Born into the wealthy and influential Jewish Itzig family, he was between 1799 and 1806 a Prussian civil servant, became Criminal Counsel at the Berlin Supreme Court in 1815 and its director in 1825.
As a member of the wealthy and influential Itzig family, his early life was marked by a career in government service, including stints as a Prussian civil servant (1799-1806), Criminal Counsel at the Berlin Supreme Court (1815), and director of the court (1825).