Gerichtsassessor Explained

In the German legal system, a Gerichtsassessor (plural Gerichtsassessoren) was a candidate who had successfully passed the examination before the central board, and who was therefore eligible for the position of a judge or prosecutor (though most were not appointed as a judge or prosecutor).^[1] They are sometimes described as assistant judges. The obsolete designation Gerichtsassessor was held by judges or federal prosecutors, whose employment status today would be "on probation". Attainment of the second state legal qualification (the so-called "Competence to the Justiceship") was always a pre-requisite. The appointment took place with the intention that the Gerichtsassessor would be employed later in his lifetime as a judge.

The Gerichtsassessor usually held this designation for one year after receiving his Certificate of Appointment, before being appointed as a judge.

The number of Gerichtsassessoren was 3,855 in 1933, and 5,696 in 1935.^[1]

See also

• Jurist

References

• Hamm, "Die Anstellung der Gerichtsassessoren in Preufsen" (1896) 1 Deutsche Juristen-Zeitung 125 (No 7: 1 April 1896)
• Benno Vogel, "Die Ausbildungs-und Prüfungsordnung für Referendare und Gerichtsassessoren im Kammergerichtsbezirk vom 31. Mai 1947" [1947] Juristische Rundschau, No 1, p 2 De Gruyter
• Haber. Welches Gesetz findet Anwendung auf die Dienstvergehen der preussischen, bei einem Gerichte beschäftigten Gerichtsassessoren? Heinrich. Dresden. 1897. Google
• Zacharias. Denkschrift über die vorübergehende Beschäftigung von Gerichtsassessoren in Privatbetrieben. Guttentag. Berlin. 1912. Google
• Karl Dickel. Ueber Beschränkung der Anwärter des höheren Justizdienstes und die Vorbildung der Juristen in Preußen: ein Beitrag zu § 8 des dem Landtage zur Zeit vorliegenden Gesetzentwurfs, betreffend die Regelung der Richtergehälter und die Ernennung der Gerichtsassessoren. Berlin. 1896. Google
• Morris Ploscowe, "The Career of Judges and Prosecutors in Continental Countries" (1934) 44 Yale Law Journal 268 at 271, 272 and 286 Yale

Notes and References

1. Civil Affairs Handbook: Germany. Section 3: Legal Affairs. (Army Service Forces Manual M 356-3.) Prepared by the Research and Analysis Branch of the Office of Strategic Services. Headquarters, Army Service Forces. 29 February 1944. Page 18.