In this episode, Associate Editor Isabella Lund explores the differences between the legal systems in Germany and the United States. Our guest Matthias Baehre works as a judge in Stade, Germany. He walks us through his career, starting with law school in Germany and finishing with the trial process in Germany. Our discussion focuses on the use of lay judges versus a jury to deliver a verdict, as well as the pros and cons of being a judge in the United States versus Germany. Ask yourself, would you rather be a defendant in Germany or the United States? Would you rather become a lawyer in the United States or Germany?

Research & Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany/Justice

https://howtogermany.com/bureaucracy/german-law-and-the-german-legal-system/

https://www.ejn-crimjust.europa.eu/ejn2021/ContentDetail/EN/5/1

For a diagram of the German court system: https://www.germancivilprocedure.com/know-your-way-around-german-civil-courts/

Being a defense attorney in Germany: Crime and Guilt by Ferdinsnd Von Schirach