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Lawyers in Germany: official counts by regional bar chamber (Rechtsanwaltskammer)
The German bar is organized into 28 regional chambers (Rechtsanwaltskammern), and the consolidated statistics of the BRAK federation recorded 166,504 admitted lawyers as of January 1, 2025. Unlike other countries, the split does not follow the 16 federal states: the chambers track the districts of the higher regional courts. The table lists all 28, largest to smallest.
Lawyers by regional bar chamber (Rechtsanwaltskammer) (January 1, 2025)
| # | Regional bar chamber (Rechtsanwaltskammer) | Lawyers | % of total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | München | 22,845 | 13.7% |
| 2 | Frankfurt | 19,887 | 11.9% |
| 3 | Berlin | 14,932 | 9.0% |
| 4 | Düsseldorf | 13,278 | 8.0% |
| 5 | Hamm | 13,034 | 7.8% |
| 6 | Köln | 12,946 | 7.8% |
| 7 | Hamburg | 11,457 | 6.9% |
| 8 | Stuttgart | 7,764 | 4.7% |
| 9 | Celle | 5,692 | 3.4% |
| 10 | Nürnberg | 4,734 | 2.8% |
| 11 | Karlsruhe | 4,521 | 2.7% |
| 12 | Sachsen | 4,264 | 2.6% |
| 13 | Schleswig-Holstein | 3,605 | 2.2% |
| 14 | Freiburg | 3,336 | 2.0% |
| 15 | Koblenz | 3,143 | 1.9% |
| 16 | Bamberg | 2,550 | 1.5% |
| 17 | Oldenburg | 2,537 | 1.5% |
| 18 | Brandenburg | 2,062 | 1.2% |
| 19 | Tübingen | 1,920 | 1.2% |
| 20 | Bremen | 1,726 | 1.0% |
| 21 | Kassel | 1,673 | 1.0% |
| 22 | Braunschweig | 1,649 | 1.0% |
| 23 | Thüringen | 1,647 | 1.0% |
| 24 | Sachsen-Anhalt | 1,383 | 0.8% |
| 25 | Saarbrücken | 1,345 | 0.8% |
| 26 | Zweibrücken | 1,291 | 0.8% |
| 27 | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 1,248 | 0.7% |
| 28 | BGH (tribunal federal) | 35 | 0.0% |
Munich in front and a chamber of 35 lawyers
The München chamber leads with 22,845 lawyers, followed by Frankfurt (19,887), a reflection of the financial hub, and Berlin (14,932). Together, the 5 largest chambers hold 50.4% of the German bar. The institutional curiosity sits with the BGH chamber: only 35 lawyers hold the exclusive right to argue civil cases before the federal court of justice, a separate admission in the German system.
Per the BRAK statistics, 37.3% of admitted lawyers were women on the same date, and the fastest growing category in the year was the Syndikusrechtsanwälte, in-house lawyers with their own registration. On the population yardstick, Germany has 197.1 lawyers per 100k residents, less than a third of Brazil's density and slightly below Canada.
Source and method
Data: Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer (BRAK), Mitgliederstatistik as of January 1, 2025. Coverage: natural persons admitted to the bar (Rechtsanwälte, including Syndikusrechtsanwälte). Terms of use: Public PDF from the federal bar; aggregate counts only, with source attribution. Population ratios use the 2023 estimates cited in the comparative collection page.
An active registration does not mean the professional currently practices: part of the roll does not work as a lawyer day to day. This page publishes aggregate counts per regional bar chamber (Rechtsanwaltskammer) only, never individual professional records.
Last updated: · Methodology and sources