Free German Legal Plugin for Claude Cowork — Germany SMB Edition
Turn Claude Cowork into a comprehensive German legal assistant. 12 practice areas covering BGB, HGB, KSchG, DSGVO, GmbHG, and more — with 16+ interactive calculators for employment law, tax, data protection, contracts, and civil procedure.
🏗️ Built as a Claude Cowork plugin following Anthropic’s official plugin architecture. All German statutes cited by § with current 2025 values. Not legal advice — see RDG disclaimer. Entwickelt mit Anti-Halluzinierungsschutz: Das Plugin zitiert ausschließlich Gesetze, die in seinen Skill-Dokumenten enthalten sind — keine erfundenen §-Nummern oder BGH-Aktenzeichen.
How It Works
- 1Download the plugin ZIP file using the form on this page
- 2Upload it in the Claude Cowork Desktop App (drag-and-drop install)
- 3Ask Claude any German legal question — it now knows BGB, HGB, KSchG, DSGVO, GmbHG, and 30+ more statutes
- 4Use the 7 slash commands for instant calculations, compliance checks, and deadline tracking
Get the Guide File
Enter your email to download legal-de-cowork-plugin.zip and get access to the GitHub repository.
No spam, ever. Your email is stored securely so we can send you updates about new use cases and workflows.
Step-by-Step Installation Guide
1. Download the Plugin
Use the download form above to get the plugin ZIP file. No account required — just enter your email and download.
2. Open Customize Panel
Open the Claude Cowork Desktop App and click ‘Customize’ in the bottom-left corner.
3. Click Upload Plugin
In the customization panel, click the ‘Upload Plugin’ button to open the upload area.
4. Drag and Drop the ZIP
Drag the downloaded ZIP file onto the upload area. The plugin installs automatically.
5. Verify Installation
Ask Claude: ‘Was sind die KSchG-Schwellenwerte?’ — If it responds with §23 Abs. 1 KSchG (>10 employees, >6 months), the plugin is working.
6. Try the Slash Commands
Type /check-kuendigung to run the dismissal protection checker, /calculate-fees for GKG/RVG fee calculation, /calculate-tax for Gewerbesteuer/Grunderwerbsteuer, or /check-dsgvo for DSGVO compliance.
7. Important: Not Legal Advice
This plugin provides legal information (Rechtsinformation), not legal advice (Rechtsberatung) under §2 Abs. 1 RDG. Always consult a licensed German lawyer (Rechtsanwalt) for specific legal matters.
Why Generic AI Fails at German Law
German law is a highly codified civil law system with 5 court hierarchies, 16 federal states with independent legislation, and EU law overlay. Generic AI assistants hallucinate statute numbers, miss critical deadlines, and don’t know the difference between Landesrecht and Bundesrecht.
Without the Plugin
- ✗Invents fake § numbers and BGH case references
- ✗Misses the 3-week Kündigungsschutzklage deadline (§4 KSchG)
- ✗Doesn’t know Grunderwerbsteuer varies by Bundesland (3.5%–6.5%)
- ✗Confuses DSGVO with BDSG and ignores Landesdatenschutzbehörden
With the Plugin
- ✓Every statute cited by official § with Abs., S., Nr. — verified against gesetze-im-internet.de
- ✓Flags critical deadlines: 3-week Klagefrist, 72-hour Datenpanne, 3/6-week Insolvenzantrag
- ✓Knows all 16 Bundesland rates for Grunderwerbsteuer, Gewerbesteuer Hebesätze, and Grundsteuer models
- ✓Distinguishes Bundesrecht from Landesrecht and flags when state-level rules apply
What This Plugin Covers
12 complete practice areas of German federal law with deep coverage of statutes, thresholds, rates, and procedures. Each area includes interactive calculators and compliance checkers.
Contract Law (Vertragsrecht)
BGB Books 1–2, AGB-Kontrolle (§§305–310), Widerrufsrecht, Kaufvertrag, Werkvertrag, Verjährung, and the AGB-Klauselprüfer for schwarze/graue Liste analysis.
Employment Law (Arbeitsrecht)
KSchG dismissal protection, Kündigungsfristen (§622 BGB), BetrVG works council, AGG discrimination, MiLoG minimum wage (€12.82/hr), plus 6 embedded calculators.
Data Protection (Datenschutz)
DSGVO + BDSG 2018, DPO threshold (§38 BDSG: ≥20 persons), 72-hour breach notification, all 16 Landesdatenschutzbehörden, TTDSG cookie consent.
Company & Tax Law
GmbH/UG/AG formation, Transparenzregister (§20 GwG), Insolvenzantragspflicht (§15a InsO), ESt/KSt/GewSt/USt rates, ELSTER deadlines, and Grundsteuer 2025 reform.
