What kind of matters can you get legal aid for

Legal aid may be granted to individuals whose case is being heard in a Finnish court or whose place of residence is in Finland. Legal aid may not be granted to companies or associations. A person pursuing a business may be given legal aid in court proceedings relating to the business, but in other matters relating to the business only if there is a special reason for it.

Legal aid will not be given, if the matter is of little importance to the applicant, if legal aid would be clearly pointless or if the pursuit of the matter would constitute an abuse of process.

Court proceedings

Normally, a party to court proceedings needs professional assistance, e.g. a civil plaintiff for bringing an action and a criminal defendant for representation by a defence counsel. However, if the matter is by nature such that the applicant can deal with it himself or herself, no legal aid will be given for the court proceedings.

Such matters include:

• simple petitionary matters, such as uncontested divorces
• criminal matters where only a fine is anticipated, and other clear matters, such as drunken driving
• matters pertaining to taxes or public charges
• matters where the claim is based on residency in a given municipality.

Public Legal Aid Offices do, however, provide advice also in these simple matters.

The client has a choice of a Public Legal Aid Attorney or a private attorney for his or her court proceedings.

However, legal aid is usually not granted if the applicant has legal expenses insurance that covers the matter at hand.

Other matters

In addition to court proceedings, legal aid covers also other legal services. Such services include legal advice, settlement negotiations with an opposing party, inventories of decedent’s estates, assistance in asset distributions and estate distributions, drafting of documents and filing of appeals and complaints.

These other legal services are provided as legal aid only by Public Legal Aid Attorneys, not by private attorneys.

In matters pending abroad, legal aid covers the provision of legal advice.

Public Legal Aid Attorney
Private attorney
Legal expenses insurance
Abroad

Updated on 20 January 2011