Inheritance and gifts

Actively shaping the future

Year after year, sums running into the hundreds of billions of euros are inherited in Germany. This is often a highly contentious subject among those affected. Anyone who sets out their last will in a will in good time plans the future calmly and carefully.

There is plenty of scope for this. You can, for example, appoint people who are not relatives as heirs, change statutory shares of the estate, or order legacies or the execution of the will. Often the aim is not only for the right people to inherit, but also to make the best possible use of the latitude offered by inheritance tax. In any case, you should bear in mind that the statutory law of succession may in some circumstances have unwelcome consequences for a surviving spouse or partner. A will sets out the desired provision clearly and unambiguously.

We provide you with detailed information about the options and risks of testamentary dispositions. Once the succession has occurred, we are happy to assist with the execution of the will, for example to prevent a possible dispute in advance where the members of a community of heirs have differing interests.

Ordering the execution of a will makes sense for larger estates or where it is to be expected that the heirs will be overwhelmed by the administration of the estate because they are minors, inexperienced or for medical reasons.

Gifts and anticipated succession are closely related to inheritance. Here too, a personal conversation and competent advice from your notary are the best basis for the best solution.

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