Nonprofit Associations
Legal Consulting and In-Court Representation
Charitable and nonprofit associations play a key role in Germany's nonprofit sector. If a club, association or society aspires to attain the formal status of a charity, certain special rules of German nonprofit law need to be fulfilled. Also, there are certain liability risks for honorary officials that need to be taken care of, be it with respect to tax law or other legal areas.
The larger an association becomes, the more honorary positions are replaced by paid work forces, which gradually change the structure of a nonprofit association into an economically driven enterprise. Such enterprises, as for example professional sports clubs, have to follow different rules. Their constitution needs to be structured differently in order for the club to thrive economically and to minimize liability risks from tax law or elsewhere.
In certain cases it may be advisable to formally change the status of an entity from that of a nonprofit association to a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or a corporation, or to outsource certain economic activities of the nonprofit association to more economically driven entities.
International Cooperating Partners
Nonprofit associations and charitable associations which work on an international basis beyond the borderlines of Germany or Europe have to fulfill additional legal rules and requirements. We closely cooperate with legal partners abroad and are therefore able to help you with both our own expertise and our legal team abroad to accomplish your nonprofit goals on a national and international level.
Your Contact Persons
Your contact persons for all issues related to nonprofit organizations are Atty. Stefan Winheller and Atty. Thorsten Franke-Roericht. Please contact us by e-mail (info@winheller.com) or by phone (+49 69 76 75 77 80).