Who we are

The Finnish Bar Association is a public corporation that approves new attorneys-at-law and supervises their professional activities. Only our members are entitled to use the title of attorney-at-law. Our activities are based on the Advocates Act, and the Finnish Bar Association also plays a major role in the shaping of Finnish legal policy. We are not a trade union or business association and do not supervise the interests of our members.

We are often confused with the Association of Finnish Lawyers, of which the Finnish Bar Association is a member. As a rule, the members of the Finnish Bar Association (approx. 2,200) consist solely of attorneys-at-law, while the Association of Finnish Lawyers is a trade union open to all lawyers. An attorney-at-law is a lawyer specialising in defending the rights of his or her client.

Our four core tasks

1. We guide and supervise the work of attorneys-at-law.
The Bar Association only accepts experienced lawyers into its membership and actively monitors the professional activities of its members. Clients who are not satisfied with their attorneys-at-law can lodge an appeal with the Disciplinary Board over the inappropriate conduct of their attorney-at-law, free of charge.

2. We promote the quality of attorney services.
The Bar Association improves the quality of attorney services on the basis of feedback and survey results. Service quality is also ensured by the fact that only members supervised by the Finnish Bar Association are permitted to use the tile of attorney-at-law.

3. We provide training and support to attorneys-at-law.
The Bar Association organizes plenty of training for its members. Attorneys-at-law are required to attend annual supplementary training, and the Association monitors their attendance.

4. We develop the judicial conditions and legal protection in Finland.
Attorneys-at-law participate actively in the development of legislation through legal working groups and issuing statements.

Our story

The Finnish Bar Association was founded in 1919. With the entry into force of the Advocates Act in 1959, we were also tasked with statutory duties, such as the supervision of attorneys-at-law. We foster the principle that everyone is entitled to the services of an attorney-at-law.

Attorney-at-law is an ancient profession. It has always been our task to help our clients realise their statutory rights.

We Finnish attorneys-at-law organised ourselves out of our own volition, since we felt it important that all who practise the trade of attorney-at-law should follow a common system of professional ethics and obligations, drawn up and approved by the community of attorneys-at-law.

In our opinion, it is precisely professional ethics and values that separate us from other providers of legal services. We also wanted to be known for the quality of our work as valued, independent professionals in the administration of justice.

To this end, so that our profession could better improve itself and its activities, we founded the Finnish Bar Association in 1919. The status and role of the Association was later confirmed by the Advocates Act of 1959.

Today, the Finnish Bar Association guides and supervises the body of Finnish attorneys-at-law and ensures that the title is only used by lawyers specialising in defending the rights of their clients.