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Every five years, Arbeitgeberverband Mitte e. V. places volunteer judges in the financial and labor courts. There, they contribute their practical and life experience to the administration of justice. Among them is Reinhild Jung, Managing Director of SerNet GmbH, who has been involved in this way for many years.
The article comes from the Fall 2023 issue of Göttinger Magazin Charakter, publication on the SerNet website was kindly granted by Stein Medien.
"Voluntary work as a judge at a financial or labour court," emphasizes Stefan Zammit, Managing Director of the Arbeitgeberverband Mitte e.V. (AGV), "is an extremely important contribution to the democratization of our legal system." For decades, the AGV Mitte e. V. has therefore been proposing suitable candidates to fill this role at the Lower Tax and Regional Labor Court in Hanover and the Labor Court in Göttingen. "Our suggestions," says Stefan Zammit, "include people from management, HR management, authorized signatories or employees from legal departments."
Every five years, soon again on January 1, 2024 for the labor court, the honorary judges are appointed, who are then called to a hearing around two to three times a year. "The professional judge is then responsible for explaining the legal aspects of a case," explains Larissa Kirchner, owner of Ninette Moden in Göttingen. "Half an hour before the start of the trial is usually enough for the briefing. But you can also prepare beforehand if you wish." She was first appointed to the honorary position in 2009 when she took over the commercial management of a Mercedes dealer in Einbeck as part of her self-employment and has been doing it with conviction ever since. She has been an active member of the Lower Tax Court for two years and finds it very exciting to be able to vote for or against the tax office, depending on the facts of the case. "It's not just about the fact that no judgments could be made in purely legal terms without us," she explains her motivation. "Above all, we bring practical experience to the proceedings and see aspects that a professional judge would not even notice because we are familiar with the concrete, everyday details." Because the number of female judges at the labor courts is still small, she calls on women in particular to make themselves available for the position. "Our perspective is important," says Larissa Kirchner.
Reinhild Jung, Managing Director of SerNet GmbH, sees it the same way. She also decided to volunteer as a judge 10 years ago - on the initiative of the employers' association. "For me, it is above all important," she says, explaining her motivation for why employers and employees end up in court. On the one hand, to contribute to a fair decision from a practical point of view, and on the other, to be able to avoid this situation myself." As a result, the businesswoman always draws inspiration for her own work from her involvement. As an honorary representative of the employer side, she is by no means always on her "own side". "It's always important to look at the individual case with common sense," says Reinhild Jung. "Sometimes an employer doesn't behave fairly towards an employee." She is happy to recommend volunteering as a judge. "It's very enriching and you can take a lot from it for your day-to-day work."
