What does Prozesskostenhilfe mean?
Prozesskostenhilfe (legal aid for court costs) helps people with little money pay for court proceedings, for example for the lawyer.
die Prozesskostenhilfe
You apply for it at the court, together with a statement about your income and assets.
The court also checks whether your case has a chance of success.
Sometimes you have to pay the money back later in instalments, for example if your income rises.
If you lose, in some proceedings you still have to pay the other side's costs.
Example sentence
Ihnen wird Prozesskostenhilfe ohne Ratenzahlung bewilligt.
You are granted Prozesskostenhilfe without instalment payments.
What you can do
Ask your lawyer whether Prozesskostenhilfe may apply. Enclose proof of your income.
Related words
- Beratungshilfe Beratungshilfe (legal advice aid) means you get legal advice almost for free if you have little money.
- Rechtsanwalt A Rechtsanwalt (lawyer) advises you on legal questions and can represent you before offices and courts.
- Klage With a Klage (lawsuit), you ask a court to check a decision made by an office.
- Amtsgericht The Amtsgericht (local court) is a court close to where you live. It handles, for example, smaller disputes about money, rental matters and family matters.
- Nachweis A Nachweis is a document that proves something, for example your income, your rent or your address.