Nationwide criminal defence
Defence lawyer Dr. Maik Bunzel operates throughout the Federal Republic of Germany. He was born in Cottbus and is a qualified specialist for criminal and traffic law and a qualified consultant for criminal tax law. He has also published a range of legal reference books. Before becoming a defence lawyer, he worked as a judge at the County Court of Lichtenfels in the Upper Franconian region during one year. Today, his law firm runs offices in Berlin and Cottbus.
Most important rule: Remain silent!
The most important rule to be observed in criminal law is: Say absolutely nothing to the police, public prosecutor’s office or the courts! Demand to be allowed to speak to your lawyer! You have a right to do this at whatever stage of the proceedings you are currently in. In urgent cases, you can reach Dr. Maik Bunzel, your legal specialist in Cottbus, around the clock at the following telephone number: +49 (0) 151 21778788. Please use the mailbox, if no one immediately answers - we will call you back in the shortest possible time. Remember to remain silent until someone calls you back - and do not sign anything! Also refrain from being coaxed into an apparently harmless discussion!
Do not hesitate to act!
In criminal proceedings, it is strongly advisable to act quickly. A lot of questions can also be answered on the phone - quickly and unbureaucratically. Do not hesitate to contact defence lawyer Dr. Maik Bunzel in Cottbus at: +49 (0) 151 21778788. In urgent cases, you can reach him around the clock at this number. You will not be faced with any fees for the initial meeting which is designed to gain an overview of the situation. Lawyers are required to maintain confidentiality even if this meeting does not result in a mandate.
House search?
Should a search of your home or business premises be carried out, feel free to call Dr. Maik Bunzel at the following telephone number: +49 (0) 151 21778788 at any time. You have a right to call your lawyer at whatever stage of the proceedings you are currently in. Make sure you insist on doing so!
Arrested or taken into custody?
Has a close relative been arrested or taken into custody? Then you should hire a lawyer specialised in criminal law without delay. The sooner he can take action, the better the chance of stopping the proceedings. On no account should you wait until you receive a penal order or indictment. Contending the charge vis-à-vis the police without being able to review the files is almost always to your disadvantage. Your defence lawyer is the only person who can review all the files and who is in a position to work with you on mutually developing a targeted defence strategy - under consideration of the latest investigation results. Dr. Maik Bunzel, your legal specialist in Cottbus, would be happy to provide all the help and advice that you need.
Have you received a penal order or indictment?
Have you received a penal order or indictment? Has the public prosecutor’s office or a court of law requested that you name a lawyer who can be assigned to your case by the court as your public defender? Then call Dr. Maik Bunzel, your legal specialist in Cottbus, right now at the following emergency number: +49 (0) 151 21778788 to make sure that you do not miss any deadlines! Legal specialist Dr. Maik Bunzel can also defend you as your court-assigned public defender in appropriate cases. We strongly recommend not leaving it to the public prosecutor’s office or court of law to choose who will act as your public defender. You have the right to appoint a lawyer of your trust - and this lawyer does not have to be a member of the local bar association.
Applications, appeals and reviews
Do you want to lodge an appeal against a decision made by a criminal law court? Dr. Maik Bunzel, your legal specialist in Cottbus, would be happy to inform you of your options (for example: appeal against a search warrant or confiscation, objection against a penal order, appeal against a county court decision, appeal resp. leapfrog appeal against a decision made by a county court, regional court or higher regional court).
Service portfolio
General criminal law
Legal specialist Dr. Maik Bunzel can defend you against any criminal charge filed against you. This includes all offences listed in the German Criminal Code (examples: theft, robbery, extortion, damage to property, arson, personal injury, rape, homicide) as well as the penal provisions contained in other legislation (examples: criminal offences according to the narcotics law, the Medical Products Act, the Weapons Act, the Assembly Act and the Explosives Act). Being able to set up an effective criminal defence requires first and foremost a deep knowledge of criminal procedural law and how criminal proceedings are typically conducted by the authorities involved (police authorities, including the state and federal offices of criminal investigation, public prosecutor’s offices and the courts). Dr. Maik Bunzel, your legal specialist in Cottbus, has all this knowledge – and many other resources - at his fingertips and can pull on the results of many years of academic work at the Free University of Berlin and the University of Bayreuth which was focused on criminal procedural law and published in book form in 2015. Additionally, Dr. Maik Bunzel is well familiar with procedures within the judicial system through his time spent working as a judge. Make sure you also benefit from this combination of skills!
