Interview with alumna Judith Pirscher

What did you study in Bayreuth and what was your focus ?

Judith Pirscher: I started studying law in Bayreuth directly after my Abitur. I was most interested in public law and labour law - to understand how the relationship of citizens to the state is regulated and how legal relationships in working life are standardised or can be structured.

Why did you choose the University of Bayreuth as your place of study?

My place at the university was allocated to me by the Central Allocation Office for Study Places (ZVS).... After only a short time, I was convinced that I had found the ideal place to study with this young campus university, with its good study conditions, its familiar environment and the beautiful city of Bayreuth. A possible change was therefore out of the question for me.

When you think back to your time in Bayreuth, what three keywords come to mind?

Ideal teaching and learning conditions and an interdisciplinary exchange among fellow students. I am still in contact with many of my fellow students today.

Beautiful beer gardens and, of course, the Bayreuth Festival.

How did your studies prepare you for your current position as State Secretary?

Law studies teach the basics of German judicial, administrative and state organisation. It provides answers to how our European legal system is structured and, in general, how our constitutional state functions. At the same time, the issues dealt with are mostly taken from real life. One is trained in learning abstract thought structures that allow one to analyse complex issues quickly, to think logically and to argue convincingly.

Skills that are advantageous in everyday life and in professional life. These are also good foundations for my current job as State Secretary.

What would you have liked to know about working as a lawyer when you were still at university?

Since I already had contact with lawyers in the profession during my studies, I had a good idea of what it was like to work as a lawyer. A lot of things are then taught later during the legal traineeship. In my opinion, studying always requires a high degree of personal responsibility. Taking care of things yourself - that shapes your personality and prepares you for professional life.

What was your professional start and career like?

• Lawyer in a Düsseldorf law firm
• Employee in the office of the environmental policy spokesperson of the FDP federal parliamentary group in Bonn and Berlin
• Legal advisor and work in the management of the FDP state parliamentary group in NRW
• Head of the office of the NRW Minister of the Interior
• State Councillor of the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe
• District President of the Detmold District Government
• State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research

How did you get involved in politics?

I was already involved with political issues during my school years. During my studies it became clear to me that the best way to participate in political decision-making is to be a member of a political party, as provided for in the Basic Law. With their programmes, parties set out how they want to shape democratic society. Helping to shape democracy, standing up for it, has always been a matter close to my heart. I still enjoy the discourse and decision-making in political bodies. I see this work as my civic duty.

Do you see yourself more as a politician or a lawyer?

As a state secretary, I bring my skills and experience to bear in order to always achieve the best possible solution. I do not think about a specific role as a politician or a lawyer. That would limit the way I think and act. So I am a politically thinking lawyer.

If you had one wish for 2023, it would be...?

For the year 2023 and the years thereafter, I wish for a community of states with even more educational opportunities and consolidated democracies that enable a peaceful, self-determined and happy life free of discrimination.