Representing yourself in court

Handing over your proceeding to a law firm

The handover letter now also includes the "Procedural stage": role, court, case reference number, briefs, and next appointment – so the law firm does not have to ask from scratch.

Updated 21 October 2026

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Sometimes self-representation is no longer enough: the amount in dispute increases, the court requires a lawyer, or you would prefer to hand the matter over. In that case, prepare the handover to a law firm in the Litigation guide – with a letter that contains everything important at a glance.

When is the right time?

In the proceeding, the card "When should you hand over to a lawyer?" shows what currently speaks in favor of it: a judgment (short deadlines apply for legal remedies), a deadline in the next seven days, a hearing date, a court letter classified as urgent, a high amount in dispute, or a mandatory requirement for legal representation. If there is no reason for it, it explicitly states that you can continue on your own. The card does not replace advice (Is this legal advice? The legal framework) – it helps you not to miss the right time.

How to start the handover

In the proceeding, you will find "Add a lawyer" under the next steps; in cases of mandatory legal representation, the button "Prepare handover" is in the red notice at the top – and on mobile, the "Lawyer" button is at the bottom. Behind this, the lawyer letter opens.
Select the quality level. The price is displayed before creation; it is only booked after your click.
You will receive the letter as a PDF, Word file, Markdown, or as an email draft – in the language of your case file.

What is in the letter

Facts of the case and an AI-supported preliminary assessment (for orientation, not as legal advice).
Risks, deadlines, concrete questions for the law firm, and your request (for example, to take over the defense or review a brief).
An attachment checklist – so you know what you should send along.
New: the "Procedural stage" section. It comes directly from your proceeding and is not formulated by the AI: your role (plaintiff, defendant...), the current stage, court and case reference number, the amount in dispute, the next court date (only if the date is literally in the summons), the parties involved, and your briefs created in the Litigation guide with their status.

Important to know

The briefs are marked as drafts created by you with AI support, not reviewed by a lawyer. This allows the law firm to classify them correctly.
The "Procedural stage" section only appears if a proceeding has been created for the case file. Older letters do not have it – create a new handover if necessary.
You can view already created handovers again at any time free of charge: open the handover again, where it says "View earlier handover".
The letter is not automatically sent to a law firm. You decide where it goes – for example, with an inquiry to a law firm.
Deadlines continue to run. Do not wait with the handover until shortly before the deadline expires; keep an eye on your deadline register.

Tip: clean up beforehand

The more complete your case file, the better the letter: upload court mail and evidence (Collecting and Properly Presenting Evidence), have the mail explained to you (Having court mail explained in plain English), and enter the court and case reference number.

This is general orientation, not legal advice (Is this legal advice? The legal framework).

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