NCJ Number
226147
Date Published
2008
Length
150 pages
Annotation
This report gathered information on the availability of legal information, legal advice, and legal assistance in Finland.
Abstract
The Norwegian Ministry of Justice (NOMOJ) commissioned the National Research Institute of Legal Policy to carry out an overview study of the Finnish legal aid system in 2007. This study covers not only the system of legal aid in a narrow sense, including the public legal aid attorneys and the legal aid by the private attorneys, but also other legal advice services in Finland. This study also explains the contexts in which the legal services operate, including the Finnish court system and alternative dispute resolution systems. Findings reveal that the availability of legal information has increased, due to the widening of the Internet and the active information policy that the Finnish authorities have adapted towards the information society. In terms of the alternative dispute resolution systems, the review found a variety of alternatives to the general court system. The purpose of alternative dispute resolution systems is to provide a simple procedure in which legal aid would not be needed. Legal aid is available for court proceedings, including those in the insurance court. The legal aid offices can also help the client in the broad procedures by giving advice and drawing up the necessary briefs when the client needs legal aid. Legal advice is available from a variety of sources, most of them specializing in a certain field of law. Finally, the Finnish legal aid system is the coexistence of the public legal aid offices and the private legal aid attorneys, funded by a “judicare” program. Tables, figures, index, references, and appendixes