Legal Trainee / Rechtsreferendar*innen in der Wahlstation (0895)

Job Description

We are pleased to offer aspiring environmental lawyers and change-makers the opportunity to spend their elective traineeship at ClientEarth from September 2025 onwards. Please note that due to capacity reasons it will not be possible to start the traineeship in December 2025, January 2026 or February 2026.

We are a legal and environmental charity that uses the power of the law to fight against climate change and to protect nature and the environment. In Germany, we currently focus on:

• Emissions Reduction + Agriculture
• Fundamental Rights
• Environmental Democracy
• Marine Biodiversity

Trainee lawyers will work on one of these topics. We ask that you indicate your preferences and specific knowledge when applying.

Typical tasks on your traineeship

• Drafting legal opinions and memos
• Drafting requests for information to government agencies
• Legal research on environmental law issues
• Background research on emerging policy issues
• Attending meetings with NGOs and other stakeholders
• Taking part in the process of litigation, meetings with external lawyers, etc.

Role requirements

• Law degree
• *You must be currently taking part in a Legal Traineeship (Referendariat) in Germany*
• Knowledge of either Environmental Law / Public International Law / European Law / Administrative Law
• Fluency (at least CEFR level C1) in English
• Fluency (CEFR level C2) in German

Further Information

• Duration of traineeship: At least three months. We can offer placements from September 2025 onwards.
• Time commitment: Around 32 hours/week, depending on the Federal States’ regulation. One day off per week to study.
• Rate of pay: you will be paid by the Federal State. Rates of pay are set centrally
• Timeline: We will advertise this position three times a year – in February, June and October. We encourage you to apply at the beginning of your Traineeship, or at least nine months in advance, as places fill up quickly.

Please visit our Careers site for advice on applying, FAQs, and more.

Flexible working: We are proud to be a Flexa accredited Employer. Visit our Flexa Employer page for more information on our approach to flexible working. Our flexible working policy allows our people the choice to decide to work from home in the country where their contract of employment is issued for 80% of their month, with the other 20% of their month being office-based See our Benefits page for more.

ClientEarth values diversity and inclusion and the benefits this brings. We aim to appoint the most suitable candidate at all times and welcome applications from people from all different backgrounds.

Please note that ClientEarth is only able to host those who have the pre-existing legal right to work in Germany.

ClientEarth is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or legal services to third parties.