Family, inheritance, damages, land and property, criminal and administrative matters. One lawyer from the first conversation to the judgment - and you know the estimated fee in advance.
If you are reading this page, you have probably ended up in a situation you did not choose: a divorce, a dispute over child maintenance, the estate of a relative, a neighbour occupying your land, a summons to questioning, or a decision by a public authority that seems unjust. In such situations the hardest part is not knowing what to do first, what it will cost, and whether anyone will genuinely stand on your side.
My job is to turn that uncertainty into a clear plan. In our first conversation I explain, in plain language, what your rights are, what the realistic scenarios look like and roughly what each of them would cost. Then you decide.
Advice, representation before courts and public authorities, drafting of documents - in civil, criminal and administrative matters.
Divorce by mutual consent or through the courts, division of property, the child's place of residence and contact arrangements, establishment of paternity.
Read more →Awards of maintenance, increases and reductions, recovery of arrears, maintenance for an adult child in education.
Read more →Acceptance of an estate, restoration of a missed deadline, challenging a will, the compulsory share, disputes between heirs, debts of the deceased.
Read more →Road accidents, medical errors, defective services, defamation, pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage - through to actual recovery.
Read more →Plot boundaries, easements, disputes between co-owners, use arrangements, construction, challenging property transactions, disputes with the National Land Service and the municipality.
Read more →Defence in pre-trial investigation and at trial, representation of victims; administrative offence cases, appeals against decisions of public authorities, civil service, EU funding.
Read more →Twenty-five years at the Law Institute of Lithuania - from researcher to director, and more than ten years as editor-in-chief of the journal Teises problemos. In your case I see not a single provision but the whole system - and arguments your opponents do not expect.
Adviser to the Committee on Legal Affairs of the Seimas during the adoption of the new codes (1999-2000), drafter of the final text of the Criminal Code and of the Law on Legislative Drafting, expert on hundreds of draft laws.
I handle your case myself, from the first conversation to the judgment. No assistants you are never introduced to. You always know who is responsible, and you can always call.
Once I have assessed the situation I give you an estimated total fee. Short clarifying questions by phone or email are answered without starting the meter.
You describe the situation briefly. I reply within one working day - immediately in urgent matters.
In person, by phone or by video call. I establish the facts, review the documents and explain the possible scenarios and their likelihood. You receive an estimated fee.
The legal services agreement sets out the scope and the fee clearly. No surprises.
Negotiations, documents, courts, public authorities. You receive regular updates in plain language, and spend your time on the things you enjoy.
Doctor of Law · Professor of Practice at Vilnius University · practising attorney at law (Lithuanian Bar Association, since 2016)
I studied law at Vilnius University (1999) and defended my doctoral thesis in law in 2004. I spent most of my career where law is made and studied - in the Seimas, at the Law Institute of Lithuania, at the university and at the EU investment agency. I began practising as an attorney in 2016 deliberately: I wanted that accumulated knowledge to serve particular people in particular cases. That is why my practice is small and will remain so - I take on only as many clients as I can serve myself.
Divorce is one of the few legal procedures most people go through only once, which is why mistakes here are expensive and long-lasting: property divided unfairly, an unfavourable decision on where the children live, or maintenance set too low will follow you for years. My aim is a process that is as swift and dignified as possible, and that works in your favour.
Yes. A marriage may be dissolved on the application of one spouse, or by reason of the fault of the other spouse.
No - the court may depart from equal shares having regard to the interests of the children, health, financial circumstances and other factors.
The law sets no fixed amount of maintenance - it is determined by the child's needs and the parents' means. That means every euro has to be won with arguments and evidence. Here a lawyer's work translates directly into your child's quality of life.
There is no fixed sum; the courts often take half of the minimum monthly wage as a reference point, but the amount can be higher - depending on the needs and means that are proven.
Yes - for no more than three years before the claim is brought.
The loss of someone close often brings unexpected legal worries too: the three-month deadline for accepting an estate, the debts of the deceased, a contested will, disagreements between brothers and sisters. I handle these matters with tact, so that the legal process does not deepen the grief.
No. The court may restore the deadline for good reasons; it is also possible to prove that you accepted the estate by actually taking possession of it.
Yes, but if you accept the estate under an inventory your liability is limited to the value of the inherited property.
The law grants a right to full compensation, but in practice that right is realised only where the loss is properly proven and quantified. A mixed fee is possible: a minimal fixed element plus a success fee on the sum awarded.
The general limitation period is three years from becoming aware of the damage; shorter periods and a mandatory pre-litigation procedure apply in insurance and consumer disputes.
