German legal trainees, the Referendare, learn the Relationstechnik, a step-by-step method for preparing a judgment in a civil case. It separates the plaintiff’s account from the defendant’s account. The trainee first works through the plaintiff’s station, then the defendant’s station.
Only then comes the evidence station. “Das Gericht erhebt nämlich nur dann Beweis, wenn die entscheidungserheblichen Tatsachen streitig sind.” The court takes evidence only when the facts that decide the case are disputed. At the end of this stage of their training, they write a complete Relation.