DGB Rechtsschutz

What DGB Rechtsschutz does

DGB Rechtsschutz GmbH is a Berlin/Düsseldorf-headquartered legal services company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB), founded in 1998. It provides free legal representation to approximately 5.4–5.7 million members of the eight DGB trade unions (IG Metall, ver.di, IG BCE, NGG, EVG, GdP, GEW, IG BAU) in three practice areas: labor law, social security law, and civil servant law. The company also advises and trains works councils (Betriebsräte) and staff councils (Personalräte) on co-determination and labor compliance matters.

Operationally, DGB Rechtsschutz runs a network of 117 offices across all 16 German federal states, staffed by approximately 800 specialized lawyers. The firm handles around 125,000 cases per year through all court instances, including the Bundesarbeitsgericht, Bundessozialgericht, Bundesverwaltungsgericht, the European Court of Justice, and the European Court of Human Rights, via its dedicated Gewerkschaftliches Centrum für Revision und Europäisches Recht. Supporting products include the RECHT SO! magazine and an internal portal for civil servant salary (Alimentation) cases.

The business model is subscription-like and membership-funded rather than transactional: services are provided at no direct charge to members and are financed through DGB union membership dues. Customer acquisition is driven exclusively through union referral channels and local branches, supported by an online office finder. The company is governed by a Supervisory Board chaired by Prof. Dr. Thomas Klebe and managed by Geschäftsführerin Eva Pulfrich, with no external equity investors.

Name

DGB Rechtsschutz

Legal name

DGB Rechtsschutz GmbH

Website

https://dgbrechtsschutz.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

DGB Rechtsschutz GmbH is the wholly-owned legal services subsidiary of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB), providing free labor, social security, and civil servant law representation to the 5.4–5.7 million members of the eight DGB trade unions through 117 offices and 800 lawyers across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Legal aid services
• Labor law representation
• Union member benefits
• Social law advocacy
• Civil servant law

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices30 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership-Funded Legal Services: DGB Rechtsschutz operates as a free service for members of the 8 DGB trade unions. Services are funded through union membership dues, with the organization being a 100% subsidiary of the DGB (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund). No direct charges to members for legal representation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DGB Rechtsschutz provides free legal advice and court representation for members of the eight DGB trade unions in labor law, social security law, and civil servant law matters. The organization operates a nationwide network of 117 offices with approximately 800 specialized lawyers, handling around 125,000 cases per year through all court instances including the Federal Labor Court, Federal Social Court, Federal Administrative Court, and European courts. Services are funded through union membership dues and provided at no cost to members.

