Competence requirements

Competence requirements

New members are admitted by the Board of the Finnish Bar Association. The eligibility criteria for members are laid down by law.

To be admitted as a member of the Finnish Bar Association, applicants must

• be at least 25 years old
• have completed a postgraduate law degree in Finland other than a Master of International and Comparative Law or
• have completed a law degree in a country other than Finland and had that qualification recognised by the Finnish National Agency for Education as being comparable to a Finnish Master of Laws degree pursuant to the Act on Eligibility for Public Posts Provided by Higher Education Studies Completed Abroad (1385/2015). More information is available on the website of the Finnish National Agency for Education.

Applicants must also

• have at least four years of work experience in law, of which two in advocacy
• have passed the bar examination
• not be bankrupt or subject to restrictions on legal capacity
• be known to be honest and have a lifestyle and character fit for an attorney-at-law
• be independent and impartial
• work full-time.

Foreign qualifications

• If you have obtained your attorney’s qualification in another EU country, you can ask to be added to the Finnish Bar Association’s EU list. Once you have been practising law as an EU-list attorney for three years, you can apply to join the Finnish Bar Association.
• If you have obtained your law degree in a country other than Finland, you will need to have your qualification recognised by the Finnish National Agency for Education as being comparable to a Finnish Master of Laws degree before you can take the bar examination and become an attorney-at-law in Finland.

For more information, contact jasenasiat@asianajajat.fi.