zweites juristisches Staatsexamen

Once you have passed the second state examination in law, you will be qualified to become a judge. This is not only a prerequisite for becoming a judge, but also for many other legal professions, e.g. public prosecutor, lawyer and notary.

You will be admitted to the second state examination in law if you have completed the legal preparatory service. You will be admitted to this if you have previously studied law at a university and passed the first examination. This consists of a university specialization examination and a compulsory state examination.

The standard period of study for a law degree after the first examination is 10 semesters. The subjects of the course are compulsory subjects and specialization areas with elective options; in addition, foreign language skills must be demonstrated. Compulsory subjects are the core areas of civil law, criminal law, public law and procedural law, including European law, legal methods and the philosophical, historical and social foundations. The focus areas serve to supplement and deepen the course. The course takes into account judicial, administrative and legal advisory practice, including the key qualifications required for this, e.g. dispute resolution. Practical study periods take place during the lecture-free period.

The legal traineeship lasts two years and consists of compulsory and optional stages. Compulsory stages are

• an ordinary court in civil matters,
• a court in criminal matters or the public prosecutor's office,
• an administrative authority and
• an attorney at law.

If desired, further training can also take place in other places where appropriate training is guaranteed, e.g. with a notary or in the legal department of a company, in Germany or abroad.

The so-called Rechtsreferendarinnen and Rechtsreferendare are assigned to individual trainers during the legal preparatory service. The training is accompanied by working groups.

The second state examination in law consists of a written part (written examinations) and an oral part (examination interview, possibly a presentation). It covers the core areas of civil law, criminal law and public law, including procedural law. The tasks take into account the areas of activity of the courts and public prosecutor's offices as well as the legal profession.

A failed examination can be repeated once, in exceptional cases twice.

A passed examination can be repeated once to improve the grade.

As a trainee lawyer, you will automatically be presented and invited to the examination.

You therefore do not need to submit any documents. Admission to the legal traineeship and completion of the training are sufficient.

You have completed a law degree at a university, passed the first examination and then completed the legal traineeship.

• Apply for admission to the preparatory legal service by submitting your certificate of having passed your first examination.
• Complete the legal preparatory service properly.
• You will automatically be presented for the second state examination in law and invited to the examination sections.

• The second state examination concludes the legal preparatory service.
• Anyone who is studying law at a university and has passed the first examination is accepted into the preparatory legal service.