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Multilateral events such as conferences, summer schools and especially internship programmes are an important part of IRZ’s work.
They offer legal practitioners from the judiciary or the free legal professions a forum for professional exchange with German colleagues. Participants can use these opportunities to discuss current legal questions or problems in coping with everyday professional life. By contrast, summer schools and similar multilateral training formats enable young lawyers to engage with other legal systems and with European rule-of-law standards.
Another objective of these formats is to encourage the formation of lasting international networks among the individual audiences. The programmes make a significant contribution in this regard.
Hosting some of the programmes that are traditionally held in German in the transfer languages of English and French reaches virtually all of the IRZ partner states in this context. Regrettably, most of these events – with the exception of the internship programme for Arabic-speaking refugee lawyers – had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.
They were replaced with smaller, more practical further training events organised in a virtual format. However, these formats were able to meet the objectives to a limited extent only, especially in the classic internship programmes. This applies all the more to providing direct insight into everyday work practice in German legal professions, for instance the organisation of notaries’ offices or law firms or the procedural processes and atmosphere during hearings at German courts. IRZ is therefore determined, if possible, to return to the traditional formats in the year ahead, as soon as the general circumstances permit. Online formats will otherwise be offered in some cases.
Events in 2020
Fifth seminar for Arabic-speaking refugee lawyers
IRZ organised the seminar “Introduction to German Law” for Arabic-speaking refugee lawyers from Syria and Iraq from 13 to 17 July 2020 for the fifth successive year. The seminar is intended for persons who have completed their legal studies or have already acquired professional experience as lawyers in their home countries of Syria or Iraq. The programme was expanded to include 30 participants in 2020. Basic principles of the German legal system were taught over the course of five working days. The thematic priorities of the event were on state organisation law, fundamental rights, the German court system, basics of German asylum and residence law, as well as basics and case studies from criminal and criminal procedure law and civil and civil procedure law.
In addition to these lectures and discussions, the seminar included a working visit to the Bonn Regional Court followed by attendance of a court hearing. Moreover, a representative from the Department of Law at the University of Bonn led a discussion with the participants and informed them about study opportunities for foreign students.
The seminar focused on presenting case studies that illustrate German legal practice, relate to the everyday experiences of refugees and provide a good framework for group discussions. Not only did this lead to a lively exchange and many interested questions, it also promotes the integration of refugees into German society and the understanding of legal contexts.
The seminar was financed by the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection.
Internship programme for Arabic-speaking refugee lawyers in the area of “commercial and company law”
IRZ organised an additional internship programme in November and December 2020 to build on the aforementioned programme for Arabic-speaking lawyers from Syria and Iraq. The programme consisted of a five-day introductory online course, in which the participants learned about company law, insolvency law, competition law and intellectual property law, among other things, followed by a two-week internship that the interns completed in selected law firms and commercial businesses. This enabled the participants to expand the knowledge they had acquired and gain insight into the practical side of working in legal professions. The event will hopefully enable them to gain a foothold in the job market.
This internship programme was also funded by the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection. IRZ intends to continue the internship programme in 2021 and to reschedule the component on “soft skills” for lawyers that was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Online further training for French-speaking lawyers from the Maghreb countries
IRZ organised its first French-language further training series on current questions and problems in professional practice for notaries, lawyers, administrative and civil judges from Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco from 30 November to 3 December 2020. In total, around 40 participants from the three states took part in the series of events, in which one day was reserved for each of the four professional groups. The agenda included the following and other topics:
Conducting hearings in civil and administrative court jurisdiction
International private law in notarial practice, using the example of inheritance and family law
Professional law for lawyers
After a brief introductory lecture by the German speakers on each of the topics, the participants had the opportunity to engage in detailed group discussions and to share their general ideas. This sparked considerable interest and led to lively discussions, despite the digital platform. Nevertheless, the participants agreed that this format is no substitute for personal contact and it can only be hoped that the traditional internship programme can resume in the coming year.
Alumni further training event for lawyers on the legal implications of the COVID-19 pandemic
IRZ uses its network website to promote contact between former participants of the multilateral internship programme for lawyers and remains in close contact with them through regular correspondence. The internship programme has been jointly organised by IRZ, the German Federal Bar and the German Bar Association since 1994.
