BIRNE7 e.V.
The legal advice from the UPJ network provided us with excellent support on data protection and the terms of use for the ‘Fingerfunke’ app.
SALZWASSER e.V.
With the help of UPJ’s services, we were able to clarify three legal issues at once. The pro bono advice was well-founded and comprehensive.
krisenchat gGmbH
UPJ helped us to have our on-call staffing structures evaluated under labour law and to implement them successfully.
Integration durch Sport und Bildung e.V.
The legal advice was consistently needs-orientated, competent, reliable and resulted in a successful outcome.
Hallo Einstein e.V.
With the help of the UPJ Pro Bono Rechtsberatung programme, we were able to put our new association on a legally secure footing.
Open Ocean e.V.
For a non-profit association in particular, organisations like UPJ e.V. are essential when it comes to benefiting from relevant expertise.
Hudara gGmbH
It’s great that this legal support for non-profit initiatives exists!
Kontaktstelle Wohnen
With the help of the UPJ network, we found a wonderful lawyer who was able to provide us with expert advice.
Information for non-profit organisations
UPJ Pro Bono Rechtsberatung offers services to non-profit organisations that have their registered office in Germany or aim to register in Germany and cannot afford legal advice. We cannot process enquiries from private individuals or urgent matters.
How it works
Pro bono support also requires your co-operation. That’s why it is important that you provide us with a contact person with sufficient time resources to deal with any queries and implement the results of the legal advice. Your board or management team should consent to seeking pro bono legal advice. The desired result should be used directly by you. UPJ asks social enterprises to provide proof of a binding commitment not to withdraw any surpluses privately and to use them to promote their non-profit activities. UPJ will check these points and will prepare your pro bono enquiry in order to identify suitable law firms. This process will take approx. 6 weeks.
Possible legal issues
UPJ coordinates pro bono legal advice in the following areas of law (among others):
- Selecting a legal form
- Changing the legal form
- Economic activities and non-profit status
- Rights and obligations as employer
- Contracts for permanent, freelance or voluntary staff
- Employment law topics with international scope
- Legal position of the management
- Liability towards the organisation, the shareholders and third parties
- Important insurance policies, social insurance obligations
- Obligations arising from grant approvals
- Risk of repayment claims
- Public procurement procedures: German Tendering and Contract Regulations for Supplies and Services (VOL), German Construction Tendering and Contract Regulations (VOB) and German Regulations for the Awarding of Contracts for Freelance Services (VOF)
- Legal framework for all types of contract
- Secure structuring of multilateral legal transactions
- e.g. purchase contracts, rental contracts / lending contracts, etc.
- Gathering and managing personal data
- Professional data security and processing
- Duties to disclose information, data protection officers
- Protecting an organisation’s name, its logo or own brands / trademarks
- Registration of brands, trademarks and distinguishing marks
- Risks of legal prosecution under trademark law
- Protecting rights to one’s own image and copyright holders’ rights
- Posting / linking external content on social media
- Dealing with licences and patents
- Restructuring measures / spin-offs
- Franchise contracts
- Legal framework conditions, merger agreements
- We also try to identify law firms to deal with general matters of importance for the target audience of non-profit organisations (e.g. human rights, discrimination, etc.). We cannot process enquiries from private individuals or urgent matters.
In return for identifying a suitable law firm, we will charge a fee which underscores the NPO’s sincerity in requesting pro bono support. The fee will fall due when you have been successfully matched with a law firm. For more information please see the FAQs .
You wish to submit a request for pro bono support?
1
Get in touch with us using the form below.
2
UPJ will assess your information, clarify your exact requirements and forward your prepared question to the law firm network.
3
Once you have been informed by UPJ that a suitable law firm has been identified, you can decide which law firm you would like to work with.
4
UPJ will establish the contact.
5
After successful placement of the pro bono matter with a law firm, a small sincerity fee will be payable to UPJ.
6
Once the pro bono matter has been completed, UPJ will ask for your feedback.
Please note: Our request form is not optimally displayed in Mozilla Firefox. Please use a different web browser. In case of problems, please contact us at
Useful information
Here you can find useful materials and interesting information on pro bono legal advice:
