Why choose an attorney-at-law?

What is an attorney-at-law?

Hiring an attorney-at-law is an investment in a professional legal service of the highest standard.

• Attorneys-at-law always have a master’s degree in law.
• The professional title of ‘attorney-at-law’ is protected by law.
• To become an attorney-at-law, a lawyer needs to have several years of relevant work experience and to pass the rigorous three-part bar examination.
• Attorneys-at-law are held to a higher standard than regular lawyers and supervised more closely than other legal professionals.
• Only one in seven practising lawyers is an attorney-at-law.

Professional indemnity insurance and continuous learning obligation

• Attorneys-at-law have a legal obligation to keep their professional competence up to date: they are required to complete 18 hours of in-service training every year.
• Attorneys-at-law are also legally obligated to have valid professional indemnity insurance up to at least EUR 200,000.
• To protect the rights of both clients and attorneys-at-law, the Finnish Bar Association recommends that its members always ask their clients to sign a written contract (‘mandate’), which sets out the scope of the services to be provided and the hourly rate.
• Attorneys-at-law are bound to professional standards 24/7 and subject to stricter rules than any other profession. Find out more about the applicable regulations.

The standard of work performed by attorneys-at-law is guaranteed by

• postgraduate degree in law (Master of Laws)
• rigorous bar examination
• at least 4 years of relevant work experience
• suitability testing pursuant to the Advocates Act and the by-laws of the Finnish Bar Association
• professional duty of care
• at least 18 hours of in-service training every year
• expectation of professional conduct 24/7, both on and off duty

How much does it cost to hire an attorney-at-law?

Attorneys-at-law always disclose the cost of their services to the client before any work is undertaken. The cost depends on the amount and nature of the work but is usually based on an hourly rate.

Even an experienced attorney-at-law cannot always accurately estimate the final bill at the beginning of the assignment, but attorneys-at-law have a legal obligation to keep their clients constantly apprised of any additional costs that were not known initially.

In addition to the actual fee, attorneys-at-law can charge their clients for certain other costs, such as travel and accommodation expenses as well as a per-diem allowance.

More information about charges can be found in the Finnish Bar Association’s Code of Conduct and Fee Guideline.

Public legal aid

It is also possible to get attorneys’ fees covered by public legal aid. If an attorney-at-law believes that their client could be eligible for legal aid, they will advise them of this and can apply for legal aid on the client’s behalf. Eligibility for legal aid depends on the applicant’s income, outgoings and assets as well as the nature of their legal issue.

A legal aid award can cover either some or all of the client’s legal fees. In addition to attorneys’ fees, legal aid can be granted towards certain other public charges, such as application fees. In some cases the client will be required to pay a percentage of their attorney’s fee themselves, and the government will cover the rest.

The final decision as to whether or not a client is eligible for legal aid will be made by the Legal Aid Office based on the application submitted by their attorney-at-law. More information about legal aid is available on the website of the National Legal Services Authority at .

Legal expenses insurance

The attorney’s fee can also by covered by the client’s legal expenses insurance. Legal expenses cover is included in most home insurance policies. If the client has legal expenses insurance, the first step is to check whether the insurance provider will cover some or all of the attorney’s fee. Most legal expenses insurance policies are subject to a ‘deductible’, which is a portion that the client will have to pay themselves.

There is considerable variation in the level of cover that legal expenses insurance policies provide, which is why it is worth researching different providers and comparing the terms of policies carefully.