The new online format provided the opportunity to bring together alumni of the internship for lawyers from different years at one event. During the event, IRZ and the German Bar Association held a seminar on the topic of “Legal implications of the COVID-19 pandemic”. The event was attended by 36 lawyers from 17 different countries who had completed an internship between 1995 and 2019. The presenting lawyers shared their views on the COVID-19 pandemic with the participating alumni. Topics included the legal basis for imposing corona measures, consequences for commercial tenancy law, legal aspects of cancelled events and issues related to compensation claims and insurance cover for those affected. The speakers used examples from legal practice and current case-law to elucidate the situation in Germany to the participating lawyers and invited them to contribute personal experiences from their countries. The alumni were only too willing to accept this invitation.
Participants of the ninth “IRZ Summer School German Law“ on the steps of the old town hall in Bonn
Multilateral Programmes
Overall Concept
In 2019, IRZ again conducted a series of multilateral events and internship programmes in particular. The aim of these programmes is to provide a communication platform for legal professionals from various partner states and from Germany to discuss current legal reforms, to exchange thoughts on new legal areas or, more generally, to share challenges in everyday legal practice. As multipliers, the participants are then in a position to present the solutions and strategies from other countries in their home systems and thus to promote reform processes in the form of best practice. The formats also help to build durable networks between members of the judiciary or the independent legal professions (lawyers, notaries) from abroad.
IRZ internship programmes are particularly successful. Participants can usually spend several weeks acquiring insight into everyday work in German law firms, courts, public prosecutors‘ offices or notaries‘ offices.
In addition to the traditional German programmes, IRZ has also been offering some programmes in English since 2016 in order to address a wider target group. These stays are adapted to consider the particular challenges associated with translation in a legal context, while at the same time providing participants with the greatest possible degree of practical insight. Among these offers is an English-language programme for civil and commercial judges, which was again held in 2019.
A two-step programme in French began in 2019 for the target group of legal professionals in the Maghreb countries. As a first step, judges, public prosecutors and notaries from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia participated in a one-week introductory seminar in Hammamet, Tunisia, during September 2019. The introductory course outlined the basic tenets of the German legal system as well as important and specific aspects for the work of these three professional groups. The second step will be a practical phase in Germany over the first half of 2020. IRZ plans to continue these new formats, sometimes alternating with the German-language programmes, given the consistently positive feedback from participants.
Focus of Activity in 2019
International Conference of the Memorandum Group of several national associations of judges in Bonn
Cooperating with the German Judges Association, IRZ organised an international conference of the Memorandum Group of several national associations of judges on “International Cooperation in Civil and Criminal Matters“ on 3 and 4 December 2019 in Bonn. Thirteen representatives of the Associations of Judges in Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland, Ukraine and Uzbekistan attended this conference, which has established itself as a platform for exchange of experience between judges. The German Judges Association, represented by its chairman Jens Gnisa, was involved on the German side, as has been the case at previous conferences of this kind. Professional legal support for the conference was provided by numerous German experts.
IRZ has been promoting this professional exchange between representatives of the judiciary from its partner countries since 2011. The aim is for the participants to form stronger networks across the region and to exchange experiences on similar problems or current legal reforms.
This year‘s conference focused on the recognition and enforcement of judgements, extradition traffic with foreign countries including the European arrest warrant, and foreign investigations into computer and cybercrime. During the conference, the participants and the German experts thoroughly illuminated important aspects of international cooperation in civil and criminal law matters and the problems involved, as well as possible solutions. At this year‘s event, IRZ again achieved its goal of promoting dialogue between the above-mentioned countries.
Ninth “IRZ Summer School on German Law“
Now in its ninth year, the “IRZ Summer School on German Law“ took place in Bonn from 7 to 13 July 2019. It was attended by 34 students from ten IRZ partner states: Armenia (3), Belarus (3), Georgia (3), Kazakhstan (2), Kosovo (3), Morocco (1), Russia (3), Serbia (6), Tunisia (1) and Ukraine (9). The summer school was inaugurated in 2011 as an addition to the supplementary studies for an introduction to German law at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (Western Ukraine). This explains why Ukraine continues to provide the largest group of participants. Even after nine years, this format is still in great demand. Excellent German skills are a prerequisite for participation.
Like last time, this year‘s summer school featured lectures on the following legal areas:
Protection of fundamental rights by the Federal Constitutional Court, the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights
Civil law: Company law and insolvency law
European civil and commercial law
Arbitration
Criminal law and criminal procedure law
Law of lawyers
Methodology
In 2019, IRZ Summer School again included a visit to trials at a civil and a criminal chamber at the Regional Court of Bonn, as well as discussions at the University of Bonn, during which participants were able to learn more about study opportunities for foreign students and postgraduates. In view of the very positive response and other factors, IRZ Summer School will be offered in the coming years as well, in order to continue addressing and promoting law students and young legal professionals in IRZ partner states.
