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Etusivu » Finnish Bar Association » Organisation » Board of Directors, Committees and Management Committee

Board of the Finnish Bar Association

The Board is responsible for the implementation of the Finnish Bar Association’s strategy and monitors the Bar Association’s operations through monthly meetings. The majority of Board work is related to the discharge of the Bar Association’s statutory duties, such as the approval of members and supervision of attorneys-at-law. 

The members of the Board perform their statutory duties with the responsibility of a judge.

The Chairman of the Board and thus the Finnish Bar Association for 2016–2020 is Attorney-at-Law, Master of Laws with court training, Master of Economic Sciences Jarkko Ruohola (Turku) and Vice-Chairwoman Attorney-at-Law Hanna Räihä-Mäntyharju (Tampere). In addition to them, the Board comprises seven Finnish- and Swedish-speaking members representing different parts of Finland. Members of the Board serve for a term of three years.

In 2019, the Board members are, from the left in the photograph: Antti Riihelä (Helsinki), Hanna Räihä-Mäntyharju, Vice-Chairwoman (Tampere), Eero-Pekka Uotila (Helsinki), Stefan Wikman (Vaasa), Jarkko Ruohola, Chairman (Turku), Sinikka Kelhä (Satakunta), Tero Puha (Chairman of the Delegation, Helsinki, right to attend meetings) and Katri Mäntylä (Päijät-Häme). Absent from the photograph are Christian Näsman (Vaasa) and Jyrki Piiparinen (Eastern Finland). 

Management Committee 

The Management Committee of the Finnish Bar Association is the Secretary General’s strong right arm. The Secretary General has overall responsibility for the operations of the Bar Association and management of the office. The other members of the Management Committee serve as supervisors in charge of decision-making and management in their own fields of operation. If you have any questions at all on the Bar Association’s areas of activity or the development of operations, please contact the members of the Management Committee directly.

The members of the Management Committee in 2019 are, from the left:

  • Communications Director Sari Krappe (communications and marketing, IT and development), 
  • Service Director Liisa Aro (membership issues, attorney training, CCBE, deputy to the Secretary General),
  • Secretary General Minna Melender (overall responsibility for the Bar Association’s operations, judicial policy and international affairs) and
  • Disciplinary Director Pia Kauppinen (overall responsibility for the operations of the Disciplinary Board and general oversight of the Board of the Association).

Committees 

The Committees of the Finnish Bar Association prepare matters relating to themes of particular importance to the Bar Association for discussion by the Board. They are tasked with keeping track of issues related to the development of attorney services and judicial conditions and preparing proposals for decisions in these areas. 

At present, the Committees are focusing on the development of professionalism, ethical questions, matters related to IT, data protection and data security, the training / continuing education of attorneys-at-law, development of mediation activities and encouraging activity in young attorneys-at-law. If you have questions or development ideas related to the field of a Committee, please contact the Committee’s Chairperson directly.

Committee Chairpersons 1 October 2018–

  • Katri Mäntylä, Professional Committee
  • Eero-Pekka Uotila, Ethics Committee
  • Christian Näsman, IT Committee
  • Jyrki Piiparinen, Education Committee
  • Antti Pulkkinen, Mediation Committee
  • Iina-Mari Supperi, Youth Committee