Natalie Krause believes that her professors had it easier than she did. The amount of compulsory material that a prospective lawyer has to cope with has "at least doubled, if not tripled" in recent years. There are "more and more laws, more and more case law", for example on general terms and conditions, digitization and data protection. "The pressure is extremely high."

Sascha Zoske

Newspaper editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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Krause, who is studying law at the University of Frankfurt in her 10th semester, knows of fellow students who were unable to cope with this burden. She knows former fellow students who failed the First State Examination twice and had to give up their studies as a result. However, the Hessian state chairwoman of the Ring of Christian Democratic Students (RCDS) also believes that not all of these failed people are unsuitable for a legal profession. It is therefore committed to awarding students a degree – a Bachelor of Laws – after acquiring the "big certificates" in their undergraduate studies without a First State Examination.

The RCDS has gained an influential supporter for this proposal: In a letter to Krause, the Hessian Minister of Justice, Roman Poseck (CDU), speaks out in favour of the introduction of such a bachelor's degree integrated into traditional law studies. Surveys have repeatedly shown how great the interest of many students is in such a degree. This could not only open up career paths beyond the traditional judicial professions, but also serve as a "safety net" in the event of a final failure in the First State Examination. Some states have already included the integrated bachelor's degree in their coalition agreements – "that's what I'm striving for in Hesse as well".

Alternative career paths could benefit

Poseck's ministry clarifies the plans when asked. With a bachelor's degree, law faculties could form their own focal points and create incentives for additional specialization. Law studies would also become more attractive for international students and for locals who wanted to go abroad – after all, the Bachelor of Laws is a generally used academic degree.

Graduates without a state examination cannot work as judges, public prosecutors or lawyers in Germany. Neither Poseck nor RCDS chairman Krause want to change that. But they see plenty of other job opportunities. Especially with a deepening through a master's degree, bachelor's graduates could work in business, political science, administration, journalism or the growing legal tech industry, the ministry writes. Based on her contacts with employees of a large management consultancy, Krause suspects that holders of a law bachelor's degree would be taken "with a kiss on the hand" – not for the top jobs, but for other well-paid positions.

Ministry does not expect high hurdles

From the point of view of the Hessian Ministry of Justice, the political and organizational hurdles for the introduction of such a degree are not too high. Since higher education law is a matter for the federal states, they can create the necessary prerequisites; the universities, on the other hand, already have the opportunity to create such offers in cooperation with accreditation agencies.

In the Hessian law departments, the enthusiasm for Poseck's proposal is not quite as great. They recognize that multiple failures in the state examination are a fiasco for those affected and that the desire for a lifeline for this case is great. "20 percent to a third of the candidates fail the first state examination," says Pierre Hauck, Dean of Studies at the University of Giessen. He estimates the rate of those who finally fail the state examination after two or three attempts – including the "free shot" if they register early – at around five percent.

Nevertheless, Hauck sees a number of difficulties that the new degree would entail. "In England, you can become a lawyer with a bachelor's degree," he points out. "If the degree is introduced in our country, the pressure will increase to admit people with a pure bachelor's degree to us as lawyers, for example, provided that you are serious about the European comparability of degrees." The Giessen Dean of Studies also doubts that the need for assistant lawyers, for example in management consultancies, is really so great. "Even with outstanding grades, a bachelor's graduate will lose in competition with a mediocre fully qualified lawyer."

Bachelor's degree could increase the burden on teachers

Thomas Vesting, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Frankfurt, expresses his skepticism even more clearly. Many tasks for which law graduates without a state examination would be eligible would probably soon be done by artificial intelligence anyway. Vesting is also worried that the establishment and accreditation of a bachelor's branch could place additional burdens on his faculty. The course is already 115 to 130 percent overcrowded; a professor has to take care of an average of 146 students. Providing teachers for additional modules is hardly feasible without higher state subsidies.

In addition, a grading problem would have to be solved if the Bachelor's degree were to be introduced. The legal scholars are notorious for their harsh censorship; even a degree with "fully satisfactory" is considered a predicate exam, while in many bachelor's degree programs a "very good" is the rule rather than the exception.

The RCDS is aware of this dilemma. The comparability of grades with those in existing Bachelor of Laws courses must be ensured, writes the CDU student organization. Its Hesse chairman Krause, however, is convinced that this obstacle can be overcome just as much as the others. "Adapting structures is actually always successful."