LEGAL EDUCATION IN GERMANY Attorney, he must stay in official positions as "assistant-judge" or "assistant state attorney" generally for not less than four or five years, receiving a compensation of fifty dollars per month for his services. After this time he may apply for an appoint ment as Judge or State Attorney, and he may be appointed by the Crown if he has proved in this period to be a practical, reasonable and well-educated lawyer. If not he must wait until his experience is deemed sufficient, and as sometimes this time never arrives, owing to the unfitness of the applicant for his calling, it may happen that his applica tions will be steadily dismissed. In this case he still has the chance of changing and becoming counsellor at law. This system of legal education has been in force in Germany for about thirty years. We venture to say that it has generally stood the test. There are some faults however which should be remedied. I only mention the want of industry in the first university time, the excessive importance given to theoretical knowledge and a certain ignorance of the judges as to business life. The German Governments are earnestly endeavoring to find a way which will save the advantages of the present system and avoid its faults. We hope to increase the student's diligence by introducing another examination which
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would take place after the first three semes ters, a plan which is passionately fought against by the admirers of students' freedom. To make the student more interested in the study and to give more practical direction to the entire education we are considering the plan of letting the student work for one year as a clerk in a County Court before he enters the university. Another idea is to send the young lawyer in a more advanced stage of his development to some business establishment such as a bank or a great factory or a counting house of a merchant of high standing. All these ideas however are still under consideration. One of my aims in visiting America was to find something which would assist us in the reformation which we hope to bring about in Germany. I can say from my experiences so far that perhaps our young horses could be held in harness a little better on their first trip out from home by a system of examinations somewhat similar to the yearly examinations for promotion in America. On the other side, I think many American students would appreciate the advantages to be gained from the systematic course of practice under competent guidance as persued in Germany. SEATTLE, WASH., August, 1908.