Fourth seminar for Arabic-speaking legal professionals
For the fourth successive year, IRZ organised the seminar “Introduction to German Law“ for Arabic-speaking legal professionals from Syria and Iraq on 16 and 17 December 2019. The aim of this event is to provide participants with knowledge of the German court system and German criminal and civil law. A focus was placed on accessible case studies that illustrate German case-law and the interaction between different judicial instances, as well as on the everyday experiences of the refugees, which were addressed in a group discussion. Not only did this lead to a lively exchange and many interested questions, it also promotes the integration of refugees into German society and the understanding of legal contexts. The participating lawyers were frequently able to discover parallels between the German and Syrian or Iraqi legal systems.
The seminar was conducted by the experienced judges Uwe Stark, judge at the Local Court of Siegen, and Dr Arnd Weishaupt, judge at the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf.
Although the opportunities for refugee legal professionals to gain a professional foothold in Germany are limited, the seminar provides them with the chance to deepen the knowledge they have acquired in their home country and to identify similarities as well as differences between the legal systems.
Internships
The following programmes were held in 2019 in cooperation with, and supported by, the respective professional chambers and associations, as well as the Federal state justice administrations:
Two-week internship programme for administrative judges in cooperation with the Association of German Administrative Judges• Six-week internship programme for lawyers in the field of civil and commercial law in cooperation with the German Federal Bar and the German Bar Association
Two-week internship programme for notaries in cooperation with the Federal Chamber of Notaries
Two-week internship programme for English-speaking civil and commercial judges in cooperation with the German Judges Association and the Federal state justice administrations
Three-week internship programme for judges and public prosecutors in cooperation with the German Judges Association and the Federal state justice administrations
One-week introductory event in Tunisia for representatives of the judiciary and the notaries‘ office in the Maghreb states in preparation for the visit in 2020
The internship programmes and multilateral events such as conferences and summer schools are important parts of the IRZ‘s work. Initiated shortly after the IRZ was established, the internship programmes are viewed as particularly successful in this regard. For 25 years, German-speaking professionals from the IRZ partner states have completed programmes lasting several weeks to obtain insight into the everyday working routines in German law firms, courts, public prosecutor‘s offices and notary‘s offices. Not only do they acquire information about the practical workings of the judiciary in Germany, they can also share views with German and foreign colleagues on their impressions and the practical side to work in their own countries.
An internship programme for English-speaking civil and commercial judges was added to the portfolio in 2016. This approach has since been continued in the form of a practice-oriented training for English-speaking notaries, which was piloted in 2018. These programmes in English language are designed in particular for participants from non-EU countries in which German is not a common second language and where even legal professionals are unlikely to have a sufficient command of the language in order to enable an effective training period in Germany. Hence, a broader target group can benefit from these important programmes in English as transfer language. The IRZ will continue to offer these formats in view of the strong support and the extremely positive feedback from participants. In the future, the practice-oriented training programme for English-speaking notaries and the internship programme for German-speaking notaries will be held in alternate years.
Like the multilateral conferences, the purpose underlying these internship programmes is to promote technical exchange of experience between professionals in the numerous partner states of the IRZ on current issues of law that are equally relevant to all participants. The participants play an active role in the process, as they present the situation and solutions in their own legal systems in a multilateral context and, in the role of multipliers, can disseminate the strategies and solution models applied by their foreign colleagues within their own countries. Another important aspect of these projects is to establish long-term, international networks within the different professional groups.
Foci of Activity in 2018
Conference of the Memorandum Group of National Associations of Judges in Astana
The IRZ supported a conference by the Memorandum Group of Associations of Judges from Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland and Ukraine in 2018 as well. This year‘s event was held in the Kazakh capital of Astana and focused on the issue of social security for judges from the perspective of effective legal protection. The IRZ has good contact with most of the participating Associations of Judges within the framework of bilateral cooperation and has supported their meetings in this format since 2011. Deserving particular mention in this regard is the participation by the German Association of Judges, which is always invited to the conferences as an advisory member and whose expertise and technical contributions are highly appreciated by the other members.
IRZ Summer School on German Law
Participants at the eighth “IRZ Summer School on German Law“ in Bonn
The IRZ held its eighth “IRZ Summer School on German Law“ from 8–14 July 2018 in Bonn, which was attended by participants from eleven IRZ partner states: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Russia, Serbia, Tunisia and Ukraine. Kazakhstan and Tunisia were represented at the event for the first time. The summer school was inaugurated in 2011 as an addition to the supplementary studies for an introduction to German law at the Ivan Franco National University of Lviv (Western Ukraine). Now it regularly brings together participants from numerous partner states of the IRZ and continues to enjoy substantial demand. Very good German skills are a prerequisite for attendance.
