Legal aid, public guardianship and financial and debt counselling services to be transferred to the National Legal Services Authority on 1 January 2025

The reform will not affect the duties of the current offices. The provision of legal aid, guardianship and financial and debt counselling services will continue on the same grounds as at present.

As a result of the reform, the duties of the public legal aid and guardianship districts and the central administration duties concerning the districts currently performed by the Ministry of Justice will be transferred to the National Legal Services Authority. The Ministry of Justice will continue to be responsible for law drafting and strategic guidance concerning the new agency.

The objective of the new National Legal Services Authority is to provide clients with even better and more accessible services than before. The new organisational structure will make it possible to produce the core services in a more consistent manner, as the support and administrative services will be centralised and the new directors of divisions will be able to develop legal aid, guardianship and financial and debt counselling services together with the managers of the offices.

The website of the National Legal Services Authority will open in the beginning of January 2025 at oikeuspalveluvirasto.fi. Our current online content will remain available at Oikeus.fi until the new website is open:

• Legal aid
• Public guardianship
• Financial and debt counselling

The National Legal Services Authority will have multiple locations. Marjo Kurki has been appointed Director General of the National Legal Services Authority.