Commercial and criminal tax law
Defence lawyer Dr. Maik Bunzel in Cottbus can defend you during commercial law and criminal tax law proceedings - even in extremely complex cases. Typical criminal charges in this area include fraud (subsidy fraud, investment fraud, insurance fraud and credit fraud), breaches of trust, bankruptcy, money laundering, corruption as well as the withholding or embezzlement of remuneration funds. Most criminal tax law cases involve accusations of tax evasion, smuggling or dealing with property on which no tax has been paid. In addition, numerous provisions relating to commercial law offences are contained in so-called supplementary criminal statutes, for example the Trade Act, the Insolvency Statute, the law on trademarks, the Stock Corporation Act and the Chemicals Act. Should you have already received a summons, a penal order or an indictment relating to any of these areas, do not whatever you do simply rely on the legal advice offered to you by large law firms and tax consultants as this is offered from a purely commercial point of view - in criminal proceedings it is vital to make use of the instruments provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure and to do so quickly and appropriately. Defence lawyer Dr. Maik Bunzel in Cottbus offers a wealth of experience and deep knowledge of this special area.
Legal specialist Dr. Maik Bunzel would also be happy to take on tasks aimed at avoiding criminal conduct (compliance), for example by examining the internal processes at your company and advising you accordingly. Where required, legal specialist Dr. Maik Bunzel can also call on the support of a competent network of specialised colleagues and tax advisors
Law against participation in criminal organisations
The law against participation in criminal organisations concerns, in particular, criminal charges with respect to the creation of criminal or terrorist groups as well as criminal offences according to the law on associations. Typical of this kind of criminal offence is the shift of the punishable action to a time well before other people’s legal property is actually damaged. Such cases often involve tedious and extensive surveillance measures (examples: telephone tapping, electronic “eavesdropping”, surveillance, secret access to electronic data etc.). Many of these measures are illegal. If your defence is to be successful, it is crucial to avoid findings from such illegal surveillance measures being used in any further proceedings. In 2015, Dr. Maik Bunzel, your legal specialist in Cottbus, published a 520-page book on this topic. He knows all about how to protect your rights and the options available to you.
Homicide law
Homicide law cases primarily involve a homicide (murder or manslaughter) that was carried out with intent. In this legal area, clients are often kept in custody throughout the proceedings. The defence in such cases is usually aimed at avoiding long-term or even life imprisonment. Alongside any special circumstances with respect to how the offence was committed, the assessment of the legal culpability of the client is a commonly-used approach to achieving this goal. Dr. Maik Bunzel, your legal specialist in Cottbus, can help you to clarify which factual circumstances are of importance and necessary to be able to help you to develop the optimal defence strategy. In addition, the Cottbus-based law firm also helps relatives to stay in touch with detainees.
Law relating to medical offences
Apart from dealing with the criminal aspects of the actions taken by medical practitioners (examples: personal injury, involuntary manslaughter), the law relating to medical offences also concerns supplementary penal provisions (examples: violations of the narcotics law and the Medical Products Act) as well as offences touching the field of commercial law (example: accounting fraud). Legal specialist Dr. Maik Bunzel obtained his doctorate in medical law in 2016 on the question of how doctors’ fees can be legitimately calculated As a result, he can pull on a wealth of specialised knowledge on this topic.
Juvenile criminal law
Juvenile criminal law is applied in cases where the offender was still an adolescent - or legally regarded as an adolescent - at the time of committing the offence. The defence, therefore, is focussed on finding a solution that is acceptable with a view to the further development of this adolescent: The range of sentences provided for in the criminal law provisions is not applicable in juvenile criminal law cases. There are, therefore, numerous approaches to ensuring that the defence is successful. Dr. Maik Bunzel, your legal specialist in Cottbus, can help you to lay down the tracks early on to ensure your case has a positive outcome. This includes passing on contact information for youth welfare projects as well as assistance in finding out about programmes aimed at combatting drug addiction.