Product overview

DGB Rechtsschutz is a legal services company offering union members free legal representation across labor law, social law, and civil servant law. The core offering is the Gewerkschaftliche Rechtsvertretung service, which handles approximately 125,000 cases annually through 117 offices nationwide. Supporting products include RECHT SO! magazine (providing case studies and legal insights) and an internal portal for Alimentationsverfahren matters. The company also provides advisory services for works councils and staff representatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gewerkschaftliche Rechtsvertretung (Legal Representation Services) Legal advice and court representation for members of the eight DGB trade unions in labor law, social law, and civil servant law matters, handling approximately 125,000 cases per year through all court instances including European courts.
• Betriebs- und Personalratsberatung (Works and Staff Council Advisory Services) Advisory services and training for works councils (Betriebsräte) and staff representatives (Personalräte), supporting employee participation in workplace decisions and co-determination rights.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~125,000 cases handled annually through all court instances
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Eisenbahn- und Verkehrsgewerkschaft (EVG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EVG railway and transport union is one of the 8 DGB trade unions whose members receive free legal representation from DGB Rechtsschutz. Collaboration in legal cases involving EVG members, particularly in the mobility sector.
• EURES (Netzwerk European Employment Services)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with EURES network in representing mobile workers, particularly Ukrainian train drivers, in employment disputes.
• mobifair (Initiative für Fairness in der Mobilitätswirtschaft)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with mobifair initiative for fairness in mobility economics. DGB Rechtsschutz received the mobifairness Prize 2025 for representing train drivers.
• Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDGB Rechtsschutz is a 100% subsidiary of the DGB federation of German trade unions. The organization provides exclusive legal representation for all 5.4-5.7 million members of the 8 DGB-affiliated trade unions.
• Bundesarbeitsgericht (BAG)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in the annual Europarechtliches Symposion (European Law Symposium) organized by the Federal Labor Court. DGB Rechtsschutz contributes expertise through presentations and panel discussions on labor law enforcement and EU fundamental rights protection.
• Deutscher ArbeitsgerichtsverbandflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the Europarechtliches Symposion with the Bundesarbeitsgericht, bringing together judicial, academic, union, and employer association representatives.
• IG MetallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 8 DGB trade unions whose members receive free legal representation. IG Metall is Germany's largest trade union with millions of members in the metal and manufacturing sectors.
• ver.di (Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 8 DGB trade unions whose members receive free legal representation. ver.di represents workers in service sectors including healthcare, public administration, and telecommunications.
• IG BCE (Industriegewerkschaft Bergbau, Chemie, Energie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 8 DGB trade unions whose members receive free legal representation. IG BCE represents workers in mining, chemical, and energy industries.
• NGG (Gewerkschaft Nahrung-Genuss-Gaststätten)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 8 DGB trade unions whose members receive free legal representation. NGG represents workers in food, hospitality, and tobacco industries.
• GdP (Gewerkschaft der Polizei)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 8 DGB trade unions whose members receive free legal representation. GdP represents police officers and security personnel.
• GEW (Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 8 DGB trade unions whose members receive free legal representation. GEW represents teachers, researchers, and education professionals.
• IG BAU (Industriegewerkschaft Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the 8 DGB trade unions whose members receive free legal representation. IG BAU represents construction, agricultural, and environmental workers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• Roland Rechtsschutz: Specialized German legal insurance carrier focused on private and commercial legal protection. Directly competes with DGB Rechtsschutz's labor law scope via statutory insurance products marketed to employees and employers.
• ARAG: Major German legal insurance provider with broad coverage across labor, family, and civil law. Competes indirectly with DGB Rechtsschutz by offering commercially-priced legal protection that overlaps with the union's free service offering.
• DEURAG: German legal insurance company (Deutsche Rechtsschutz-Versicherung) offering labor and general legal protection. Comparable to DGB Rechtsschutz in scope of legal services but funded through commercial premiums rather than union dues.
• D.A.S. Rechtsschutz: One of Germany's largest legal insurance companies (part of ERGO Group), offering labor law and other legal protection insurance to individuals and businesses. Represents the dominant private-market alternative to union-funded legal services, competing for the same end-client need.
• Advocard Rechtsschutz: German legal insurance provider (part of Generali) covering labor law disputes for individuals and families. Competes with DGB Rechtsschutz for the same employee-claim market through a paid insurance model.

Direct peers

• DBB Beamtenbund und Tarifunion: Confederation representing German civil servants and public-sector employees, providing union-affiliated legal protection services for its members. Operates the closest analogous model to DGB Rechtsschutz but targeted at the civil servant (Beamte) cohort, complementing DGB Rechtsschutz's coverage of the broader workforce.
• Marburger Bund Rechtsschutz: Doctors' union in Germany that provides dedicated legal representation services for its members in employment and labor disputes. Shares the union-affiliated legal services model with DGB Rechtsschutz, though focused on the medical profession.

Regional players

• UNISON: UK's largest public sector trade union, providing legal representation and advice to members across employment and civil law matters. Closest international analog to DGB Rechtsschutz's union-affiliated legal services model, though operating in a different legal system.
• Travail Suisse: Swiss trade union federation offering legal services and advice to its member unions and their members. Comparable to DGB Rechtsschutz in operating union-funded legal protection, but in the Swiss jurisdiction rather than Germany.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dgbrechtsschutz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dgb-rechtsschutz-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/dgb_rechtsschutz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DGB Rechtsschutz