Career change as a lawyer
With your experience you can switch to 8 jobs in Germany: 2 right away, 6 with on-the-job training and 0 with training or a course.
In the job search you can sort by what matters to you, save jobs and see where they lead.
Career change paths
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Head of a legal office (Rechtsamt)
Also: Lawyer in the higher civil service (höherer Verwaltungsdienst)
Start right away
In ministries, government agencies or municipalities, you prepare laws and administrative decisions, head units or offices and represent the administration in court.
- What you bring:
- You can examine legal questions with confidence and give decisions solid reasoning.
- How to get there:
- With the qualification for judicial office, you generally meet the requirements for the higher civil service (höherer Verwaltungsdienst). Hiring runs through job postings by the federal government, the states and municipalities. Management positions usually require experience in public administration.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office€9,455gross per monthMedian salary
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Association managing director
Also: Association lawyer
Start right away
In an employers', business or social association, you advise members, represent them in court or before politicians and, with growing experience, lead the head office.
- What you bring:
- You know the legal questions of an industry and can represent interests convincingly.
- How to get there:
- Associations often hire fully qualified lawyers (Volljuristen) directly, especially with experience in employment, social or business law. You usually only take over the management after a few years in the association.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office€6,815gross per monthMedian salary
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Judge
Also: Judge at an administrative or social court
With on-the-job training
As a judge, you decide disputes independently, with great responsibility but usually more predictable working hours than in a law firm.
- What you bring:
- You know proceedings, written pleadings and hearings from the parties' side, and you hold the qualification for judicial office (Befähigung zum Richteramt).
- How to get there:
- The state judiciary first hires fully qualified lawyers (Volljuristen) with good exam grades as judges on probation. You can be appointed for life after at least three years in judicial service, and time spent working as a lawyer can count toward this. Grade requirements and selection procedures differ by federal state and type of court.*Regulated by law (German Judiciary Act (Deutsches Richtergesetz, DRiG) § 9).
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office€8,050gross per monthMedian salary
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Compliance manager
Also: Data protection officer
With on-the-job training
As a compliance manager or data protection officer, you make sure a company follows the regulations, train employees and advise senior management.
- What you bring:
- You can interpret laws, assess risks and formulate rules clearly.
- How to get there:
- Companies often hire fully qualified lawyers (Volljuristen) directly for such positions, and certificate courses in compliance or data protection usually take a few days to weeks. The work is more predictable than in a law firm, but more tied to a single company.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible€7,039gross per monthMedian salary
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Legal tech consultant
Also: Consultant for legal departments
With on-the-job training
As a consultant, you help legal departments and law firms introduce software, automate contracts and reorganize their processes.
- What you bring:
- You know the processes in law firms and legal departments and know where time is lost.
- How to get there:
- Software vendors and consulting firms train lawyers who are interested in technology in their products and methods, and courses on legal tech usually take a few days to weeks.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an officeHome office possible€6,768gross per monthMedian salary
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Law exam tutor (Repetitor)
Also: Law lecturer in adult education
With on-the-job training
As a tutor (Repetitor), you prepare students for the state exams (Staatsexamen); as a lecturer, you teach law at academies for public administration and business or at training providers.
- What you bring:
- You can explain legal questions in a structured way and know how to solve cases properly.
- How to get there:
- Exam prep schools (Repetitorien) and training providers usually hire fully qualified lawyers (Volljuristen) on a freelance basis at first. Good exam grades and teaching experience are an advantage. Permanent jobs exist at universities of applied sciences for public administration, which set their own requirements depending on the state.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Fixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people€4,155gross per monthMedian salary
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Editor at a legal publisher
Also: Editor for legal literature
With on-the-job training
At a specialist publisher, you manage commentaries, journals and databases, work with authors and plan new specialist content.
- What you bring:
- You can read legal texts precisely, check them and make them easy to understand.
- How to get there:
- Legal specialist publishers hire fully qualified lawyers (Volljuristen) directly as editors and train them in publishing procedures and databases. The hours are predictable, and you can often work partly from home.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible€4,237gross per monthMedian salary
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Claims lawyer at an insurer
Also: Claims adjuster for liability losses
With on-the-job training
At an insurer, you handle larger liability, legal expenses or property damage claims, negotiate with lawyers and manage legal proceedings.
- What you bring:
- You can examine liability questions with confidence and know how disputes can end in court.
- How to get there:
- Insurers hire fully qualified lawyers (Volljuristen) directly for claims departments and train them in insurance terms and procedures. Working hours are usually more regular than in a law firm.*
* No guarantee of accuracy.
Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office€7,208gross per monthMedian salary
Salary: median of all full-time employees in the job, gross per month excluding special payments, as of April 2025. Half earn more, half earn less. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), table 62361-0030, license dl-de/by-2-0. Assigned to the jobs by quereinsteiger.de. No guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently asked questions
Which jobs can I do as a lawyer without vocational training or retraining?
Without a new qualification, often with on-the-job training: Judge, Compliance manager, Head of a legal office (Rechtsamt), Association managing director, Legal tech consultant, Law exam tutor (Repetitor), Editor at a legal publisher and Claims lawyer at an insurer.
Which of these jobs pay the most?
According to official statistics, the highest median full-time salaries are: Head of a legal office (Rechtsamt) (€9,455 gross per month), Judge (€8,050 gross per month) and Claims lawyer at an insurer (€7,208 gross per month). Half of employees earn more, half earn less; when you start it is often lower. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), April 2025. No guarantee of accuracy.
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