What do I offer e-commerce providers?
As my entire business is digitally oriented and I myself am an intensive user of e-commerce, be it in the area of shopping or other services, I focused on the topic of e-commerce early on. I advise online merchants or operators of other platforms not only on the creation of legally compliant online presences, but also in the back-office area, such as supplier contracts. I also provide legal support for your own marketing, alone or with the help of agencies or other service providers.
Warning
In the German legal system, warnings are a tried and tested means of saving costs and settling disputes quickly. Of course, there are always black sheep, faulty warnings, excessive fee demands and contentious legal issues. If you have received a warning letter, the first thing to do is to remain calm, not to make any hasty statements and also not to contact the other party. With my years of experience, I can help you take the right steps, minimize risks, and get the matter done effectively. Due to my self-conception as a lawyer, I will also point out to you if my assignment would only cause unnecessary costs. So please do not hesitate to contact me as soon as possible.
Ebay seller
Sellers on the Ebay and Amazon platforms in particular are repeatedly the target of warning letters from law firms, which often demand high sums for minor negligence. This is not infrequently the case, as sellers on these platforms lack not only experience but also an overview of the extensive case law, legal situation and casuistry. Often I can help to fend off warnings or at least significantly reduce the amounts to be paid. Ideally, sellers, for example, hire me before they start their sales activities so that I can look out for typical warning points and check general terms and conditions or data protection declarations or provide valuable advice for successful entrepreneurial activity. However, the following points must be observed when issuing warnings:
- The warning should always be taken seriously. Send me the warning without obligation via my contact form and I will advise you on the next steps.
- Although you should not be pressured by short deadlines, you should still follow them. Short deadlines are generally permissible in competition law, and failure to comply can result in expensive injunctions.
- Under no circumstances should you sign the cease-and-desist declaration attached to the warning without checking it. Even in the case of a legitimate warning, numerous traps and problems may lurk in the declaration of injunction. I can advise you at low cost and design a modified declaration of injunction.
- Never contact the warning party in advance, either by telephone or by e-mail.
You should always seek legal advice because competition law and copyright law are complicated and extensive and it takes some experience to take the right steps.
Review of online stores
Operators of online stores, whether with Shopify, Woocommerce or other solutions, now have to comply with an almost unmanageable number of legal standards. This starts with questions about the content of the GTC, consumer information, instructions, about contracts in the area of dropshipping, with suppliers or wholesalers and ends with problems with payment processing. I have earned my spurs as a lawyer in all these areas, have often made my own experiences as an entrepreneur and can therefore not only advise comprehensively on questions of setting up a company, but also represent it in a goal-oriented manner before German courts. At reasonable flat rates, I can also audit an online store for legal compliance, whereby the client can always determine the scope and exact content of the audit. Existing clients are also given priority in handling their own matters in the event of legal problems and are therefore always protected so that they can devote themselves to the actual business of online trading.
Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statements
General terms and conditions are often the absolute backbone of online stores and online services. Due to the very extensive, diverse and complicated case law, the need to educate consumers and the ever-present danger of warning letters, professional preparation should be considered. While generators can be used for normal online stores, which I only check once more in case of doubt, I have specialized in the development of GTCs for new business models in the IT and media sector, for which there are no automated legal texts. In doing so, I have gained extensive experience in combining the drafting of general terms and conditions with consulting services, so as not to have to create artificial legal texts, nor to complicate clients’ day-to-day business. The same applies to the preparation of data protection declarations. Although there are already good sample texts here as well, these should at least be briefly skimmed over. In special cases or if as a company/freelancer there is a need to implement data protection in everyday business, I can effectively combine the preparation of legal texts with the sensitization of employees and the optimization of operational processes. I can usually give my clients very good cost estimates for the preparation of general terms and conditions and data protection declarations, which can also be met very well if there is good cooperation with the client.
Start-up of a company
I specialize in supporting companies in the start-up phase. This starts with business planning, where I discuss the various options with clients, weigh the pros and cons, and discuss the necessary steps. In the actual start-up phase, I help with communication with authorities, drafting shareholder agreements and other documents such as employment contracts, general terms and conditions or data protection declarations. I accompany my clients every step of the way, and it goes without saying that I always address costs and alternatives fairly and openly. There are many aspects to consider when starting a business. In addition to the form of the company, the business model as such, the liability risks, the financing, the activities of the shareholders and labor law issues must be examined. Due to my many years of experience as an entrepreneur, I am able to provide clients with advice and support not only in legal matters, but also in a wide range of business development issues. In doing so, I always comprehensively advocate for the client, weigh advantages and disadvantages in discussions and thus offer an unsurpassed added value. I am able to do this because I not only have almost 20 years of experience in the media industry and am very well networked internationally, but also have a great personal interest in the IT and media industry. So my advantages are that I can not only create contracts and documents without having to have a lot of technical terms explained to me. Rather, I can proactively point out risks and problems and thus work more effectively than other law firms.
Outsourced Legal Department
With my advice, I help online retailers and platform providers to concentrate on what they do best: operating and marketing their own online store, store or platform. I act invisibly in the background, help to make the appearance legally secure or take over the legal claims management. In this way, online merchants save having their own legal department, because I am available when I am needed and do not cause any costs if my own activity is legally unobjectionable. Communication may take place at any time via electronic means such as Skype, email or other messaging services. In this way, I contribute not only to minimizing risk, but also to the long-term success of my own business.