Land disputes are among the longest and the most emotionally difficult. Resolving them requires not only the Civil Code but knowledge of land, spatial planning, construction law and cadastral rules, and the ability to work with surveyors and experts.
First, cadastral measurements and a written demand; if no agreement is reached, a claim for the determination of boundaries and removal of the infringement.
A criminal case decides questions of liberty, reputation and the future - the first hours after a summons to questioning are decisive. Do not sign documents or give evidence without defence counsel. I took part in drafting the final text of the Criminal Code - I know this law other than from the commentaries. I taught administrative law at Vilnius University and for five years headed the legal divisions of a state agency - I know where to look for an authority's mistakes.
A suspect has the right to refuse to give evidence, and that cannot be treated as proof of guilt. Speak to a lawyer before questioning.
The answer most often given to someone crushed not by a particular official but by the rule itself is: that is what the law says, nothing can be done. That is untrue. Secondary legislation can be challenged before the administrative courts, and the conformity of a statute, a government resolution or a presidential decree with the Constitution can be brought before the Constitutional Court through the court hearing your case. It is rarely used, but it is sometimes the only measure that works.
In this field I rely on more than practice: in 1999-2000 I served as adviser to the Committee on Legal Affairs of the Seimas during the adoption of the new codes, I am a drafter of the Law on Legislative Drafting and the author of expert opinions on several hundred draft laws, and I have researched and taught the case-law of the Constitutional Court at Vilnius University.
Assess whether there are groundsDirectly - only by an individual constitutional complaint, and only once all other remedies have been exhausted. The route that works more often is different: persuading the court hearing your case that the applicable provision conflicts with the Constitution, so that the court itself makes the referral.
Proceedings before the Constitutional Court usually take from a few months to a couple of years, and your own case is stayed in the meantime. That is why I always assess beforehand whether the result is worth the wait.
Preparing the application or complaint is charged at a fixed fee, agreed in advance after the documents have been reviewed. Before that I assess separately whether there are grounds at all - and if there are none, I say so.
Every statement I make about my experience can be checked against independent sources - the links are below.
For more than a decade I was editor-in-chief of the academic journal Teises problemos, an expert for the Council of Europe's GRECO, Transparency International and Global Integrity, and from 2016 to 2020 I led the national research programme on corruption in the private sector.
The value of legal services is determined by the result, and the result by competence and time. I know that for someone who needs a lawyer for the first time, what is frightening is not the fee itself but not knowing it. So once I have the necessary information I can almost always give an estimated total fee, which changes only if genuinely unforeseen work arises.
| Service | Estimated fee |
|---|---|
| Consultation (up to 1 hour, in person, by phone or by video call); credited against the fee for the case | 150 € |
| Short clarifying questions by phone or email for existing clients | free of charge |
| Drafting or reviewing an agreement | from EUR 200 |
| Claim, appeal or defence statement | from EUR 600 |
| Divorce by mutual consent (including the agreement on consequences) | from EUR 600 |
| Representation in court | hourly rate or a fixed fee per stage of the case - agreed in advance |
The engagement letter states the scope and the fee. No hidden charges.
A single reassuring phone call should not turn into an invoice.
In civil and administrative cases a minimal fixed element plus a share of the result achieved is possible (the law does not allow this in criminal cases).
A short phone conversation, in which I tell you whether I can help and roughly what it would cost, is free. A full consultation with a review of documents is charged (EUR 150), but that amount is credited against the fee for the case if we enter into an agreement.
Yes. I advise by phone or video call, we sign documents with electronic signatures, and I appear before courts throughout Lithuania, including remotely.
Yes. Legal professional privilege is protected by the Law on the Bar - the information is not disclosed to anyone.
No - professional ethics prohibit it, and anyone who guarantees it is misleading you. What I guarantee is an honest assessment of the prospects and maximum effort.
All the relevant documents (agreements, decisions, letters, records), a chronological account of events and a list of your questions.
An attorney at law has passed the qualifying examination, is entered in the register of the Lithuanian Bar Association, holds professional indemnity insurance and is bound by the code of ethics and legal professional privilege. Only an attorney may act as defence counsel in a criminal case.
Within one working day. In urgent matters - detention, expiring deadlines - call at any time.
Describe your situation and within one working day I will tell you what can be done and roughly what it will cost. The first conversation commits you to nothing.
Dr Petras Ragauskas, Attorney at Law
Petras Ragauskas Law Office
Tilto st. 3, LT-01101 Vilnius
Meetings by prior arrangement · Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00
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