Procedure descriptions

Established European lawyer - application for entry to the bar association

Do you wish to work in Germany as an established lawyer and have you previously worked in the profession in one of the following countries

in a Member State of the European Union (EU),
in a contracting state of the Treaty concerning the European Economic Area (EEA)
or Switzerland?

In Germany, you can only work under the professional title of your home country if the competent German bar association accepts you.

Responsible department

the Bar Association in whose district you would like to set up your law firm

Details

Prerequisite

Citizenship of an EU/EEA state or Switzerland
Professionally licensed in the country of origin
This means that you must be registered with the competent body of your home country as a European lawyer.
Professional indemnity insurance

Procedure

The application for acceptance must be submitted to the competent body in writing. The bar association in whose area you wish to set up the law firm is responsible. The application form can either be obtained from there or downloaded from the Internet. Your application must be signed by hand or contain a qualified electronic signature.

Note: The application and the required documents must be submitted in the German language.

Should the requirements for admission be complied with, the bar association will accept you as a member. The acceptance is for an unlimited period of time.

Deadlines

None

Required documents

CV with photo
Proof of citizenship of an EU/EEA state or Switzerland
Certification of the competent authorities in the country of origin concerning your professional standing (not older than three months)
Certification that you have not been guilty of any grave professional misconduct or criminal offences and that there are no other circumstances that cast doubt on your suitability for the lawyer’s profession
Certificate of good conduct from your country of origin
Proof of professional indemnity insurance (either by means of an insurance policy concluded in Germany or equivalent insurance in the country of origin)
The competent body may request further documents:
- Proof of academic qualifications (transcript)
- Documents concerning work at a law firm
- Law firm confirmation
- Compatibility of the work carried out with secondary employment

Please note: You must provide the documents as originals or as officially certified copies. Documents written in foreign languages must be translated into German. The translation must be prepared by a sworn translator.

Costs

in the district of the Stuttgart Bar Association: EUR 150,00
in the district of the Tübingen Bar Association: EUR 205,00
in the district of the Karlsruhe Bar Association: EUR 200,00
in the district of the Freiburg Bar Association: EUR 210,00

Processing time

Four to six weeks.

Miscellaneous

You must provide the bar association with an annual certificate concerning your professional work from the competent body in the country of origin.

Admission to the German legal profession

You can be admitted to the German legal profession if you

have worked for at least three years effectively and regularly in the area of German law, including EU law
as an established European lawyer.

The exact requirements can be found in § 11 of the Law concerning the Activities of European Lawyers in Germany - Gesetze über die Tätigkeit europäischer Rechtsanwälte in Deutschland (EuRAG).

Legal basis

Release note

The German original version of this text was drafted in close cooperation with the relevant departments. The Rechtsanwaltskammern Baden-Württemberg released it on 28.04.2015. Only the German text is legally binding. The Federal State does not assume any liability for the translated texts.
In cases of doubt or if you have any questions or problems, please contact the relevant authorities directly.