You are interested in a PhD in German Legal History and would like to work in the branch of German Legal Hisrory? The following tips should help make your way easier:

1. Requirements
   First clarify the legal requirements. The current doctoral degree regulations of the Faculty of Law can be obtained from the Faculty Dean's Office. This will allow you to establish whether you meet the requirements for a doctorate. In principle, a First State Exam (or equivalent qualification) with at least a fully satisfactory result is required.
    
2. Duration
   You must assume that you will need at least one year to complete your doctoral thesis if you work with concentration and speed. Realistically, however, you should expect to take longer. Will your financial situation be able to support you through your studies? Scholarships are usually only available for outstanding grades.
    
3. Difficulties

   You must really want to do your doctorate. Above all, you must have the energy to pursue the work to the end. Even an almost finished dissertation is not a dissertation. Be aware that 80 out of 100 will not finish the thesis! The work is too time-consuming to start it healf-heartedly. There are dry spells in every thesis, whether it is because the literature is difficult to deal with or because difficulties develop with the topic. In these situations, you must have the determination to complete the work.  

4. Choice of Topic
   It is important that you enjoy your work. The prerequisite for this is a topic that suits you. Of course, it is difficult for you to present me with a fully developed doctoral project. You should first think about which historical periods or subject areas interest you. In our first conversation, you should be able to name an area that you would like to work on. In the subsequent discussion, our aim will then be to develop a well-balanced dissertation topic. This may require several meetings.
    
5. Procedure moving forward
   Lawyers who are doing a doctorate in legal history naturally find it difficult to work historically. It is therefore necessary that you receive certain assistance. If you have any uncertainties or questions, you can contact the chair; it would be a shame if you were to go astray for weeks. I would always like to know how far you are with your work. After a certain period of time, preferably about three months, I expect a research report in which you present your dissertation project on at least 10 pages. Please include a bibliography and table of contents and cite in the text in the usual academic manner. In this report, you provide an overview of the doctoral thesis: you explain the topic and the research methods, outline the course of subsequent investigations and venture initial hypotheses. This outline is intended to help you to trace the thread of the thesis from beginning to end and to check the coherence of the research process. For me, it is the signal that you really want to work on the topic and thus represents the foundation of the joint doctoral project.