Career change as a paralegal

Career change paths

• Receivables management clerk

  Also: Clerk at a debt collection company

  With on-the-job training

  In the receivables management department of a company, bank or debt collection agency you process open claims, agree on installment payments and start legal action.

  What you bring:

  You know court dunning procedures, enforceable titles and compulsory enforcement, and you are confident with deadlines and formal requirements.

  How to get there:

  Companies, banks and debt collection providers like to hire legal and notary assistants (ReNo) and give them a few weeks of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in their software and processes. Only the company needs to be registered as a debt collection service provider under the Legal Services Act (Rechtsdienstleistungsgesetz), not you as an employed clerk.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €4,278gross per monthMedian salary

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• Legal expenses insurance claims handler

  Also: Legal expenses insurance benefits assessor

  With on-the-job training

  At a legal expenses insurer you check requests for coverage and cost calculations from law firms and courts, and clarify with policyholders and law firms which costs are covered.

  What you bring:

  You know fees under the Lawyers' Remuneration Act, litigation costs and how proceedings work from your time at a law firm.

  How to get there:

  Legal expenses insurers hire paralegals (Rechtsanwaltsfachangestellte) for claims handling and give them a few weeks to a few months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in insurance terms and systems. Later you can deepen your insurance knowledge through courses or through the further training course Bachelor Professional in Insurance and Financial Investments at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an officeHome office possible

  €4,797gross per monthMedian salary

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• Clerk in property management

  Also: Property manager

  With on-the-job training

  In a property management or condominium management firm you look after tenancies and owners' associations, prepare owners' meetings, process reminders and terminations, and prepare statements together with accounting.

  What you bring:

  You are confident with contracts, deadlines and dunning, and you know the basics of tenancy law and correspondence with courts.

  How to get there:

  Property management firms also hire legal and notary assistants (ReNo) for commercial administration and give them a few months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung). If you work directly on managing condominiums or rental apartments there, you must complete 20 hours of further training within three calendar years under § 34c para. 2a GewO. If you look after owners' associations yourself, some management firms expect you to pass the exam for certified property manager at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). A management firm may only call itself certified if the employees entrusted with this task have passed the exam or have an equivalent qualification such as real estate clerk (Immobilienkaufmann).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €3,940gross per monthMedian salary

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• Patent clerk

  Also: Trademark administration clerk

  With on-the-job training

  In the patent department of a company or a patent attorney firm you manage intellectual property rights, monitor deadlines and annual fees with the offices, and stay in contact with foreign law firms.

  What you bring:

  You monitor deadlines reliably, work precisely with formal requirements and know how to correspond with courts and offices.

  How to get there:

  Companies with their own patent department and patent attorney firms give paralegals (Rechtsanwaltsfachangestellte) a few months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in managing intellectual property rights and in the software used for it. Chambers and training providers offer courses on patent and trademark law. Good English is expected, because rights are also registered internationally.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an officeHome office possible

  €3,421gross per monthMedian salary

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• Recourse clerk at a health insurance fund

  Also: Recourse clerk at an employers' liability insurance association

  With on-the-job training

  In the recourse department of a health insurance fund or employers' liability insurance association (Berufsgenossenschaft) you recover treatment costs from those who caused accidents and their insurers, check claims and negotiate, up to and including court proceedings.

  What you bring:

  You know dunning procedures, court proceedings, deadlines and the enforcement of claims from the law firm, and you are confident with written submissions.

  How to get there:

  The basis is that claims for damages pass to the social insurance provider under § 116 SGB X (Social Code, Book X). Health insurance funds and accident insurance providers like to hire paralegals (Rechtsanwaltsfachangestellte) for this and train them in-house in social insurance law, often over several months. For permanent positions, some providers later expect an internal course or the qualification as social insurance specialist (Sozialversicherungsfachangestellte).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office

  €3,964gross per monthMedian salary

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• Clerk in the fines office

  Also: Clerk in the public order office

  With on-the-job training

  In fines offices and public order offices you process proceedings, review objections, issue permits and hand cases over to courts or enforcement.

