Lawyers' salaries in Germany

As a Newly Qualified lawyer in Germany, how much could someone expect to earn? I know the big law firms pay huge salaries (as in the UK) but I am more interested in the in-house side of things (e.g. with an international company such as Microsoft etc.).

I assume salaries here would be lower, but if anyone has any figures it would be really appreciated!

Thanks in advance for any help.

Just google for the Rechtsanwaltskammer in your area. They can provide you with this information.

expected salaries will also depend on the grade of your law degree and what other skills you can provide (specialization in certain areas of the law, practical experience with law firms, language skills and knowledge of different legal systems)? If you just do contract law for a medium sized company, salary will be muc lower than if you are the trade mark specialist at a larger brand name company, for example.

Thanks for the replies - but on a general note, as a NQ lawyer (UK qualified) dealing with general commercial issues in a multinational firm what sort of figure would be expected?

Are we talking €20k? €40k?...

I know there are many variables but was hoping for a ballpark figure.

I started working for an English firm (silver circle) in Munich in January. Their *starting* salary (i.e. for NQs) was EUR78k, but you do work for it. Still a damned sight better than what we get in Oz.

It's actually quite difficult to find an in-house position as an NQ, you might be better off trying to find work with a firm for a year or two (you don't *have* to put in the massive hours if you don't want to stay for ever). I've heard of German lawyers starting in Berlin on as low as EUR20k, but they have barely scraped through their law exams. So expect something in the middle.

I hope that these 2 articles can give you an overview:

http://www.spiegel.de/unispiegel/jobundber...,412423,00.html

http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,435241,00.html