Björn Maibaum advises on legal questions involving civil and public law. After completing his law degree (specialising in European law) and a Japanese language degree, he worked as a junior lawyer for the German Chamber of Foreign Trade in Tokyo, and for the public prosecutor’s office and the district court in Wuppertal. Later, he started working as a lawyer in Köln-Lindenthal, sharing an office with lawyers Christ and Külschbach. Since 2004 he has managed the Maibaum Law Firm in Cologne.
Gunter Christ studied law at the University of Cologne and has been a practising lawyer in Cologne since 1987, specialising in immigration law. Mr. Christ is known throughout Germany as a proven specialist for Afghanistan. He has been a member of the Cologne Refugee Council since the late 1980s and part of a working group for lawyers specialising in immigration and refugee law in North Rhine-Westphalia since 1987. Since January 1998, he has also been a legal advisor to the Diocesan Caritas Association for the Archdiocese of Cologne and the German Caritas Association and, in this capacity, a member of the Legal Advisors' Conference of Lawyers Working with Welfare Organisations and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (RBK). In May 2000, Mr. Christ co-founded the Working Group on Immigration and Asylum Law and was, among other things, a member of the first managing committee.
Tom Zierhut is a law student at the University of Cologne and successfully passed the first part of the state examination (erstes juristisches Staatsexamen) in 2021. He has been working as a research assistant at Maibaum since February 2023.
During an internship at a German-Portuguese law firm in Lisbon, Portugal, Mr. Zierhut started familiarising himself with foreign legal systems. At a later date, he completed an internship at the German Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he gained valuable insights into the legal department and the visa process. Mr. Zierhut also spent a term studying abroad in Gujarat, India. Here he was able to further develop his intercultural skills and, in particular, acquire additional knowledge of English legal terminology. During his studies, Mr. Zierhut gained practical experience as a student assistant and research assistant in various law firms in Cologne and Düsseldorf. He also volunteers for the Refugee Law Clinic Cologne. Mr. Zierhut's wide-ranging experience and in-depth knowledge of the law make him a great asset to our clients.
Pia Adler hat 2017 ihre Ausbildung zur Rechtsanwaltsfachangestellten erfolgreich abgeschlossen. Von 2018-2022 war sie in der Kanzlei Gunter Christ im Ausländerrecht tätig. Seit dem 1. Januar 2023 ist Frau Adler durch ihre einschlägige Berufserfahrung auf dem Gebiet des Ausländerrechts eine große Bereicherung für unsere Mandanten.
Blerta Jonuzaj successfully completed her training as a paralegal in 2020 and already gained experience in an immigration law firm during her training. Ms. Jonuzaj has been part of our team since 2021 and works in the secretary with great dedication for our clients. Ms. Jonuzaj is fluent in Albanian, Greek, German and English.
After completing her second state examination (zweites juristisches Staatsexamen), Ms. Windheuser joined Maibaum law firm. During her university studies, she specialised in international and European law. Ms. Windheuser has a longstanding history of volunteering in the field of refugee aid and can draw on a wealth of experience. Since 2015 she has been involved in the "Welcome to Nippes" initiative in Cologne, where she advises and supports refugees. She has also worked at a psychosocial centre for refugees in Bochum. In addition to her native German, Ms. Windheuser is fluent in English and Spanish. Having completed international work assignments in Santiago de Chile, Bogotá and Bolivia and a degree in "Regional Studies Latin America", she possesses a high level of intercultural competence which is a great asset to our team.
Mrs Windheuser is a member of the German Bar Association and the Cologne Bar Association.
Natasha Bond studied English and German law at the University of Cologne and University College London. During her studies, she was already committed to helping refugees, including at the Student Action for Refugees Society in London, where she was a member of the board. She has been a member of the Refugee Law Clinic Cologne since 2019. After her first state examination she worked for the NGO Transparency International and a law firm specialising in immigration law, gaining valuable experience for her work as a lawyer. She then successfully completed her second state examination and was admitted to the legal profession. She is a member of the German Bar Association and the Cologne Bar Association. Ms. Bond is a native German and English speaker and advises our clients competently in both languages.
Stephanie Mauer-Otto studied law at the University of Cologne. At first, she worked for the law firm Emili+Maibaum and then, after completing her paralegal training in 2015, went on to work for Maibaum Law Firm. As Office Manager, Mrs. Mauer-Otto has been the first point of contact for all our clients' concerns for many years.
Rosemarie Bömer is a trained industrial business management assistant with many years of bookkeeping experience. She handles the accounting at Maibaum, and is glad to assist our clients with any questions they may have regarding such matters. She is an indispensable part of our team.
Sandra Spillmann successfully completed her training as a paralegal in 1997. From 1999 to mid-2022, she worked in a law firm specialising in immigration law. Since September, Ms. Spillmann has been a great asset to our clients with over 20 years of professional experience in the field.