Franz-Josef Degenhardt (* 3. Dezember 1931 in Schwelm, Westphalia; † 14. November 2011 in Quickborn, Schleswig-Holstein) was a German poet, satirist, novelist, and -- first and foremost -- folksinger/songwriter (Liedermacher) with decidedly left-wing politics. He was also a lawyer, bearing the academic title of Doctor of Law. After studying law from 1952 to 1956 in Cologne and Freiburg, he passed the first German state bar examination in 1956 and the second in 1960.