Hagemann de GrzymalaCriminal Defence
Private clients
General criminal lawSummons, penalty order, indictmentHomicide casesTrials before the homicide chamberDrug offencesNarcotics Act and Cannabis ActCybercrimeOffences on the internet
Karolin Hagemann de Grzymala, LL.M., certified specialist lawyer for criminal law (Fachanwältin für Strafrecht). Defence for private individuals, executives and companies, from the first contact with the police to the verdict.
Karolin Hagemann de Grzymala, LL.M.Certified specialist lawyer for criminal law
Your defence begins before you say a word.
With many years of experience, the firm fights for large corporations and medium-sized businesses just as it does for the self-employed and private individuals: early in the proceedings, meticulous with the file and entirely on your side.
If the police search your home
Ask to see the search warrant. Say nothing about the allegation and hand nothing over voluntarily. Object to any seizure and have your objection recorded.
Your next stepCall us while the officers are still in the house.
Your rights during a house searchIf you are arrested
You only have to give your personal details. On everything else you may remain silent, and you may speak to a defence lawyer first. This right is set out in § 136 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (StPO).
Your next stepInsist on calling us.
Arrest and pre-trial detentionIf a letter from the police arrives
As a suspect, you do not have to attend police questioning. Make no statement until we have read the investigation file.
Your next stepWe cancel the appointment for you.
What applies to a police summons
These tips are general. What is right in your case is something we clarify in a personal conversation.
Choose your situation. You will see straight away what matters now and where to find out more. If it is urgent: +49 163 8461632.
Your situation: house search
Call while the officers are still in the house.
Your situation: arrest
A judge decides by the day after the arrest at the latest (§ 128 StPO).
Your situation: police summons
You only have to attend if the public prosecutor (Staatsanwaltschaft) or the court summons you.
Your situation: penalty order
You have two weeks from service (§ 410 StPO). Calculate your deadline
Your situation: indictment
A lot can still change before the trial is opened.
Your situation: relatives
The person in custody signs the power of attorney themselves at a later stage.
To save on your phone
What you have to say and what you can keep to yourself when facing a house search, an arrest, a police summons or a penalty order. Save the card so that it is there when it matters.
Criminal proceedings in Germany run in four stages. Each has its own deadlines, rights and opportunities. If you know them, you can defend yourself earlier and better.
During the investigation (Ermittlungsverfahren), the police and the public prosecutor gather evidence, often before you even know about it. This is where the most important decision is made: whether charges are brought.
If the public prosecutor brings charges, the court examines whether to open the trial. Instead of an indictment, you may receive a penalty order: a conviction without a hearing.
At the trial (Hauptverhandlung), preparation is what counts: witnesses, expert reports, applications to take evidence and a clear line agreed with you in advance.
A judgment is not the last word. We assess quickly and soberly whether an appeal has a prospect of success.
Defence for individuals and companies, from penalty orders to extradition proceedings.
Typical situations that bring people to the firm. They are examples, not real cases and not reviews.
“There was a police summons in my letterbox. I don’t even know what it is about.”
How we helpWe cancel the appointment, request access to the file and find out what you are accused of.
More on police summonses“At six in the morning the police were at the door, and they took my laptop.”
How we helpWe examine the warrant, apply for the return of your property if the seizure is not justified, and talk to the investigators.
More on house searches“I am a managing director, and the public prosecutor is investigating me for breach of trust.”
How we helpWe defend you personally and make sure that the proceedings do not place an unnecessary burden on your company.
More on white-collar crime“My brother was arrested at the border. Another country is demanding his extradition.”
How we helpWe check at once what speaks against extradition and represent him before the Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht).
More on extradition“I have received a penalty order. Should I just pay?”
How we helpWithin the two-week deadline, we check whether an objection makes sense, and lodge it.
More on penalty orders“During a check at the border, cannabis was found in my car.”
How we helpWe clarify what the Consumer Cannabis Act allows and what it does not, and defend you against the allegation.
More on drug offencesIs your situation different? Tell us about it.
Request a first consultation
The firm’s office in Aachen is close to where Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet. Police and prosecutors here work closely across the border, for example with the European Arrest Warrant and the European Investigation Order.
Representation in extradition proceedings is therefore one of the firm’s most frequent tasks. If clients cannot travel to Germany, we advise them confidentially by video conference. If you live outside Germany, our guide Arrested in Germany explains your rights.
More on international criminal lawFor companies, more is at stake than one set of proceedings: liability, reputation and day-to-day operations. We support management before, during and after an allegation.
How we support you, from the first ring at reception to the talks with the public prosecutor.
We identify the criminal law risks in your company and write rules and processes that your staff can apply in their daily work.
If there is a suspicion within your company, we investigate it internally. Data protection, employment law and the rights of the works council are respected.
If it comes to an indictment or to administrative fine proceedings, we represent the company or the individual managers concerned and work to limit the damage.
