Graduate court registrars course

The Job Profile of the German "Diplom-Rechtspfleger (FH)"
Translater's Note:
The word "Rechtspfleger" cannot be directly translated into English as this profession exists only in Germany. A "Rechtspfleger"
might be best described as a kind of graduate court registrar one level lower than a judge. He/she who makes legal decisions in
various matters as described on this website, is responsible to the law only and – like a judge - is legally independent and
answerable only to the law i.e., he/she is not subject to direction or supervision. A "Rechtspfleger" is normally a graduate of a German
degree-granting technical institute which is subject to the supervision of the state.
Legal status
The legal status of a German graduate court registrar is comparable to that of a judge. In their work, graduate court registrars are
independent and responsible only to the law.
This means that they perform their duties on their own initiative, according to existing procedural regulations and legislation and with no
instructions from a professional superior.
The performance of the wide variety of duties requires professional self-confidence and the willingness to accept responsibility. The profession is particularly suitable for those students who have passed the "Abitur" (German university matriculation examination), who have a good general education, who are open, mobile and versatile and who have a penchant for legal activities when dealing with people making use of the justice system.
Duties
German graduate court registrars are an independent organ of German justice system. They make independent judicial decisions on their own responsibility on matters of so-called contentious and non-contentious jurisdiction delegated to them.
The areas of responsibilit^y of German graduate court registrars include:
- Land Register matters: decisions on applications for entry of owners of new properties or house-owners and applications for the entry of mortgages, land charges, easements and other charges in the Land Register;
- the compulsory auction of properties;
- insolvency proceedings;
- the Commercial Register: decisions on entries of merchants and trading companies;
- family and guardianship law: the appointment and supervision of guardians, legal carers, those providing nursing care and the issuing of guardianship and family court approvals;
- estate matters: opening of wills, issuing of inheritance certificates;
- criminal law matters: execution of matters concerning fines and prison sentences;
- costs: determining court and legal costs after the conclusion of legal proceedings;
- applications for legal aid: acceptance of applications and written statements from those seeking advice, approval of applications for financial assistance from needy persons requiring legal aid;
- court administration: act as general managers of the court, personnel and budget managers, district auditors, controllers or central auditing officials for court bailiffs.