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The Finnish Legal Profession of Advocates

The Finnish Legal Profession of Advocates. Who is an advocate?. An advocate is an experienced lawyer specialised in handling legal matters of his clients. Only a member of the Bar Association is allowed to use the professional title ”advocate”.

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The Finnish Legal Profession of Advocates

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  1. The Finnish Legal Profession of Advocates

  2. Who is an advocate? An advocate is an experienced lawyer specialised in handling legal matters of his clients. Only a member of the Bar Association is allowed to use the professional title ”advocate”. An advocate is a safe choice for solving legal issues. The quality of the legal services is continuously developed and monitored.

  3. Advocates in numbers • There are ca. 2,000 advocates. • Of the about 200 public legal aid attorneys 100 are advocates. • Of the advocates 28 % are women, 72 % men. • Yearly about 130 new advocates enter the profession. • In addition to the advocates there are ca. 600 lawyers working in the law offices. • The number of law offices is about 800

  4. What is the mission of the profession? • An advocate is a guarantee for a state governed by rule of law. A constitutional state requires an independent legal profession of advocates who offers high-quality legal services to both private and corporate clients.

  5. What is the vision of the profession? • Everyone has confidence in advocates. Both private and corporate clients perceive advocates as proficient providers of legal services. The society acknowledges the significant role of the advocates as contributers to advancing legislation. Being part of the profession is valued and experienced as advantageous.

  6. Advocates’ activity rests on five core values • Loyalty • Independence • Avoidance of conflicts of interest • Confidentiality • Personal integrity These core values are stated in The rules of proper professional conduct. Obeying these rules is efficiently monitored.

  7. Finnish Bar Association The aims of the Finnish Bar Association are • to regulate and superviseadvocates’ activity • to advance the quality of legalservices • to train and supportadvocates and • to advancelegislation. The Finnish Bar Association is a statutory body whose activities are regulated by the Advocates Act. The Bar is not a registered association, a trade union or an entrepreneurs union.

  8. What does the Bar Association do? (1/2) • Regulates and supervises advocates’ activity: The law requires advocates to act according to the rules of proper professional conduct. The Bar defines the contents of the proper professional conduct independently and supervises the activity of advocates. Dissatisfied clients may make a complaint against an advocate to the Bar Association’s Disciplinary Board free of charge. The Bar accepts only experienced lawyers as advocates. The professional title “advocate” may be used only by members of the Bar. • Advances the quality of legal services: The Bar ensures high-quality legal service all over Finland provided by advocates to both private and corporate clients.

  9. What does the Bar Association do? (2/2) • Trains and supports advocates: The Bar provides the advocates with substantial amount of training. An annual quote of training hours is required of advocates and the fullfillment of this requirement is controlled. The Bar supports the advocates’ professional activity for example by sharing information about best practices. • Advances legislation: Advocates are actively participating in the developing of legislation as members of working groups and by drafting expert’s opinions. The aim of the Bar’s activity in this respect is to advance the general judicature and the rule of law in Finland.

  10. Advocates are effectively supervised* • 511 new supervisorymatters and feedisputes • Disciplinary Board issued 487 decisions • Averageduration of the processwas 7 months 13 days • 32 % of the complaints led to a disciplinary sanction: • 88 reprimands (70 %) • 29 cautions (23 %) • 2 monetary penalties • 2 disbarments • 17 % of the feedisputes led to a recommendationabout a feereduction *Key figures of 2013

  11. Independent Disciplinary Board • The DisciplinaryBoardcarries an independentresponsibility for the disciplinaryprocess. • 12 members of which 5 arenotmembers of the Bar • Non-members of the Bar arepersonsattending to a judicialofficeorworkingwithinjurisprudentialresearch as well as representatives of the licencedjurists • Convenes in pleanarysessions and fourdivisions • An advocatehas the right to appeal against the decision of the Disciplinary Board to the Helsinki Court of Appeal.

  12. Contact us! Finnish Bar Association’s office • Ms. Minna Melender, Secretary General +358 9 6866 1212 • Ms. Pirkko Kivikari, Deputy Secretary General +358 9 6866 1213 • Mr. Janne Laukkanen, Head of Development & Communications +358 9 6866 1225 • Ms. Johanna Kainulainen, Communications Expert +358 9 6866 1233 • Ms. Heidi Enne, Communications Officer +358 9 6866 1221 Tel: +358 9 6866 120 web: www.barassociation.fi Email: info@barassociation.fi

  13. www.barassociation.fi

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