Ms Sabrina Bauroth (LL.M., CertHE), legal counsel / barrister
As a qualified lawyer and German barrister, I am both a member of the German bar and the Law Society of Berlin. As such, I am authorized to provide legal advice and represent you in any German court, including district courts, regional courts, appeal courts, and the German Supreme Criminal Court. It is only the German Supreme Civil Court that is exempt from this permission, as there are only a handful of German lawyers allowed to represent clients there. The counsels solely acting at the Supreme Civil Court may, in turn, not appear in other German courts.
Training and Qualification
I was born in Berlin (former East Germany / GDR) and took my A-Levels there before going on to complete my law degree at the German University of Potsdam with a specialization in young offenders' law, criminology, and prison law. I completed my first state exam in law at the Law Examination Board of the federal states Berlin and Brandenburg.
In the course of my degree studies, I spent an academic year abroad at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland) and was awarded a Certificate of Higher Education in Law (CertHE) for the completion of ten courses on Scots law and international law. The CertHE equals the first year of study for a Scottish law degree. After finishing my German legal studies, I returned to Aberdeen to embark on postgraduate studies for a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Human Rights and Criminal Justice which I completed with distinction. My Masters thesis focused on a comparison of recidivism rates of young offenders after imprisonment in England and Wales, Scotland, and Germany.
After having been employed in Scotland as a German language assistant at Robert Gordon’s College and as an administrative assistant at the child protection department of Aberdeen City Council, among other things, I started my bar exam training at the Berlin Court of Appeal (Kammergericht). In the course of this, I worked for the Berlin Prosecution Service (Department for the Prosecution of Persistent Young Offenders), the Berlin Union of Tenants, the Berlin Ministry of Education, Science and Research, and for two law firms, among others.
While assisting a Berlin district court judge, I dealt with a variety of cases on private law and housing law. I further took part in the Young Lawyers' Programme of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) where I assessed international criminal law and human rights cases solely in English. In 2011, I passed my second state exam with a specialization in criminal defence at the Law Examination Board of the federal states Berlin and Brandenburg.
After starting my own law firm, I specialised in estate law and inheritance from the very beginning, with completing a specialist course on inheritance in the very first year of practising. This included twelve tutorials, including multiple choice tests and tackling various inheritance issues, as well as three five-hour in-class exams solely dealing with inheritance and estate planning. In 2017, I further qualified as a certified executor (zertifizierte Testamentsvollstreckerin) with the Germany Society for Executry and Estate Planning (AGT e.V.). In 2021, I qualified as a certified counsellor for company successions at the University of Mannheim. Above that, I am involved in annual training programmes to broaden my inheritance law skills and keep myself up to date for my clients. To that end, I am now also a member of the Berlin Working Group on Inheritance, which is a society of experts in the field meeting up regularly to discuss any practice matter relating to inheritance and estate planning.
My academic and professional stays in the UK plus a general passion for the English language since an early age have equipped me with near-native bilingual skills. I further have a very good command of Spanish and French which is a significant advance in cross-border inheritance cases or other instances of international law.
Memberships
As a substantial part of my continuous professional training, I am a member of the following associations and working groups:
German Federation of Lawyers (Deutscher Anwaltverein)
The German Federation of Lawyers is the largest union of lawyers in Germany. At the same time, it is supposed to defend the interests of all lawyers. Founded in 1871, the Federation is divided in a multitude of smaller societies throughout Germany and Europe. By continuous information, communication, and further education of its members, the Federation does not only protect the interests of lawyers, but of their clients as well.
Working groups of the German Federation of Lawyers in the Areas of inheritance law, real estate, and construction law
These working groups are affiliated with the German Federation of Lawyers and exclusively deal with the legal area they specialize in. By this, the members are presented with an optimized way of ongoing professional training concerned with the demands of different legal fields. This, in turn, is something that clients benefit from as in-depth training and skills are the keys to individual case success.
German Association (registered) for Inheritance Law and Asset Succession (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Erbrecht und Vermögensnachfolge e.V. - DVEV)
The German Association for Inheritance Law and Asset Succession was founded in 1995 and is the largest organisation of lawyers dealing with any aspect of these delicate areas. There are over 2,000 members from all across Europe. Through numerous seminars and the publishing of 'ZErb' (short for: Zeitschrift für Erbrecht, magazine on inheritance law), a renowned legal magazine on successions, the Association's members are well-informed on current developments in law and practice and can enable their clients the best advice possible.
German-Scottish Lawyers and Business Association
As a result of my strong ties with Scotland and its legal and economical system, I am a member of the German-Scottish Lawyers and Business Association. It offers a base for communication and information by connecting Scottish companies and lawyers with their German counterparts. Moreover, the Association is responsible for training as regards Scottish-German issues on law and economic activities.
Off the Record
Beyond law practice and court attendance, my son and workouts keep me active. If I do find time to chill (rarely enough), I have engaged in studying foreign languages ever since my teenage years. This has resulted in my love for and interest in Scotland and its culture and legal system (what else?). Thinking about the scenery of the Highlands keeps inspiring me to work off my artistic side by means of crayons, pastel, and graphite pencils. Last but not least, I am a sucker for sauna and motorcycles.