The lawsuit check: ready, competent, not time-barred

Before you file, the lawsuit check in the cockpit helps you avoid the most common mistakes. It calculates deterministically — meaning reliably, without AI guessing.

1. Readiness

A progress bar shows how complete your lawsuit is: Have the plaintiff and defendant (with address) been recorded? Are the court and the amount in dispute determined? Is there evidence? Is the brief finalized and have the citations been checked? You can see open points at a glance.

2. Competent court

The subject-matter jurisdiction of the court is derived from the amount in dispute:

• up to €10,000 → Amtsgericht (Local Court) (§ 23 Nr. 1 GVG) – here you are allowed to represent yourself. This limit has been in effect since January 1, 2026; for proceedings that were pending before this date, the limit remains at €5,000 (§ 44 EGGVG).
• over €10,000 → Landgericht (Regional Court) (§ 71 GVG) – there is a mandatory legal representation (Anwaltszwang) here (§ 78 ZPO). The Litigation guide warns you and leads you to the lawyer referral.
• Disputes arising from a residential tenancy agreement are heard at the Amtsgericht regardless of the value (§ 23 Nr. 2a GVG).
• Some subject areas also belong to a particular court regardless of the amount in dispute: disputes arising from medical treatment, from publications in the press, broadcasting or online, and official liability claims go to the Landgericht (lawyer required) (§ 71 Abs. 2 GVG); disputes under the Condominium Act (WEG) and certain neighbor-law disputes go to the Amtsgericht (§ 23 Nr. 2 GVG). Select the subject area in the claim check if one applies.

Territorial jurisdiction usually lies with the court at the defendant's place of residence (§§ 12, 13 ZPO); for contracts, it is often also the place of performance (§ 29 ZPO).

3. Statute of limitations

Most claims become time-barred after three years – calculated from the end of the year in which the claim arose (§§ 195, 199 BGB). Enter the year of origin, and the check will show the end of the limitation period and warn you if time is running out. If the claim is time-barred, the lawsuit may fail – a common and expensive mistake. However, there are exceptions (suspension by lawsuit, special periods); in case of doubt, have it checked by a lawyer.

The lawsuit check is for orientation purposes, not legal advice – see Is this legal advice? The legal framework.

Related topics: Filing a lawsuit yourself with AI support – the Litigation guide · Drafting, reviewing, and finalizing a pleading · What does a lawsuit cost? Understanding the cost risk · When to Choose a Lawyer Over AI?