As a prospective student of Law, you should possess a profound interest in working with texts, language, and argumentation, as well as a passion for societal, political, social, and economic issues.

You should be interested in exchanging arguments and in constructive and professional disputes, while being able to empathize with people.  You should also possess a sound, structured way of thinking and an interest in the issue of what justice is and how to act justly.

During your basic studies, you will take courses in the fundamentals of private law, public law, and criminal law, including the historical and philosophical aspects of each.

During your core studies, you will expand your knowledge in these areas and then select a specialization. Throughout your studies, you can delve deeper into this broad spectrum of legal knowledge according to your interests and motivations.

Exam preparation and the first legal exam round off the program of study.

You can begin with your area of specialization around your 6th academic semester. You may select from one of three models:

1. Study abroad model

• Dijon, France
• Trento, Italy
• Glasgow, Scotland
• Valencia, Spain

2. Elective model in criminal law with an additional specialization in the area of criminal defense or criminology

• Administration of criminal justice with a specialization in criminal defense
• Administration of criminal justice with a specialization in criminology

3. Combined model

You select one subject from each of two groups and are free to combine them as you wish.

Subject group 1:

• Corporate and capital market law
• International private and procedural law
• Media law
• Methodology and history of law
• Public commercial law

Subject group 2:

• German and European labor law
• European and German cartel and competition law
• Family and inheritance law (specialization)
• International public law
• Communications law
• Tax law

Unique qualities of the Law degree program at JGU:

• A strong international focus with the option of completing a part of your undergraduate studies – namely the specialization segment of the first state examination – at a university in France, Scotland, Italy, or Spain.
• A strong focus on economic law in the areas of specialization at JGU
• Communications and media law, fitting with the strong media presence in Mainz

In terms of of key competencies, only the Law degree course at JGU gives you the option to earn a Key Competencies Certificate in Law and Economics and a Key Competencies Certificate in Ethics – Religion – Law.

Specializations

The compulsory modules are as follows:

Stay abroad

Would you like to live abroad for a semester or a year? Do you want to learn another language and get to know a new culture? Or gain a different perspective on your particular subject? A stay abroad provides you with the perfect opportunity to achieve this and is possible with every degree program – either self-organized or by taking advantage of one of the popular exchange programs. This is made possible by various cooperation agreements and partnerships with foreign universities.

For more information on this topic, please visit our websites on studying abroad. Visit our student exchange platform for an overview of cooperating universities in your field.

This program of study does not require you to spend time abroad, but you nevertheless have the opportunity to do so.

A semester abroad is suitable after the intermediate exam (4th or 5th semester).

The study abroad program with emphasis in French Law, Italian Law, or Scottish Law / Common Law should be completed near the end of your studies.

Internships

In this program, the completion of internships is mandatory. However, you may choose in which area you would like to carry out your internships: jurisprudence and the judicial system, legal counselling, or administration. You can choose to do your internship in Germany or abroad during the semester breaks. The total time to complete one or more internships is 13 weeks. You can choose to break this up over several internships. The minimum time period for a single internship is, however, three weeks. It is recommended that you break up your internship time into three separate periods throughout the course of study.

Voluntary internships are another good opportunity to obtain more in-depth insight into a professional field.

An internship allows you to discover whether everyday life in a particular occupation suits your career expectations and interests. You can gain qualifications for a professional field and acquire important professional and personal skills to start a career. An internship helps you both shape your career path, and mold the remainder of your course sequence – in particular by selecting specializations that suit your practical experience.

You can find further information and relevant internships on the Career Service website.

The Law degree course is completed after the first state examination. Afterwards, you will complete a Rechtsreferendariat – a mandatory traineeship, which is the practical part of the two-part legal training – before taking the second state examination. This degree is the main requirement to become a lawyer, judge, public prosecutor, or notary in Germany.

In this program of study, you will acquire a strong methodological foundation, which will open the door to many different professional fields and enable you to adapt and address new legal issues that will inevitably arise in the future.

Purely legal professions (second state examination must be passed):

• Judge
• Attorney
• Public prosecutor
• Notary

Passing the second state examination also qualifies you for entry into the higher level of the civil service.

Furthermore, numerous other professional fields and industries will be open to you:

• National and international organizations and corporations
• Trade associations and advocacy organizations
• Politics
• Journalism
• Other freelance professions (tax advisor, auditor)

Graduates of a Law degree program at JGU have been employed as:

• Minister-president of Rhineland-Palatinate
• Lawyer for a publicly financed broadcasting company
• Judge for the Federal Social Court
• Evaluator for the EU’s Competition Commission
• Head of the code enforcement office for a large city in Rhineland-Palatinate
• Specialist lawyer for inheritance law
• Notary in a Hessian town
• Professor of Public Law at a university
• Professor of Regulatory Law at a university of applied sciences
• Public prosecutor in Bavaria
• Employee in the research service of the German Bundestag
• Advisor for a labor union
• Head of division for the association of Hessian cities (Hessischer Städtetag)

Not sure what to do after graduation? Don’t worry!

A university degree generally does not prepare you for a single profession but qualifies you for a wide range of career paths – for example, in research, in a typical profession related to your field of study, or in one of many other academic fields.

This is why career orientation is also part of your studies. Gaining practical experience is key, and you can do so through internships, working student positions, part-time jobs or voluntary work, for example.

JGU’s Career Service will support you throughout the entire process with information, advice, workshops and numerous events – from career orientation and working on your profile and skills to finding your dream job and successfully applying for it.