare the draft and arrange the notarisation appointment with you.