Fees · Transparent from the start
Fees and costs: clear before you commit
Anyone who has been defrauded has already lost money — so the cost of pursuing the case has to be clear from the start. The initial assessment is free. After that, fees follow the German statutory scale (RVG) or a written fee agreement — in every case discussed with you beforehand.
- No guarantee of success
- No cold calling
- Transparent costs
- Confidential & GDPR-compliant
What does legal help after fraud cost?
In short
The initial assessment is free. After that, fees follow either the German Lawyers’ Remuneration Act (RVG), calculated from the value in dispute, or a written fee agreement — always explained in advance. Where legal expenses insurance exists, we handle the coverage enquiry.
What the free assessment covers
- Checking the provider, including its licence position where determinable
- A first view of the payment routes and where they might lead
- Whether claims are conceivable in principle — and against whom
- A recommendation on the sensible next step, including “do nothing”
What it cannot be
The assessment is a first orientation, not a full legal opinion and not a prediction of the outcome. It cannot tell you how much money will come back, because that depends on facts that only emerge later — above all whether those responsible can be identified and whether assets can still be reached. Anyone who answers that question at the first contact is guessing, or selling.
At a glance
Three fee models compared
| Feature | Statutory fees (RVG) | Fee agreement | Success fee (§ 4a RVG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basis | The value in dispute and fixed statutory fee items | An agreed hourly rate or flat fee — in writing, before the work begins | Remuneration wholly or partly dependent on the outcome — only in the situations the statute provides for |
| When | The statutory starting point | Where the statutory scale does not reflect the work adequately — for example extensive fact-finding, many parties or a cross-border dimension | For example where the client would otherwise be prevented from pursuing the case for financial reasons — examined case by case |
| What is fixed in advance | Which fees to expect in your case — explained before you instruct us | A clear figure before any cost arises | Whether such a situation exists — discussed openly; not a marketing instrument |
Billing under the statutory scale
German lawyers’ fees are governed by the Rechtsanwaltsvergütungsgesetz (RVG). Fees are derived from the value in dispute — broadly, the amount economically at stake — and a defined fee follows for each stage of the matter. The point of the system is predictability: the framework comes from statute, not from an individual negotiation, and it can be looked up in advance. Which amounts that means in your case depends on the value in dispute and on how the matter proceeds — but the order of magnitude can be stated in advance, and the table below does exactly that. Before you instruct us you additionally receive an overview calculated on your own case, showing which fees arise at which step.
When legal steps are usually not worth taking
So you can save yourself the journey where it does not pay off — we would rather say this before than after:
The loss is smaller than the pursuit
Where the loss is well below the costs to be expected and there is no legal-expenses cover, we say so before any costs arise.
There is nothing to work from
No name, no payment records, no account details, no platform — then there is nothing a case could be anchored to.
The claims are time-barred
Where the payment is far enough back that limitation has run (§§ 195, 199 BGB), that changes everything else — we check it first.
It is a different kind of fraud
If your case is not investment, crypto or broker fraud but, say, a fake shop, a grandparent scam or a shock call, the police and the consumer advice centre are the better contacts.
In every other case we are glad to look. A difficult starting position does not automatically mean nothing can be done.
The initial assessment is free of charge. The fees below only arise if you instruct us afterwards.
What that means in figures — the statutory fees at a glance
The amounts below are not quotations. They are the statutory fees under the German Lawyers’ Remuneration Act (RVG) and show the order of magnitude for out-of-court representation; which fee items arise in your case depends on how the matter proceeds, and we discuss that with you beforehand.
