Dr. Julius Hagen, Attorney at Law
Approach
Dr. Hagen represents clients personally throughout the proceedings, remaining directly responsible for the defence from the earliest stage of the investigation to the final resolution of the case. Where matters extend beyond German borders, he works closely with trusted local counsel to ensure a coordinated defence across jurisdictions.
Areas of Practice
Direct Contact
RATH HAGEN | Düsseldorf Office
📍 Couvenstr. 4, 40211 Düsseldorf
☎ +49 211 97632101
📠 +49 211 97632103
✉ julius.hagen@rh-legal.de
in LinkedIn profile
Selected Matters
- Defence in Cum/Ex proceedings conducted by the Cologne Public Prosecutor’s Office
- Defence in complex domestic narcotics proceedings and appeals on points of law before the Federal Court of Justice, including the inter-senate consultation proceedings concerning the legal classification of the possession of cannabis seedlings (BGH, consultation decision of 27 November 2024 and final decision of 15 October 2025 – 3 StR 25/24)
- Representation in proceedings conducted by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), Frankfurt office
- Advising and representing individuals affected by internal investigations conducted by international and European organisations
- Extradition proceedings involving, among other jurisdictions, the United States, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Romania, Belgium, France, Italy and the United Arab Emirates
- Representation before the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files in Red Notice and Diffusion cases involving international business figures and political dissidents
Professional Background
- RATH HAGEN Rechtsanwälte – Co-founder | Attorney
- Full-service law firm – Senior Associate | Attorney focusing on Criminal Defence, White-Collar Crime and Extradition Law
- University of Wuppertal – Managing Director
- Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia – Adviser overseeing complex public-sector construction projects
- University of Hagen – Research Associate in criminal law and criminal procedure at the Chair of Criminal Law, History of Criminal Law and Legal Philosophy
Education & Qualifications
- Doctorate in Law (Dr. iur.) – summa cum laude
- Specialist Lawyer Course in Criminal Law – successfully completed; theoretical qualification obtained in accordance with section 4 of the German Specialist Lawyers Regulations (FAO)
- First and Second German State Examinations in Law – qualification for judicial office; subsequently admitted to the German Bar
- Legal Clerkship (Referendariat), Düsseldorf – including placements with the Political Crime Division of the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor’s Office and a criminal defence and extradition boutique
- Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf – studied law and philosophy
Selected Publications
- Private Prosecution (Nebenklage) within the Framework of Victim Participation in Criminal Proceedings: The Path to a Victim-Centred Society. Legislation and Reform Discourse since 1870, De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston 2021
- Criminal Procedure Law (Advanced), Hagen University Press 2019 (with Prof. Dr. Gabriele Zwiehoff)
Selected Speaking Engagements
- Johanna Stahl Centre, Würzburg (2024) – Antisemitism and Criminal Law
Media & Interviews
- L’Express (France) – Interview on INTERPOL Red Notices, politically motivated notices and proceedings before the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF): Kamel Daoud, Chinese dissidents and the INTERPOL corruption case: the abuses of Red Notices (2025)
- Amnesty International, JURIST and The European Times – International human-rights and legal coverage of the case of Syrian refugee Mohamad Alkayali, his arrest in Türkiye on the basis of an INTERPOL Red Notice requested by Saudi Arabia and the threat of extradition. Dr Julius Hagen represented Mohamad Alkayali before the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF) and obtained the definitive deletion of the Red Notice: Türkiye: Syrian refugee at risk of extradition: Mohamad Alkayali; Türkiye: Syrian refugee faces dangerous extradition; Türkiye urged to halt extradition of Syrian refugee and activist Mohamad Alkayali; Mohamad Alkayali, a Syrian refugee victim of the weaponization of INTERPOL by Saudi Arabia (2025)
- News24 (South Africa) – Quoted on German–South African extradition law in connection with the Markus Jooste proceedings: Markus Jooste is now a wanted man, but he will likely escape being extradited to Germany (22 June 2023); Germany wants Markus Jooste extradited after appeal fails (14 August 2023)
- Radio Leverkusen and Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (Germany) – Coverage of a criminal trial before the Cologne Regional Court concerning allegations of armed cannabis trafficking in connection with a large-scale cannabis cultivation operation. The defendant represented by Dr Julius Hagen was acquitted: Prozessstart: Leverkusener bauten Drogen bei Oma an; Angeklagte wollen Hanfplantage in Leverkusen nur geerbt haben; Leverkusen: Drogen und Waffen – Urteil gefallen (2025)
Memberships & Professional Affiliations
- European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA)
- European Fraud and Compliance Lawyers (EFCL)
- German Bar Association (DAV - Deutscher Anwaltverein)
- Criminal Law Working Group of the German Bar Association (AG Strafrecht des DAV)
- German Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers (Deutsche Strafverteidiger e.V.)
- Düsseldorf Bar Association (Rechtsanwaltskammer Düsseldorf)
Working languages
- German
- English
Contact Dr. Hagen
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