Law relating to traffic offences
In most cases related to violations of traffic law (examples: drunk driving, misuse of licence plates, dangerous driving, physical injury resulting from negligence and involuntary manslaughter, hit and run), the main aim is to avoid the loss of your driving license or - if this is unavoidable - to reduce the time period before your licence can be reissued to a minimum. Additionally, if your defence takes action early on in the investigation, it is often possible to avoid a conviction, thus completely avoiding the loss of your driving licence in the first place. Legal specialist Dr. Maik Bunzel is qualified to practice as a lawyer in both the criminal and traffic law fields which means that he knows which options are available in order to be able to defend you in the best possible manner.
Administrative Offences Act
Defence lawyer Dr. Maik Bunzel also practices in the area of administrative offences. This not only involves speed cameras, red traffic lights, driving bans and drunk driving: The Administrative Offences Act applies, in particular, to cases in which a company has broken the law. Fines in this area are often enormous and may pose a real threat to the further existence of the company concerned. The proceedings followed in the case of an administrative offence are greatly similar to those of a criminal case. Your legal specialist, Dr. Maik Bunzel, effectively applies the tools of the trade that he learned as a defence lawyer to help you in such cases.
Resume
Legal specialist Dr. Maik Bunzel was born in Cottbus in 1984. After studying law at the Free University of Berlin and on-the-job legal training within the district for which the Court of Appeal of Berlin was responsible, he worked for nine months at the Berlin office of a major international law firm before going on to work for a year as a judge at the County Court of Lichtenfels in Bavaria. At the same time, i.e. from 2012 to 2016, legal specialist Dr. Maik Bunzel also carried out academic research in the field of criminal procedural law and medical law at the Free University of Berlin, the University of Bayreuth and the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald. This academic work was also published in book form. He also qualified to practice as a specialist lawyer in both the criminal and traffic law fields. Since 2016, he has been working as a legal specialist in the town where he was originally born - Cottbus. He also works as a defence lawyer throughout the Federal Republic of Germany.
Fees
Lawyers’ fees are set down in the Law on the Remuneration of Lawyers. In criminal cases, the fees are usually agreed on an individual basis - depending on how much legal work is involved. Defence lawyer Dr. Maik Bunzel in Cottbus will let you know well in advance just how much his work is likely to cost. This avoids any unpleasant surprises later on. The initial meeting aimed at gaining an overview of the situation is always free of charge. Where appropriate, legal specialist Dr. Maik Bunzel will also defend you as your official court-assigned public defender. Simply give our office a quick call! +49 (0)355 49 49 455-0
Download
The following documents are required in order to be able to take on your defence. Please print out these documents and send them back to us by post - duly completed and signed - to the following address:
Rechtsanwalt Dr. Maik BunzelWehrpromenade 9
03042 Cottbus
Germany
Please also send us an advance copy of your documents by email to: info@kanzlei-bunzel.de or by fax to: +49 (0)355 49 49 455-1. The quicker we receive your documents, the sooner legal specialist Dr. Maik Bunzel can get to work on your behalf.
Declaration on Releasing a Lawyer from his Commitment to Maintain Confidentiality
If you have received a document from the authorities (examples: pre-hearing questionnaire, summons, search warrant, penal order, indictment), please also send us a photo of this document via email to: info@kanzlei-bunzel.de or simply fax it to: +49 (0)355 49 49 455-1.
Please note! A client relationship does not automatically come into being upon sending us your documents. Legal specialist Dr. Maik Bunzel will get back to you to confirm that he has accepted the mandate.
Contact
In urgent cases, you can reach Dr. Maik Bunzel, your legal specialist in Cottbus, around the clock at the following telephone number: +49 (0) 151 21778788. You can reach our office from Monday to Friday, 8.00 - 20.00 Hrs., at the following telephone number: +49 (0)355 49 49 455-0.
Please also feel free to use our Contact Form. On normal office days, your message will generally be read within a matter of minutes.