An offence committed within a company can also hit the company itself: with a fine of up to ten million euros under § 30 OWiG (Administrative Offences Act) and the confiscation of any benefits obtained. Good compliance reduces this risk.
Certified specialist lawyer for criminal law and founder of the firm
“Being a lawyer is my profession. Being a certified specialist in criminal law is my passion.”
Her interest in international criminal law also has family roots. She deepens her knowledge through regular further training and draws on her former work on the board of the Strafverteidigervereinigung NRW, an association of criminal defence lawyers in North Rhine-Westphalia. In every case she takes one side only: her client’s.
Speak to me directly.Confidential from the first call, by video if you prefer.
Arrange an appointment
For every case, the team works out its own strategy. Your contact remains Karolin Hagemann de Grzymala, LL.M., in person.
Reproduced unchanged from public reviews. On confidentiality: the firm does not confirm or comment on any client matter.
Short answers to what clients most often want to know in the first conversation.
Not as a suspect. You only have to attend if the public prosecutor or the court summons you. Make no statement until your defence lawyer knows the investigation file. More on this: Police summons as a suspect.
As a witness, you must appear before the police if the summons is based on an order from the public prosecutor (§ 163 Abs. 3 StPO).
Yes. If a court-appointed defence lawyer (Pflichtverteidiger) is appointed, for example in pre-trial detention or when charges are brought before the Regional Court (Landgericht), the court gives you the opportunity to name a defence lawyer you trust (§ 142 Abs. 5 StPO). You can name Karolin Hagemann de Grzymala, LL.M. How this works is explained on the page Court-appointed counsel.
Not before your defence lawyer has read the file. Once you have said something, you cannot take it back. Your silence may not be held against you.
Fees are charged under the Lawyers’ Remuneration Act (RVG) or under a fee agreement, for example a flat fee. We discuss the costs openly in advance and confirm them in writing.
Legal expenses insurance covers criminal defence only in certain cases, and usually not where intent is alleged. Details: Costs of a criminal defence.
As a rule, no. Exceptions apply, for example, to civil servants and to professions under state supervision, where the judicial authorities have to inform certain bodies. We tell you early on whether this applies to you.
After the arrest, you are brought before the Local Court (Amtsgericht). The Higher Regional Court then decides on extradition. Because there is no appeal against this decision, your defence has to be in place from the start. More on the European Arrest Warrant.
One reliable indicator is the title Fachanwalt für Strafrecht (certified specialist lawyer for criminal law). It requires proven knowledge and practical experience in criminal law, and it comes with a duty to undertake further training every year (§ 43c BRAO, § 15 FAO). Karolin Hagemann de Grzymala, LL.M., holds the title Fachanwältin für Strafrecht.
In Aachen, short distances to the Justice Centre and the prison also count, as do experience with cases connected to Belgium and the Netherlands and an open discussion of costs before work begins. No serious lawyer can promise a particular outcome.
The office is at Oppenhoffallee 138–140, 52066 Aachen, in the Frankenberger Viertel. It is about seven minutes on foot from Aachen-Rothe Erde station and a little over ten minutes from the Justice Centre on Adalbertsteinweg.
Appointments are by arrangement, and also by video conference if you prefer.
Usually, yes. The Public Prosecutor’s Office Aachen is responsible for the district of the Regional Court Aachen, which also includes the Local Courts in Düren, Jülich, Heinsberg and Geilenkirchen.
Erkelenz, Hückelhoven and Wegberg are an exception: there, the Local Court Erkelenz and the Regional Court Mönchengladbach are responsible. It also matters where the offence is alleged to have been committed (§ 7 StPO).
No. You can be advised confidentially by video conference, even if you cannot or do not want to enter Germany. Whether and when you need to be present in Aachen, for example for a trial, we clarify on the basis of the file.
The office is on Oppenhoffallee in the Frankenberg quarter, a few minutes from the Aachen courts. The defence takes place wherever your case is heard: before the Local Courts in the district, the Regional Court Aachen and, where necessary, beyond. Advice is also available by video conference.
Aachen
Defence in investigations by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (Staatsanwaltschaft) Aachen, before the Local Court (Amtsgericht) and the Regional Court (Landgericht) Aachen, and in detention cases. The Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht) Cologne decides on continued detention after six months and on extraditions.
Also for clients fromthe Aachen city region (Städteregion), the districts of Düren and Heinsberg, and Euskirchen
Request a first consultationBorder region
Defence in cases with links to Belgium and the Netherlands: after an arrest at the border, an allegation of importing drugs or a European Arrest Warrant. Advice by video if you prefer, even if you cannot travel to Germany.
Also for clients fromBelgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg
International criminal lawA first conversation clarifies where you stand and what needs to happen next. From the first call, everything you tell us is protected by the lawyer’s duty of confidentiality. The language of the consultation is agreed at first contact. If needed, a sworn interpreter can be involved.