This year‘s summer school featured lectures on the following legal areas:
protection of fundamental rights (by the Federal Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights);
civil law: company law and insolvency law;
effects of Union law on national civil and commercial law, as well as on arbitration;
criminal law and criminal procedure law;
law on lawyers; and
legal methodology.
In addition, the IRZ Summer School also included a visit to trials at a civil and a criminal chamber at the District Court of Bonn, as well as discussions at the University of Bonn, during which participants were able to learn more about study opportunities for foreign students and postgraduates. In view of the very positive response, the IRZ Summer School will be offered in the coming years as well, in order to continue addressing and promoting young legal professionals in the IRZ partner states.
IRZ Autumn Academy
Graduates of the IRZ Autumn Academy in Bonn
In October 2018, the IRZ was able to organise the first IRZ Autumn Academy thanks to support from the Federal Foreign Office to build on the successful summer schools. Partnering with the Ivan Franco National University of Lviv (Western Ukraine), 21 students and professional entrants from the countries of the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine) and Russia were invited to the event in Bonn. Most of the participants were alumni of earlier IRZ Summer Schools and already possessed a basic grasp of German law, in addition to their excellent German skills.
The programme at the Academy was spread over seven working days and included issues of European and international law (international private law, ECHR procedures, basic principles of EU law), as well as a broad variety of aspects within German civil law, for instance trade and partnership law, law of public and private entities and insolvency law. Relatively recent legal areas such as IT criminal law or renewable energies law were also addressed. The topics were presented by speakers from academia, the Bar and the judiciary, ensuring significant practicality of the lectures. Visits to the Federal Cartel Office and the DHL headquarters in Bonn rounded off the programme.
The highly motivated participants contributed actively to the technical programme and demonstrated with their interested questions that they were able to follow complex issues, both in terms of the content and the language. So it was hardly surprising when all of them successfully completed the final test in German. Above all, the young lawyers were extremely open to engaging with their colleagues from other countries. They quickly established amiable, international contacts that they can continue in a Facebook group and once again confirmed that national differences play only a subordinate role within an inspiring technical context.
Third Seminar for Refugees
Participants at the seminar “Introduction to German law for refugees“
Cooperating with the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV), the IRZ held a third successful seminar for Arabic-speaking refugees with a legal background on the subject of “Introduction to German Law“. The two-day event was held in Bonn from 10–11 December 2018.
By organising this event, the IRZ is seeking to make a contribution to the integration of lawyers among the Arabic-speaking refugees. The eight participants from Syria were legal professionals who had graduated from bachelor or master degree programmes, as well as one female attorney and two male attorneys. They received an introduction into the basics of German constitutional law, court structure in Germany and fundamental principles of general civil and criminal law. Aspects of social and asylum law were also discussed. In communicating the content, a focus was placed on illustrative case examples with relevance to the everyday lives of the refugees. This led to lively exchanges and many interested questions. The legal professionals from Syria were frequently able to discover parallels between the German and Syrian legal systems.
Consecutive interpreting was organised for the event, which was received by the participants very positively. It also allowed them to review and expand their language skills. Although the prospects of becoming established in a legal profession in Germany are limited for refugees, this project nevertheless offers them other opportunities. By attending the event, the participants acquired a better grasp of how legal issues relate to their everyday lives in Germany and may be able to act as mediators with German authorities for members of their personal circles. Moreover, the IRZ makes efforts to organise internship positions in law firms for selected participants in cooperation with the German Bar Association.
Internship programmes
The following programmes were held in 2018 in cooperation with, and supported by, the respective professional chambers and associations, as well as the Federal state justice administrations:
Practice-oriented training for English-speaking notaries in cooperation with the Federal Chamber of Notaries
Six-week internship programme for lawyers in the field of civil and commercial law in cooperation with the German Federal Bar and the German Bar Association
Two-week internship programme for English-speaking civil and commercial judges in cooperation with the German Association of Judges and the Federal state justice administrations
Three-week internship programme for judges and public prosecutors in cooperation with the German Association of Judges and the Federal state justice administrations
Participants of the internship programme for English-speaking civil and commercial judges during the introductory seminar in Königswinter with the speakers Nina Marie Güttler (back left) and Alexander Heinen (back right)
Interns from the advocacy
Visit by the participants of the practiceoriented training course for English-speaking notaries and junior notaries in the notaries‘ office Dr. Rabl and Dr. Gassen
Participants of the internship programme for judges and public prosecutors
