The legal studies always comprise the three major fields of law: public law, civil law and criminal law. The study is supplemented by a focus area study with the possibility of specialization in a subject area.

As of October 2019, the standard period of study is 10 semesters. A maximum duration of study is not (no longer) determined. The curriculum of the Department of Law in Erlangen assumes a pure study time (without exam) of eight semesters. With the successful passing of the First State Examination in Law and the University Examination, one acquires the title “Diplom-Jurist”.

In the basic studies (1st-4th semester), the basic subjects, basic courses and lectures must be attended. Final examinations in all subjects and the intermediate examination must be passed.

In the subsequent main study period, the exercises for advanced students (“major exams”) are to be completed in the 5th and 6th semesters. Parallel to this, in the 5th semester, the main area of study usually begins, which ends with the University Law Examination.

The 7th and 8th semesters serve – in addition to the main area of study – above all to prepare for the First Juridical Examination, i.e. above all the preparation of examinations must be practiced and the material relevant to the examination must be repeated and deepened. The standard period of study has now been increased to 10 semesters, so that you have a little more time to prepare for the state exam and so that your study time can be individually equalized.

In the Law degree program, you always take the core subjects of civil law, public law and criminal law. You can only specialize to a relatively small extent in so-called focus areas. At FAU, you can choose from the following 11 areas:

• Corporate Law
• Banking and capital market law
• Tax law
• Intellectual Property and Competition Law
• International and European Public Law
• Private International Law
• Labor and social security law
• Fundamentals of Law
• State and Administration
• Criminal sciences
• Fundamental and human rights

• Interest in social/political issues,
• oral and written expression skills,
• accuracy,
• diligence and self-discipline,
• good memory,
• but above all: interest in studying!

• Practical relevance and training in key qualifications such as rhetoric, negotiation management and communication
• Lawyer-oriented training (Institute for Lawyer Law and Lawyer Practice)
• Assistance with the start of studies (e.g. through tutorials for first-year students)
• Optimal exam preparation in the Erlangen exam course

A successfully completed law degree offers a wide range of career opportunities. The majority of graduates work as lawyers after graduation. This opens up a wide range of career paths, from working in a large law firm to becoming an independent individual attorney. Large law firms often pay above-average salaries to young professionals, but require excellent grades and a high level of commitment to work. Lawyers are also welcome in the public sector: In court, of course, but they are also readily hired in other government agencies. In addition to the classic legal professions, graduates also have access to a wide range of other professional fields.

Classic legal professions:

• Judge,
• public prosecutor/state attorney,
• lawyer,
• notary public,
• Senior civil servant.

Other legal career opportunities:

• Tax consultant,
• certified public accountant,
• in-house lawyer,
• Personnel officer,
• Executive assistant,
• Policy and political consulting,
• management consulting,
• International activities,
• journalism, editor in a specialized legal publishing house.