Criminal appeals in Germany: Berufung and Revision.
A judgment is not the end. We assess whether it can be challenged, file the appeal in time and represent you up to the Federal Court of Justice, also where other lawyers acted at first instance.
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One week.
Every day counts.
One week to decide.
An appeal must be filed within one week of the judgment being pronounced (sections 314 and 341 of the German Code of Criminal Procedure, StPO). The deadline is not extended. If in doubt, file to preserve the deadline; the appeal can still be withdrawn later.
Berufung and Revision.
A Berufung is available against judgments of the local court (Amtsgericht) and leads to a full retrial with new evidence. A Revision is an appeal on points of law only: it reviews whether the law was applied correctly and whether the trial was conducted properly. The grounds must be filed within one month (section 345 StPO), and procedural complaints must be pleaded in full detail.
Federal Court of Justice and higher regional courts.
Appeals on points of law against first-instance judgments of the regional courts go to the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof); others go to a higher regional court. We represent clients before both, including at oral hearings, and regularly take over cases in which other lawyers acted at trial.
One partner. From the first call to the conclusion.
From the outset you speak with the partner who actually runs your case, not with an apparatus.
Criminal appeals, briefly explained.
What is the deadline for appealing a criminal judgment in Germany?
One week from pronouncement of the judgment, or from service if the defendant was absent. The written grounds of a Revision are due one month later, as a rule after service of the written judgment.
Can you take over an appeal if another lawyer defended me at trial?
Yes, this is common. A fresh look at the file, the trial record and the judgment is often an advantage. Contact us early, ideally within the one-week period.
Do you appear before the Federal Court of Justice?
Yes. We represent appeals on points of law before the Federal Court of Justice and the higher regional courts.
General information on German law, not legal advice for an individual case. The German version of this page: Deutsch.
Appeal deadline running?
The deadline is one week. Call early so that we can act in time.
Call in confidence · +49 69 24746870