On the following pages we have summarised typical animal law topics for you.
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Our Topics
Find out more about the following animal law regulations:
General Animal Law
Animal owners are subject to a special legal responsibility.
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Animal Purchase
If you buy or sell an animal, the general purchase law comes into force.
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Vet Animal Law
What is important for veterinarians and pet owners?
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Let us advise you! Your specialist attorney will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
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Our Services
Our services range:
Compensation for damages
We accompany you in the assertion and defence of compensation for damages claims.
Expert reports
We help you to find experts and to review expert opinions.
Warranty
We offer legal advice in the event of warranty claims for purchase and auction.
Accidents
We support you in asserting claims for damages in the event of accidents or in defending yourself in the event of unwanted damages.
Private Purchase Agreement
We accompany animal lovers in the preparation of purchase contracts and advise you in the event of sale.
Commercial Purchase Contracts
We help you designing your contract.
Breeders Contracts
We offer breeders assistance in drawing up breeding contracts as well as advice in accordance with the German Animal Breeding Act.
Labour Law
In addition to animal law support, we assist our clients in labour law and in all contractual matters.
Succession and inheritance law
We would also be pleased to represent you in all matters of court succession or inheritance law.
License to practise medicine and establishment
As a veterinarian, we will be happy to help you with your license to practise medicine, your establishment and general professional law.
Veterinarians Praxis
We help veterinarians with cooperation agreements or with practice disputes, practice take-over as well as practice tax.
Veterinary Liability
We assist veterinarians in liability matters, in particular with purchase investigations as well as with treatment errors and faulty purchase investigations.
Contractual Duties
We help veterinarians with contractual obligations towards pet owners.
Account Settlements
We are there for our clients in all matters relating to invoicing or debt collection.
Bankruptcy
We help veterinarians, farm owners, breeders or animal boarding houses as well as riding stables or auctioneers in the event of insolvency.
An expert should be consulted for the assessment of contractual obligations. Attorney Julia Ziegeler
Law firm – Horak Attorneys Partnership mbB
The head office of Horak Attorneys at Law/Lawyers/Patent Attorneys is located in Hannover, the capital of Lower Saxony. Here we have our central facilities which can also be accessed from our other locations, such as servers, a digital library, communication tools and so much more!
In addition, we also have further branches of our law firm in the most important german cities.
Our Head Quarter & our other offices:
You can find Horak Attorneys at Law in Berlin, Bielefeld, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/ Main, Hamburg, Hanover, Leipzig, Munich, Stuttgart at the following addresses:
Our Clients
Who are our clients? For you, a selection:
Profile
“Your Goal is our Goal.”
We are service providers. Professional competence, expertise, continuous specialization and experience represent our strength. Our attorneys are qualified in very specific fields of law and are here to support you from the first consultation up to an eventual enforcement of your claims. Early legal advice enables you to carry out legally secured activities. In the event of a dispute, we also offer alternative legal advice in specific individual cases, generally through mediation and open communication with our colleagues and clients..
We complement each other and we only have one goal: your success. Do you have plans or ideas and want a reliable partner to implement them? Talk to us about your problems and uncertainties and we will offer you your personal contact partner. One of our attorneys and the respective secretary will take care of you and your legal matter. Your attorney is there for you and will support and advice you all the way to your success. Your goal is our goal.
Our Offerts
Attorneys / Lawyers / Patent Attorneys
Our attorneys are specialized and competent.
Michael Horak, LL.M.
Attorney-at-law · Graduate Engineer
Certified Intellectual Property Law Specialist
Certified Media and Copyright Law Specialist
…more
Julia Ziegeler
Attorney-at-law
Certified Intellectual Property Law Specialist
Certified Media and Copyright Law Specialist
…more
Anna Umberg, LL.M., M.A.
Attorney-at-law
Certified Intellectual Property Law Specialist
…more
Andree Eckhard
Patent Attorney
European Trademark Attorney and Design Attorney
…more
Katharina Gitmann-Kopilevich
Attorney-at-law
Certified Intellectual Property Law Specialist
…more
Karoline Behrend
Attorney-at-law
…more
Johanna K. Müller-Kühne, PhD
Patent Attorney | European Patent Attorney
European Trademark Attorney and Design Attorney
…more
Andreas Friedlein
Attorney-at-law
…more
Stefan Karfusehr
Attorney-at-law
...more
Jonas A. Herbst
Attorney-at-law
…more
Diana Eberle
Attorney-at-law
…more
Legal Areas of Animal Law
Animal law cases also concerns the following legal areas:
General Civil Law
e.g. animal liability law as tort law
Penal Law
e.g. animal liability law due to bodily injury
Administrative Law
e.g. character testing of so-called fighting dogs
Newsletter
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0In 2025, several important developments have emerged in German animal law, reflecting growing concern for animal welfare and stronger legal protections. A major focus is the planned amendment to the Animal Welfare Act, although political shifts have delayed its progress. Planned Amendment to the Animal Welfare Act The German government has proposed a draft for […]
Animal law,
Animal Law Specialists,
Animal liability law,
Animal protection law,
Animal Welfare,
Animal Welfare Act,
Contributory negligence (§ 254 BGB),
Dog law,
Dog Welfare Ordinance,
Failure to warn about risk,
German Animal Law,
German law,
Incorrect medical treatment,
Legal Status,
Liability for surgical errors,
Liability law,
Liability of Veterinarians,
non-working animals,
Veterinary Law I. German Animal Law (Tierrecht in Deutschland) 1. Legal Status of Animals in Germany In Germany, animals are legally distinct from objects but are still not considered legal persons. According to § 90a BGB, animals have a special legal status: “Animals are not things. They are protected by special laws. Unless otherwise specified, the regulations […]
AI,
Animal law,
Animal liability law,
Animal protection law,
Animal Rights Advocacy,
Animal Sentience,
Animal Testing,
Animal Welfare Act,
Blockchain,
Caged Farming,
Chick Culling,
Companion Animals,
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES),
Cosmetic Animal Testing,
Drones,
German Civil Code,
German law,
Global Pact on Animal Welfare,
Liability law,
Live Animal Exports,
Microchipping,
Standards for Farm Animals,
Wild Animals,
World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Animal law has experienced significant updates at national, regional, and international levels, reflecting growing societal awareness of animal welfare, environmental protection, and ethical considerations. Below is a detailed overview of the latest developments. 1. Germany a. Animal Welfare Act (Tierschutzgesetz) Amendments Key Changes: Ban on Chick Culling: As of 2024, the culling of male chicks […]
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