Real-World Legal Experiences for Law Students

JKU law students experienced an exciting hearing at the Upper Austrian Regional Administrative Court.

VP Mag. Markus Kitzberger answers students' questions
VP Mag. Markus Kitzberger answers students' questions

Can you accuse a police officer of looking "dumbstruck"? Can you use the informal “du” in German and insist: "There’s nothing you can tell me!" An Upper Austrian man who was fined for insulting a police officer filed a complaint with the Regional Administrative Court of Upper Austria. JKU students attended the hearing as part of their education in Public Law.

a.Univ. Prof. Dr. Gudrun Trauner, university professor at the Institute for Administrative Law and Administration at the Johannes Kepler University Linz, remarked, "A public hearing is the culmination of every trial and an eye-opening experience for budding legal professionals to see it for themselves."

Short Process Time Ensures Certainty
Markus Kitzberger, Vice-President of the Regional Administrative Court of Upper Austria, explained, "Over 90% of cases are settled after the first instance." In total, only one in a hundred findings will be overturned by a Supreme Court. Vice-President Kitzberger, himself a graduate of the JKU, added, "The average process time is three to four months. We are proud of this as those seeking protection are served quickly."

Administrative courts in Austria replaced the independent administrative senates in 2014. Anyone who feels unfairly treated by an administrative authority's decision, for example, can file a complaint. In front of an administrative court, the authority that issued the contested decision is on equal footing with the complainant in the proceedings. The judge then renders a decision. To date, 20,000 business cases have been heard and decided at the Regional Administrative Court of Upper Austria alone.

The JKU Law Program Benefits from Real-World Expertise
The JKU strongly believes in incorporating real-world practices early on in the program. a. Univ. Prof. Dr. Trauner explained, "The wonderful cooperation we have with representatives at public institutions allows students to see how what they have learned in the classroom applies to real-world situations early on. We especially appreciate the fact that legal experts take the time to be available for students for various discussions. This greatly enriches the JKU's law degree program."