Property & IP Law
Grunderwerbsteuer by Bundesland, Mietpreisbremse, Grundbuch, UrhG copyright, MarkenG trademarks, PatG patents, and ArbNErfG employee inventions.
Procedure & Compliance
ZPO civil procedure, Streitwert→GKG/RVG fee calculator, Mahnverfahren, einstweilige Verfügung, beA/ERV electronic filing, GWB competition law, and consumer rights.
How the Plugin Works
The plugin embeds comprehensive German legal knowledge directly into Claude Cowork’s context. Here’s what happens when you ask a German legal question:
Identifies the Legal Area
Detects whether your question involves Arbeitsrecht, Vertragsrecht, Steuerrecht, Datenschutz, or any of the 12 covered practice areas — and activates the relevant skill module.
Cites Exact Statutes
Every answer references the correct § with Abs., S., Nr. from the official statute text. No hallucinated references — the plugin’s knowledge base contains verified 2025 statute content.
Applies Current Thresholds & Rates
Uses 2025 values: €12.82/hr Mindestlohn, 15% KSt, Gewerbesteuer Hebesätze by city, Grunderwerbsteuer by Bundesland, KSchG thresholds, and more.
Runs Interactive Calculators
16+ embedded calculators: Kündigungsfristrechner, Gewerbesteuerrechner, Streitwert→GKG/RVG, Grunderwerbsteuer, Verjährungsrechner, KSchG-Prüfer, Kurzarbeitergeld, and more.
Flags Critical Deadlines
Automatically warns about time-critical deadlines: 3-week Kündigungsschutzklage (§4 KSchG), 72-hour Datenpanne (Art. 33 DSGVO), 3/6-week Insolvenzantrag (§15a InsO).
Adds Compliance Disclaimers
Every response includes the RDG disclaimer (not legal advice), flags when Landesrecht may differ, and recommends consulting a zugelassener Rechtsanwalt for specific matters.
Who Is This For?
Best For
- German Mittelstand companies (10–500 employees) navigating daily legal compliance
- In-house counsel and HR teams handling employment law, contracts, and DSGVO
- Founders and Geschäftsführer managing GmbH/UG governance and tax obligations
- Steuerberater and Rechtsanwälte who want quick statute lookups and fee calculations
Not Designed For
- —Replacement for qualified legal advice (Rechtsberatung) on specific cases
- —Criminal law (Strafrecht) beyond basic AO §370 Steuerhinterziehung references
- —Highly specialised Landesrecht (state-specific building codes, police law, education law)
- —Litigation strategy or court representation
Frequently Asked Questions
No. This plugin provides legal information (Rechtsinformation), not legal advice (Rechtsberatung) within the meaning of §2 Abs. 1 RDG (Rechtsdienstleistungsgesetz). Always consult a licensed German lawyer (zugelassener Rechtsanwalt) for specific legal matters.
German federal law (Bundesrecht) across 12 practice areas: Contract Law (BGB), Employment Law (KSchG/BetrVG/AGG), Data Protection (DSGVO/BDSG), Company Law (GmbHG/AktG), IP Law (UrhG/MarkenG/PatG), Property Law, Financial Services (KWG), Competition Law (GWB), Consumer Law, Civil Procedure (ZPO), Tax Law (EStG/KStG/GewStG/UStG), and Regulatory Bodies. Key state-level variations (Grunderwerbsteuer, Gewerbesteuer Hebesätze) are included.
Yes, completely free. Download the ZIP, install in Claude Cowork, and start using it immediately. No subscription, no hidden costs.
Same legal content, different installation method. Claude Code version installs via CLI or Desktop App plugin upload. Claude Cowork version installs through the Cowork/Dispatch interface. Choose whichever matches your Claude product.
All statutes are cited by official name and § number as published on gesetze-im-internet.de. Rates and thresholds reflect 2025 values (Rechtsstand: März 2025). Always verify against the current consolidated statute text.
For areas where state law varies (Grunderwerbsteuer rates, Gewerbesteuer Hebesätze, Landesdatenschutzbehörden, Grundsteuer models), all 16 states are covered. For purely state-level law (Bauordnungsrecht, Polizeirecht), the plugin flags that Landesrecht applies and recommends checking the specific state law.
Yes — it’s designed for German SMBs and Mittelstand companies. Use it for quick statute lookups, compliance checks, fee calculations, and deadline tracking. For binding legal decisions, always consult a Rechtsanwalt.
Re-download the latest version from GitHub (mlobo2012/Germany-SMB-Legal-Plugin). We update the plugin when significant legal changes take effect. The plugin always shows its Rechtsstand (legal status date) so you know which version you’re using.
Ready to Master German Law with AI?
Download the free plugin, install in 2 minutes, and start getting accurate German legal answers with proper § citations.
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