What Law of Succession covers
Succession law answers who receives a person’s estate after death: intestate succession, wills and contracts of inheritance, compulsory portions, joint heirs and the certificate of inheritance. Exams often combine it with property or obligations.
In Lexxington, Succession is part of civil law. The course follows the material the exam regulations set for the compulsory subjects and is split into lessons that build on each other.
Lessons in the course
The German course uses German titles; here they are as they appear in the app.
- Erbrecht im Überblick
- Gesetzliche Erbfolge
- Testament, Erbvertrag und Pflichtteil
- Annahme, Ausschlagung, Erbschein und Erbenhaftung
Typical exam issues
These issues come up again and again in practice and exam papers. You should spot them while reading the facts and know where they belong in your analysis.
- Intestate succession by classes of heirs (§§ 1924 ff. BGB)
- Formal validity of a handwritten will (§ 2247 BGB)
- Interpreting testamentary dispositions
- The compulsory portion (§ 2303 BGB)
- Good-faith protection through the certificate of inheritance (§ 2366 BGB)
Knowing an issue is not enough. In the exam you must find it in unfamiliar facts, cite the provision and set out the competing views briefly. That is exactly what Lexxington’s cases practise.
Common mistakes
- Spending pages on uncontroversial points and running out of time for the real issue.
- Citing the provision without applying it to the facts.
- Setting out a dispute between views when all of them reach the same result.
- Abandoning the structure because one issue jumps out early.
How Lexxington trains Succession
Understand first: lessons
Each lesson explains one section in short paragraphs. A scale shows exam relevance, a colour gradient shows difficulty. Each part sits behind a card: say it yourself, then reveal, so you know right away what has stuck.
Then apply: cases with statements
A case is a short set of facts with several statements. You decide for each whether it is right, then see the reasoning and the provision. This is retrieval practice: Roediger and Karpicke (2006) showed that testing improves retention far more than rereading.
Keep it: flashcards
Definitions and key rules come as flashcards. The app schedules reviews at growing intervals, right when you begin to forget. Cepeda and colleagues (2006) reviewed hundreds of studies: spaced practice beats massed practice.
Get exam-ready: schemes and timed exams
Exam schemes give you the structure. In the exam simulation you write against the clock and get graded on the 0 to 18 point scale. Lexxi, the AI owl, explains every provision and asks back when you are unsure.
Succession in numbers
- interactive cases
- 125
- practice questions
- 27
- flashcards
- 33
- lessons
- 4
Succession cases do not only appear in subject practice. In the daily session the app mixes them with due and weak questions from other subjects. Whatever you get wrong goes into the error log, and “Weak topics” lets you practise it again on purpose.
Counted from the current course. We keep adding content.
Three cases from the course
This is what fact patterns look like in the app (in German, as in the course). Each comes with several statements to assess.
Der Onkel aus Übersee
H stirbt kinderlos und ledig. Ihre Eltern leben nicht mehr. Ihre Großeltern sind schon lange tot. Ihr Onkel (Bruder des Vaters) I lebt in den USA. Er erfährt erst nach zwei Jahren vom Todesfall. Ein Testament gibt es nicht.
Drei enterbte Kinder
E ist verheiratet und lebt mit seiner Frau F in Gütertrennung. Er hat drei Kinder, K1, K2 und K3. In seinem Testament setzt er die Frau zur Alleinerbin ein. Der Nachlass beträgt 240.000 Euro. Die Kinder verlangen ihren Pflichtteil.
Die Pflegetochter
C pflegte ihre Mutter D fünf Jahre lang zu Hause und gab dafür ihre Arbeitsstelle teilweise auf. Der Bruder E lebte im Ausland. Beide erben nach dem Tod der D zu gleichen Teilen. Der Nachlass beträgt 200.000 Euro. C will Ausgleich für die Pflege.
When it comes up in your degree
Succession is usually mid-degree. It stays examinable until the state exam, so it pays not to drop it after the semester exam. Lexxington keeps it fresh with short reviews while you move on to new subjects.
Mixed practice helps. When tasks from different subjects alternate, you learn to recognise the right issue instead of repeating the method from the last chapter. Research calls this interleaving. More on the science
More in the guides: Solving cases step by step · Preparing for the state exam
Frequently asked questions
How many Succession cases does Lexxington have?
Currently 125 interactive cases in the core course. Each case has several statements you mark true or false, each with reasoning and the relevant provision.
When do German students take Succession?
It is usually mid-degree. Your university’s study regulations set the exact order. In Lexxington’s semester plan you pick your semester and the lessons are arranged to match.
Is the app enough for the exam?
Lexxington does not replace lectures or textbooks. It makes sure you can recall what you learned and apply it to cases. Use it daily alongside your lectures and reading.
What does it cost?
Every subject is part of the Germany subscription: 7 days free, then €6.99 a month. Subjects are not sold separately.