Appealing against a legal aid decision

An applicant who is discontent with the decision of a Legal Aid Office may file a submission with a court of law. The submission leads to the application being reviewed by the court and a decision being issued on it.

The submission is filed in writing at the Legal Aid Office which made the decision. The Office may also self-rectify the decision. If the Office considers that there is no reason for self-rectification, it forwards the submission to the court for a decision. The court may amend the decision of the Legal Aid Office also to the detriment of the person who filed the submission.

The submission may relate to any of the contents of the legal aid decision. It is of course required that the legal aid application or the request for compensation has been rejected in full or in part in the original decision. The applicant is provided with instructions for filing a submission together with the legal aid decision.

Contents of the submission

The submission must indicate

• The decision to which it pertains
• The part(s) of the decision with which the applicant is discontent
• On what grounds should the decision be amended.

The applicant must attach the legal aid decision and the relevant documentation to the submission.
The submission form is available on the Judicial System in Finnish and in Swedish.

Time limit

In a court matter, a submission may be filed until such time that the court decision in the principal matter has become final. In matters other than court proceedings, a submission must be filed within 30 days of receipt of notice of the legal aid decision.

The decision of the court is subject to appeal both in connection with the principal matter and separately. The court issues appeal instructions to its decisions.

Legal aid decision
Judicial System website in Finnish
Judicial System website in Swedish

Updated on 25 January 2011