A criminal judgment is a shock, but rarely the final result. Judges make mistakes. Witnesses lie. Evidence is misevaluated. The German appellate system gives us the chance to correct these errors.
Important: The deadline to file legal remedies is strictly one week from the verbal pronouncement of the judgment in court. If you miss this deadline, the judgment becomes final (res judicata) and the sentence must be served.
Berufung (Appeal on Fact and Law): The Second Chance
Against judgments of the Local Court (Amtsgericht - e.g., in Mannheim, Heidelberg, Weinheim), a full appeal named Berufung is possible. The special feature: The trial is completely retried from scratch.
- New taking of evidence: Witnesses are heard again.
- New facts: We can introduce new evidence that was overlooked or forgotten in the first instance.
- Change of strategy: We can completely adapt the defense strategy if necessary.
Revision (Appeal on Law): Finding Legal Errors
Against judgments of the Regional Court (Landgericht), the only available remedy is the Revision. In this procedure, no witnesses are heard. The appellate court (Higher Regional Court in Karlsruhe or the Federal Court of Justice/BGH) examines the written judgment solely for legal errors.
The Revision is the "mathematics of law". We look for:
- Procedural impediments: Were all motions properly ruled upon? Were all mandatory persons present at all times?
- Substantive legal errors: Did the judge misinterpret the law? Is the reasoning of the evidence logically contradictory?
Our Expertise before Higher Courts
Revision requires meticulous desk work. We defend your interests before the Landgericht Mannheim, the Oberlandesgericht Karlsruhe (Higher Regional Court), and the Bundesgerichtshof (BGH). However, we also take on cases at other courts nationwide.
Information accurate as of: February 2026
Judgment received?
The clock is ticking (1 week). Send us the judgment immediately.
File Appeal Immediately