Legal costs of civil cases

Legal costs comprise court and application fees, legal counsel fees, and any reimbursements paid to witnesses.

In a civil case, the court fee is collected from the person who brought the case to the court. The amount of the fee depends on the nature of the case and the instance of the court processing the case. The corresponding fee collected in a petitionary matter is called an application fee. The amount of the application fee also varies depending on the nature of the matter. More information on court and application fees (tuomioistuimet.fi).

Each party to the case pays for their legal counsel fees, unless they have been granted legal aid, which is paid with public funds fully or partly. More information on legal aid.

On request, a witness can be reimbursed for any travel and subsistence costs and financial losses they incur. The reimbursement is paid by the party that has named the person as a witness. More information on the reimbursement of witnesses (tuomioistuimet.fi).

The party who loses the case will pay the other party’s legal costs

Usually, the party who loses the judicial proceedings is ordered to pay the other party’s appropriate and reasonable legal costs. This means that the party whose views win the case at court will usually receive a full compensation of their legal costs. Those who have been granted public legal aid usually also have to pay their counterparty’s legal costs if they lose the case at court.

Sometimes the result is a tie, meaning that the court only accepts some of the claims presented in the civil case or the court’s decision is partly beneficial to both parties. In such a case, both parties pay their own legal costs.

Both parties usually also pay their own legal costs in cases that cannot be resolved with an agreement made between the parties. Such cases include divorce cases and undisputed cases of annulling paternity. The party who brings the case to court must still always pay the court fee collected for processing the case to the State.