Legal insurance in Germany

The main eligibility factors are that you live in Germany and are at least 18 years old. However, if you have had your legal insurance canceled by your previous insurance provider, or you have had more than 3 claims in the past 5 years, you are not eligible to sign up.

Yes, if you still have active legal insurance with another provider, Feather offers gap coverage to protect you during the transition. Just make sure your policies overlap, and you can stay covered without starting from scratch.

Waiting periods are in place to prevent the misuse of legal insurance policies. Consider this scenario: an individual anticipates a forthcoming legal matter and signs up for legal insurance with the expectation that it will cover their attorney fees. However, this would immediately impose significant costs on the insurance provider. Hence, waiting periods are implemented, ensuring that the policy extends coverage only to unforeseen legal issues arising in the future after these waiting periods have elapsed. The specific waiting period depends on the area of law. Learn more here.

Legal insurance comes with a one-year minimum contract period. If you'd like your policy to end after that first year, you'll need to cancel at least 3 months before the year is up.

After the one-year period, you are able to cancel whenever you'd like - just a [one month notice is required](https://faq.feather-insurance.com/en/articles/71729-legal-cancellation-policy-what-you-need-to-know). To cancel your policy, simply log in to your Feather account, go to your legal policy, and click the Cancel button.

You are able to go to any lawyer in Germany - there is no preferred network that you must follow. During the claim process you can either ask for a recommendation if needed or find your own. The only requirement is that the lawyer must bill for services following the Lawyer Compensation Act (RVG) pricing framework, which lawyers should be able to provide.

Legal insurance can help with a huge amount of different situations that may arise in your personal or professional life. Whether it’s a problem with your employer, issues with your housing situation, or a dispute over a contract with another party, having legal insurance can cover expensive legal costs.

Read more about some of the most common uses for legal insurance in Germany.

You can add your family during the sign-up process as long as you both are registered and live at the same address in Germany. Adding your partner will cost around €10 - much more cost effective than having separate policies.

Children under 18 and any unmarried adult children still in school are also included automatically under your policy.

Included with the costs of your legal insurance policy is the ability to request a phone call with an English-speaking lawyer. These phone consultations are intended to help you when you need quick legal advice about a matter or dispute in your life,. While these phone consultations cannot replace hiring a lawyer for more comprehensive support, they can help determine if hiring a lawyer is necessary or if you have other options.

The phone consultation service is completely separate from the claims process and does not impact your coverage, deductibles, or claims history. There is also no waiting period to be able to use it - you can request a phone consultation as soon as you have an active policy.

The primary use for legal insurance is to cover the costs charged by your lawyer. Additionally, it can also cover court fees and pay to hire expert witnesses.

Submitting a legal insurance claim can be done as soon as a situation arises where you think hiring legal services may be necessary. The claim can then be checked before you ever speak to a lawyer, so you know whether your policy will help cover the legal costs or not upfront.

Claims can also be submitted after speaking to a lawyer, which is helpful when you have an urgent matter and must see a lawyer immediately.

If the claim is approved in either instance, billing can be done directly between your lawyer and the insurance provider. Your lawyer can often even submit additional documents or other information for approval on your behalf to the claims department.