- Value in dispute: 10,000 €
- 1.3 business fee (no. 2300 VV RVG): 847.60 €
- + flat disbursement (no. 7002): 20.00 €
- + 19 % VAT (no. 7008): 164.84 €
- Total (incl. VAT): 1,032.44 €
- Value in dispute: 25,000 €
- 1.3 business fee (no. 2300 VV RVG): 1,205.10 €
- + flat disbursement (no. 7002): 20.00 €
- + 19 % VAT (no. 7008): 232.77 €
- Total (incl. VAT): 1,457.87 €
- Value in dispute: 50,000 €
- 1.3 business fee (no. 2300 VV RVG): 1,764.10 €
- + flat disbursement (no. 7002): 20.00 €
- + 19 % VAT (no. 7008): 338.98 €
- Total (incl. VAT): 2,123.08 €
- Value in dispute: 100,000 €
- 1.3 business fee (no. 2300 VV RVG): 2,281.50 €
- + flat disbursement (no. 7002): 20.00 €
- + 19 % VAT (no. 7008): 437.29 €
- Total (incl. VAT): 2,738.79 €
- 1.3 is the threshold fee. The statutory frame for the business fee runs from 0.5 to 2.5 — more than 1.3 may only be charged where the work was extensive or difficult.
- The flat disbursement under no. 7002 VV RVG is 20 % of the fees, capped at €20.00. The total is a gross amount and includes VAT under no. 7008 VV RVG.
- The table covers out-of-court representation. Court proceedings are billed under part 3 VV RVG at different amounts, plus court fees.
Fee scale: annex 2 to § 13(1) RVG as amended by BGBl. 2025 I no. 109. Available at gesetze-im-internet.de.
Fee agreements
In some cases a written fee agreement — typically on an hourly basis — is the fairer arrangement, for example where the work is hard to map onto the statutory stages. Such an agreement is always made in writing and always before the work begins.
Success fees — and why they remain the exception
A fee dependent on the outcome is permissible in Germany only within the narrow limits of § 4a RVG. Where those conditions are not met, it cannot be agreed — and we will say so rather than construct something around it.
Legal expenses insurance and legal aid
If you hold legal expenses insurance, we examine the policy and submit the coverage enquiry for you. Where the means to fund proceedings are lacking, advisory aid (Beratungshilfe) and legal aid for court proceedings (Prozesskostenhilfe) may come into consideration; whether the requirements are met depends on your circumstances, and we will look at that with you.
How to recognise dishonest fee models: advance payment for a promised “recovery”, a percentage of a sum that has not been recovered yet, payment demanded in cryptocurrency, or an invoice from someone who contacted you unsolicited. None of that is how regulated legal work is billed.
Common questions
Questions about fees
What does the initial assessment cost?
Nothing. You describe your case, we examine the provider, the payment routes and the prospects in principle, and you receive an honest first view — free of charge and without obligation. Costs only arise once you instruct us, and we discuss them with you beforehand.
How is your work billed after that?
Either under the German Lawyers’ Remuneration Act (RVG) or on the basis of a written fee agreement. Which of the two makes sense depends on the case; we explain the difference and the expected cost before you decide. There are no hidden upfront charges.
How does the RVG scale work?
Statutory fees are calculated from the value in dispute — broadly, the amount at stake in the matter. A defined fee follows from that value for each stage of the proceedings. The advantage is predictability: the framework is set by statute rather than by us, and it can be looked up in advance.
Do you work on a contingency basis?
Only in the narrow cases where German professional law permits it. A success fee is admissible under § 4a RVG only under specific statutory conditions — it is not a general business model here, and we will tell you plainly whether it comes into consideration in your case.
What if I have legal expenses insurance?
Then we examine the policy and handle the coverage enquiry with your insurer for you. Whether cover exists depends on the policy, the date it was taken out and the type of case — we clarify that before further costs arise.
Do I have to pay anything in advance?
A reasonable advance on the statutory or agreed fee is customary in German legal practice; it is always discussed with you beforehand and set off against the final invoice. That is quite different from the high “advance fees” demanded by supposed recovery services, which collect before any examination has taken place and promise to get your money back — a typical mark of a dishonest provider.
Your next step
Have your case reviewed free of charge
Tell us what happened. We will tell you which legal steps are worth considering in your case — and which are not.
Free and without obligation. Costs only arise if you expressly instruct us afterwards — the fee under the RVG or a written fee agreement is discussed with you in advance. If you hold legal expenses insurance, we check the cover for you.
No guarantee of success — but a clear assessment. Your data is never passed on and is processed exclusively within the EU.
- 01You describe your case — online or by phone
- 02We get back to you promptly
- 03You receive an initial assessment — free and without obligation