BARBA & PARTNER RECHTSANWÄLTE – YOUR LAWYERS IN MUNICH
Barba & Partner Rechtsanwälte defends suspects and defendants in German criminal proceedings, from the investigation stage through court proceedings. The firm’s main areas of practice are criminal tax law and commercial criminal law, as well as criminal cases with international or cross-border elements.
Your point of contact is lawyer Salvatore Barba, Fachanwalt für Strafrecht, a Board certified specialist lawyer in German criminal law. The firm’s German office is located in Munich. In suitable cases, the defense can also be handled throughout Germany.
For a first contact, it is preferable to write by email or use the contact form, through which you can submit relevant documents for an initial review. After that, a telephone consultation can be arranged to clarify the next steps.
For many suspects, a criminal proceeding first becomes concrete through a summons, a search, a seizure, or another investigative measure. Especially at this early stage, you should avoid making rushed statements about the facts. Before any response to the allegations can be assessed responsibly, it is necessary to clarify what stage the proceeding has reached, which authority is conducting the investigation, and what information is already available.
The following points are particularly important:
On this basis, it is possible to assess which next steps are appropriate at the relevant stage of the proceeding and whether and when a statement on the facts should be considered.
Proceedings in commercial criminal law often involve business decisions, internal processes, and extensive business records. The investigations may concern, for example, fraud, criminal breach of trust, insolvency-related offenses, subsidy-related allegations, money laundering, or other business-related criminal offenses.
Proceedings against entrepreneurs, managing directors, and other responsible individuals require particular attention. Often, the matter is not limited to personal criminal liability. The proceeding may also affect companies, assets, or business relationships.
Criminal tax proceedings may arise in connection with tax audits, investigations by the Steuerfahndung, the German tax investigation unit, anonymous reports, searches, or tax-related matters that are also assessed from a criminal law perspective.
In criminal tax proceedings, the tax situation and the criminal procedural situation must be considered together. This includes, in particular, the available tax documents, any prior communication with the tax authorities, and the current status of the investigation. Depending on the case, coordination with the client’s tax advisor may be useful.
In criminal proceedings with an international element, several legal systems, authorities, and parties may be involved. Practical experience with cross-border matters is therefore particularly important. Barba & Partner has experience in international criminal proceedings. Lawyer Salvatore Barba has also assisted in defense matters in Italy and Austria together with local lawyers and, in Germany, regularly represents suspects and defendants involved in proceedings with international elements. Where other countries are involved, it may also be advisable to involve local lawyers or advisors.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office — known internationally as EPPO and in German as EuStA — conducts investigations into certain criminal offenses affecting the financial interests of the European Union.
Such proceedings can be complex, especially in cross-border commercial or tax-related matters. Investigative measures, companies, accounts, documents, and involved persons in several countries may all play a role.
Outside the main areas involving commercial, tax-related, and international matters, Barba & Partner also handles defense in general criminal cases, for example in allegations involving bodily injury, property offenses, or asset-related offenses.
Which defense steps are appropriate depends on the specific allegation, the status of the proceeding, and the possible personal or professional consequences.
Ordnungswidrigkeiten, under German law, are administrative offenses and not criminal offenses. They may, however, involve fines or driving bans. Whether a review by a lawyer is advisable depends on the specific allegation and the possible consequences.
As a first step, we collect the essential information about the proceeding. Particularly helpful are documents already received, summonses, search orders, lists of seized items or documents, case numbers, and information about pending deadlines.
We then clarify which authority is conducting the investigation, what stage the proceeding has reached, and which measures have already been carried out. Depending on the procedural situation, we then request access to the case file.
Only on the basis of the known facts, the available documents, and usually also the contents of the case file can it be assessed which defense steps are appropriate. This also includes the question of whether and when a statement on the facts should be considered.
The further course of the defense depends on the specific proceeding. This may include communication with investigating authorities and courts, review of further investigative measures, and defense in court proceedings.
Lawyer Salvatore Barba is your point of contact at Barba & Partner Rechtsanwälte if you are a suspect or defendant in a criminal proceeding and are looking for a criminal defense lawyer for an effective defense.
Some proceedings handled by the firm have also been covered in the media. Our overview page features selected reports on those cases. For reasons of client protection and due to editorial practice, our involvement is not always expressly mentioned.
We advise clients from Germany, Italy, and other countries. Please choose the contact option that suits you best.
Our legal work focuses primarily on Germany and Italy. We offer meetings in person at our offices or by video call.
Online communication makes direct contact simple, wherever you are. This means we can also assist you if you are located away from our offices.
