How did Johann Wolfgang von Goethe begin his legal career in Frankfurt?

After returning to Frankfurt from Strasbourg in 1771, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe began a legal practice in his hometown. However, his commitment to the profession was frequently overshadowed by his burgeoning literary interests and the creative inspiration he drew from the Sturm und Drang movement.1

While he continued to dedicate some time to legal work in 1773, his focus was increasingly consumed by writing, including the development of his play Götz von Berlichingen and his later literary successes. His legal career was part of a broader educational scheme designed by his father, which also included gaining practical experience at the Reichskammergericht (the supreme court of the Holy Roman Empire) in Wetzlar. Ultimately, Goethe found Frankfurt to be "suffocatingly provincial" for his ambitions, leading him to eventually leave his legal life behind to pursue his literary career at the court of Weimar.12