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One counsel across two legal systems — Canada and Germany, transaction to dispute.
Sylvia has practised cross-border matters between Canada and Germany since qualifying as a lawyer in Germany in 1996 — called to the Ontario bar in 1986 and to England & Wales in 1991 before that. She advises corporate clients on business start-ups in both countries, from structuring complex commercial agreements to employment issues, and identifies the appropriate business and tax structures for German market entry — often capitalizing on local economic programs.
Having litigated successfully in various Canadian provinces and several German states, she is an effective advocate who uses the differences between the two legal systems to her clients’ advantage — enforcing contractual claims and warding off improper proceedings for multinational and local players alike. She was certified as a mediator in Germany in 2011.
She advises private clients on cross-border estate planning and tax — from probate and certificates of inheritance to the transfer of real estate, securities, funds in German banks and pension entitlements — representing Canadian, U.S. and U.K. nationals in estate matters pertaining to Germany.
Through her German firm, Jacob Associates, she offers a full portfolio in Germany — corporate/commercial, tax, real estate, dispute resolution and estate law — accessible in this time zone through the firm’s offices, in English, French and German. She lectures at LMU Munich on cross-border transactions and transnational dispute resolution.