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Erfurt (dpa / th) - The Thuringian Ministry of Justice wants to recruit trainee lawyers from the Free State as probationary officials.
"In order to continue the rejuvenation of the judiciary in Thuringia, which has already begun, and to be able to create a homogeneous age structure, the proportion of new recruits of trial reporters must be increased," said a ministry spokesman for the German press agency.
However, this is only possible if there are sufficiently qualified applicants for these positions.
Recently, the corresponding number of applicants has decreased.
The Ministry is convinced that they would rise again if the legal preparatory service was completed again as a civil servant on revocation and not, as is currently the case, as an employee.
About five years ago, Thuringia decided not to hire trainee lawyers as probationary officials, but to employ them in the state.
For many young lawyers, this type of employment appears to be less attractive, even in a country comparison.
In theory, it is also possible to increase the so-called maintenance allowance that junior lawyers are currently receiving from the state.
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According to experience, this step will not be enough to inspire sufficiently qualified young people for a legal traineeship in Thuringia, said the spokesman.
"Rather, what is decisive for increasing the attractiveness is the employment of legal trainees and the associated legal status advantages."
If you want to become a judge or public prosecutor, you have to complete a legal traineeship of around two years in Germany after studying law and passing the first state examination.
The trainee lawyer is deployed at courts or public prosecutor's offices, for example, and gains practical experience.
He then takes the second state examination and thus acquires the basic qualification for the office of judge.
This is the formal requirement to later be able to work as a judge or public prosecutor.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the majority of the approximately 700 judges and prosecutors in Thuringia are older than 50 years - and will therefore be retired in the foreseeable future.
For several years now, the ministry has been trying to find sufficient successors for those who are leaving.
The ministry has already developed a specific initiative to help legal trainees be reinstated as civil servants on probation.
This is now to be presented to the state parliament.
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If legal trainees were to become trial officials again, this would, according to the spokesman, lead to higher costs for the state budget.
For the training of an unmarried, childless trainee lawyer as a civil servant on revocation, personnel costs of around 47,500 euros would be incurred over the entire duration of the training, said the spokesman.
The comparable costs for an employed trainee lawyer would be around 38,200 euros.
However, since only about 60 legal trainees are hired annually in Thuringia, the additional costs are relatively low overall.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210215-99-443258 / 2