{"id":1829,"date":"2023-07-06T13:47:54","date_gmt":"2023-07-06T13:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pragal-prinzenberg.de\/competencies\/vertretung-von-zeugen\/zeugenbeistand-im-straf-oder-zivilverfahren\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T21:27:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T21:27:47","slug":"witness-counsel-in-criminal-or-civil-proceedings","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/competencies\/criminal-defence\/witness-counsel-in-criminal-or-civil-proceedings\/","title":{"rendered":"Wittness Assistance in Cirminal or Civil Proceedings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your Right to Legal Support as a Witness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a witness in <strong>criminal or civil proceedings<\/strong>, you are generally obliged to <strong>testify truthfully and completely<\/strong>. However, giving evidence &#8211; especially in complex proceedings &#8211; can involve considerable risks of its own. Therefore, in many cases it may be advisable to be accompanied and advised by an <strong>experienced lawyer <\/strong>as <strong>witness counsel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Assistance also for witnesses without risk of self-incrimination<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are many <strong>reasons for hiring a witness counsel<\/strong>. Even if, as a so-called \u201c<strong>witness at risk of self-incrimination<\/strong>\u201d, you are not threatened with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/competencies\/criminal-defence\/\">criminal prosecution<\/a><\/strong> from any point of view, giving evidence in court or before investigating authorities can still be stressful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many witnesses feel insecure or overwhelmed in an unfamiliar interrogation situation &#8211; especially if they are confronted with <strong>detailed, critical or surprising questions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lawyer with <strong>experience in criminal law<\/strong> can provide valuable support in such cases by ensuring that your rights are protected and that you do not get into trouble by making unclear or misleading statements \u201cwithout need\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FROM WITNESS TO ACCUSED: RISKS IN WHITE-COLLAR CRIMINAL LAW<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/competencies\/criminal-defence\/corporate-tax-criminal-law\/\">white-collar criminal law<\/a><\/strong> in particular, however, there is often a risk that a witness may <strong>unexpectedly become the focus of a criminal investigation<\/strong> and turn from a witness into a defendant &#8211; this applies in particular to so-called \u201c<strong>vulnerable witnesses<\/strong>\u201d or \u201c<strong>witness at risk of self-incrimination<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This can, for example, affect an <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/competencies\/criminal-defence\/medical-criminal-law\/\">anaesthetist who was involved in a failed operation<\/a><\/strong> or a <strong>company employee<\/strong> who is asked to testify about decisions made by their employer or superior that could potentially be classified as unlawful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">REFUSAL TO PROVIDE INFORMATION UNDER \u00a7 55 STPO: THE \u201cMosaic Theory\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In such situations, the right to refuse to provide <strong>information in accordance<\/strong> with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gesetze-im-internet.de\/stpo\/__55.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u00a7 55 StPO<\/a><\/strong> is of particular importance. Under certain circumstances, this right can even <strong>justify a complete refusal to testify<\/strong> (so-called \u201c<strong>mosaic theory<\/strong>\u201d of the <strong>German Federal Court of Justice<\/strong>, decision of May 7, 1987 &#8211; Ref.: 1 BJs 46\/86-5 I BGs 286\/87).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to this decision, witnesses have a comprehensive right to refuse to provide information in accordance with \u00a7 55 StPO with regard to all questions whose truthful answers alone would not lead to criminal prosecution, but which <strong>represent a piece in a mosaic-like body of evidence<\/strong> and could therefore contribute to incriminating the witness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In such cases, experienced witness counsel can make a decisive contribution to ensuring that<strong> you do not make a statement that could potentially have negative consequences for you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Professional Witnesses Counsel: Confidence in Interrogations and Questionings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/the-law-firm\/\">Our law firm<\/a><\/strong> offers you <strong>comprehensive and professional support as witness counsel<\/strong> &#8211; whether in the context of a court hearing, a police hearing or questioning by the public prosecutor&#8217;s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><strong>We ensure that your rights are protected and that you are legally safeguarded in every situation.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your Right to Legal Support as a Witness As a witness in criminal or civil proceedings, you are generally obliged to testify truthfully and completely. However, giving evidence &#8211; especially in complex proceedings &#8211; can involve considerable risks of its own. Therefore, in many cases it may be advisable to be accompanied and advised by &#8230; <a title=\"Wittness Assistance in Cirminal or Civil Proceedings\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/competencies\/criminal-defence\/witness-counsel-in-criminal-or-civil-proceedings\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Wittness Assistance in Cirminal or Civil Proceedings\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2064,"parent":1804,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1829","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Wittness Assistance in Cirminal or Civil Proceedings<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Summoned as a witness? We support you during your testimony and help protect your rights \u2013 especially if you&#039;re a vulnerable witness.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/competencies\/criminal-defence\/witness-counsel-in-criminal-or-civil-proceedings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wittness Assistance in Cirminal or Civil Proceedings\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Summoned as a witness? 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