Association Law
Among non-profit organisations, the approximately 680,000 registered associations in Germany assume a prominent position.
Based on more than 30 years of advisory experience with more than a hundred different associations - from private initiatives to professional associations to large membership associations - we understand that no two associations are the same.
That is why we can offer our clients an association law hotline where we can resolve most enquiries by telephone within 24 hours on weekdays.
Your association deserves individual and competent advice.
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It is hard to imagine an area of our lives for which there is not already an association. There are initiatives and environmental groups, cultural, art and sports associations. People join together to jointly overcome professional or life problems or unite to promote their faith or to work on socially relevant issues and challenges. The association is the suitable legal form for all these different purposes because of its extremely flexible legal structure. And this is the case regardless of whether only 7 members are committed to achieving the association's goal or more than 23 million members, as is the case with the German Olympic Sports Confederation and its approximately 90,000 member associations. More
Special attention must be paid to the establishment of an association. Even if it is simple in principle, mistakes can and are regularly made or the wrong course is set, which later have to be corrected in a costly and time-consuming manner. Therefore, a competent initial consultation in this area is not a luxury, but a sensible must. Call us to arrange an appointment or write to us here.
Well over 90% of all associations seek tax relief and the possibility ofboth accepting donations and being able to issue their donors with an effective donation receipt. We tell you which requirements you have to fulfil in order to obtain and permanently retain the important status of tax relief.
The statutes are the constitution of every association. The purpose of a good statute is to support the association in its work in the best possible way. As long as an association is alive and changing, the statutes must grow with it. Otherwise conflicts are inevitable.
The general meeting is the highest body in the association. It is here that the will of the members is formed and it is here that the fundamental decisions are made and the other organs, in particular the board, are appointed through elections. Faulty general meetings regularly lead to ineffective resolutions and elections and thus have far-reaching consequences. We are happy to advise you in this area, both preventively and afterwards, should disagreements or even legal action arise.
An association is a living organisation designed to last. According to its development, but also because of the constantly changing factual and legal circumstances, it is sometimes necessary to optimise the structure of the association. We offer you the right considerations and tools for this. Therefore, please feel free to contact us if you notice that the structure of the association no longer fits the actual requirements.
Disputes, whether with the association register, with members of one's own association or with third parties, are unfortunately time-consuming and costly in association life. We are therefore firmly convinced that even in the case of unavoidable conflicts, all alternatives to a legal dispute should first be examined. Often enough, better solutions than a dispute in court have been found and we have been able to help mediately.
In any case, however, we advise you on the examination and defence of unjustified claims as well as on the examination of the prospects of success of your own claims.
There is hardly any other issue of greater importance for a board than that of personal liability. Fortunately, the areas in which liability-relevant dangers exist can be narrowed down. By taking appropriate measures, the risk of personal liability of the executive board can be minimised.
If a German association wants to realise its good causes abroad, the tax authorities often set high hurdles. However, in order for an association to be able to pursue its right to do good worldwide as effectively as possible, it is important to know the requirements of the tax authorities and to find the best solution in each individual case.
It is our concern to advise you in this regard so that your great commitment does not ultimately have a detrimental effect on the association's charitable status.
For an association that has been recognised as a non-profit organisation for tax purposes, the loss of this recognition regularly poses an existential threat. For this reason, actions that can be classified as detrimental to the non-profit status must be recognised as early as possible so that this can be prevented.
In a few cases, however, the question of an orderly exit from the non-profit status can also become significant.
We will be happy to advise and support you in all these questions.
There are many reasons why an association should be legally terminated and various ways to implement this. We also accompany you in this phase of the association and show you the most effective ways.
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