Nina Markovic & Martin von Borstel

The law firm consists of the two lawyers Nina Markovic and Martin von Borstel. Our firm was founded in March 2020 after Mr. von Borstel joined the already existing practice of Ms. Markovic. Both lawyers have been active in the field of migration and social law for many years and draw on extensive consulting experience. Our office is located close to the city center at the edge of the Bremen Viertel district.

The Lawyers

Nina Markovic

I began supporting and advising people in the areas of social and migration law during my studies. From October 2011 to August 2012, in the EU project 'Salutissimo,' I accompanied undocumented individuals to appointments with authorities and assisted them with everyday issues, especially in applying for benefits. From March 2013 to February 2014, in the 'Tuwas Café' project, I supported migrants and refugees on their path to a life in Germany and offered them counseling assistance. Since March 2013, I have been volunteering at the 'Verein Bremische Straffälligenbetreuung e.V.' to advise incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, and at-risk individuals in matters of migration and social law. Since 2016, I have been supporting colleagues from the 'Verein für Rechtshilfe im Justizvollzug des Landes Bremen e.V.' in the legal representation of deportation detainees before the local court, district court, immigration authorities, and federal police. I am also the chairwoman of the Migration Law Working Group of the Bremen Bar Association and a board member of the association Flüchtling für Flüchtling e.V. I love working in social and migration law because it can directly help people enforce their social and human rights against authorities and courts.

Martin von Borstel

While still a student, I began to advocate for the rights of migrants and refugees, which led me to decide to work as a lawyer in the field of migration law. Since 2009, together with colleagues from the Association for Legal Aid in the Judicial System of the State of Bremen (Verein für Rechtshilfe im Justizvollzug des Landes Bremen e.V.), I have been advising people in deportation custody in Bremen. Furthermore, since 2016, I have been supporting the Migration Law Legal Clinic at the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts as a freelancer, where students offer free legal advice in the areas of residency, asylum, and social law. I was also active for several years in the BAföG and social counseling services for the AStA of the University of Bremen and the Bremen University of Applied Sciences. During my practical legal training, I focused on residence, asylum, and social law and worked for, among others, the law firm for migration law + social affairs in Bremen and the contact and counseling center for refugees and migrants in Berlin. Through my counseling activities and my training, I have come to realize how important it is, especially in the fields of migration and social law, to work with those affected to uphold human rights and the rule of law, and I therefore also view my legal work as a political task.

Firm & Practice Areas

Social Law

Social law covers all public law issues related to social security. This particularly includes benefits in cases of unemployment, loss of income, illness, and need for care. The principle of the social welfare state is intended to secure a minimum standard of dignified existence for all people living in Germany and to guarantee a right to security, for example, in case of illness, reduced earning capacity, or unemployment, thus creating social protection. We are available to assist you in enforcing your claims against social service providers. Specifically, we can help you with objections and lawsuits against decisions from job centers, social welfare offices, health insurance funds, the pension office, the family benefits office, the parental allowance office, the housing benefit office, and employment agencies. Since in many cases, swift action is crucial to enforce your personal claims, we are also prepared to assist you with interim legal protection in court.

Residence & Asylum Law

We advise and represent you in the following matters: Asylum procedures, Residence permits, Freedom of movement for EU citizens, Tolerated stay (Duldung), Deportation, Naturalization, Detention pending deportation, and Criminal proceedings related to residence and asylum law. Residence and asylum law is a very complex legal area that is constantly changing. It is often difficult to determine whether there is a right to the issuance or extension of a tolerated stay or a residence permit and how to prevent residence-terminating measures if necessary. Or what to do if an asylum application has been rejected. Since very short deadlines sometimes apply in residence and asylum law, it is often important to seek legal help quickly. We are at your side in your residence and asylum matters, even if they involve questions not directly related to one of the topics listed above, for example, if you want to defend against a residence restriction or find out if your family members can join you. Our services include representation before authorities (immigration authorities, Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, city offices, federal police, etc.) as well as in court. Since it is often not enough to just file a lawsuit and time is pressing, for example, in the case of an impending deportation, we also represent you in emergency legal protection proceedings. If all ordinary legal remedies have already been exhausted, we will, if necessary, also file a constitutional complaint or a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights for you.

Special Administrative Law & Other

Administrative law primarily regulates the relationship between the state and its citizens. It is the law of the administration but also grants citizens legal protection against state institutions and actions. We can support you legally in the following matters of special administrative law: Police and public order law, and Assembly law. In addition, we are happy to advise and represent you in all matters of liberty deprivation. Have you not found your issue and are wondering if we would represent you anyway? Feel free to call us or send us an email!