  What you bring:

  You know procedures, service of documents, deadlines and enforcement, and you write clear notices and letters.

  How to get there:

  Municipalities hire assistants from the judiciary and law firms as employees under collective pay agreements (Tarif) and give them on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in specialist procedures. Employers often let you take administrative course I (Verwaltungslehrgang I) alongside the job. If you are a judicial clerk (Justizfachangestellte), you can also switch within the public service through internal job postings.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office

  €3,822gross per monthMedian salary

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• Loan workout clerk at a bank

  Also: Receivables management clerk

  With on-the-job training

  At banks and savings banks you look after non-performing loans, negotiate installment payments, realize collateral and carry out compulsory enforcement.

  What you bring:

  You know dunning procedures, compulsory enforcement and insolvency from hands-on experience, and you are confident with enforceable titles, deadlines and courts.

  How to get there:

  Banks, savings banks and receivables service providers give paralegals and judicial clerks (Rechtsanwalts- und Justizfachangestellte) a few months of on-the-job training (Einarbeitung) in lending business and systems. There you compete with trained bank clerks, but your experience with enforcement is useful there.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €5,219gross per monthMedian salary

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• Certified senior legal specialist (Rechtsfachwirt)

  Also: Head of law firm office (Bürovorsteher)

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a senior legal specialist or head of a law firm office, you run the firm's office, organize staff and training, take over difficult cost calculations and enforcement matters, and take work off the lawyers' hands.

  What you bring:

  You know deadlines, dunning and enforcement procedures, cost law and law firm processes from daily work.

  How to get there:

  Alongside your job, you can take the further training course for certified senior legal specialist (Rechtsfachwirt) at the Bar Association (Rechtsanwaltskammer). In a notary's office, the equivalent is certified senior notary specialist (Notarfachwirt) at the Chamber of Notaries (Notarkammer). The course usually takes one and a half to two years and can be funded through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications). You are generally admitted after completing vocational training (Ausbildung) and a few years of work experience. The exact requirements are set by the respective chamber.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightIn an office
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• Professional legal guardian

  Also: Employee at a guardianship association

  With further training

  As a legal guardian (rechtliche Betreuung) you handle official matters, finances, housing and health questions according to their wishes for people who cannot do this themselves because of illness or disability.

  What you bring:

  You know procedural law, deadlines and correspondence with authorities and courts, and you have experience with people in difficult life situations.

  How to get there:

  To register as a professional legal guardian, you need expertise in guardianship law, social law and communication, which you can prove, for example, with a recognized expertise course of at least 270 hours. You also need personal suitability, reliability and professional liability insurance. You can start as an employee of a recognized guardianship association (Betreuungsverein). In some cases you can then be registered even if most of the expertise is already in place and you make up the rest later. If you are self-employed, your income depends on the number of guardianships.*Regulated by law (Guardianship Organization Act (BtOG) § 23; Guardian Registration Ordinance (BtRegV) §§ 3 to 7).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €4,457gross per monthMedian salary

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• Pension adviser (Rentenberater)

  With further trainingPromotion

  As a pension adviser you check pension notices, advise insured people on pensions, reduced earning capacity and pension equalization (Versorgungsausgleich), and represent them before the pension insurance provider and the social courts.

  What you bring:

  You work precisely with laws, notices and deadlines and know objection and court procedures.

  How to get there:

  For pension advice you need to be registered with the Federal Office of Justice (Bundesamt für Justiz). You prove theoretical expertise, usually through an expertise course of at least 150 hours, and practical expertise, as a rule at least two years of work under supervision, for example with a pension adviser. You also need professional liability insurance; after that you work self-employed or in law firms and associations.*Regulated by law (Legal Services Act (RDG) §§ 10, 12; Legal Services Ordinance (RDV) §§ 2 to 5).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office

  €6,417gross per monthMedian salary

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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.