Organisation

‍Public legal aid offices‍

The Finnish state has legal aid offices for the purposes of providing legal aid and financial and debt counselling services. Public legal aid offices provide advocacy services to people entitled to legal aid.

Legal aid offices also provide financial and debt counselling services to private individuals and to entrepreneurs and self-employed persons engaged in small-scale business activities. These services are provided by financial and debt counsellors.

There are 23 legal aid offices throughout the country (including the Legal Aid and Public Guardianship Office of Åland), and they are usually located in the same municipalities as district courts. Legal aid offices may have branch offices, if necessary. The staff consists of public legal aid attorneys, legal aid secretaries and financial and debt counsellors. Clients may use the services of any legal aid office, but it is usually easiest to use the nearest one.

Legal aid offices are headed by leading public legal aid attorneys. In addition, the largest offices have a head of unit for financial and debt counselling services. Administratively, legal aid offices operate under the legal aid and public guardianship districts. There are six such districts, and each of them is headed by a director of the legal aid and public guardianship district.

‍The contact information of financial and debt counselling local offices

Legal aid and public guardianship districts

Finland is divided into six legal aid and public guardianship districts:

• Southern Finland
• Eastern Finland
• Southeastern Finland
• Southwestern Finland
• Western and Inland Finland and
• Northern Finland.

Legal aid and public guardianship districts provide legal aid, public guardianship services and financial and debt counselling services. These services are provided by the legal aid offices and the public guardianship offices. The districts are responsible for providing the services in an equal manner within their operating area.

A legal aid and public guardianship district is headed by a director of the legal aid and public guardianship district. The director and two administrative secretaries form the administrative unit of a district. In addition to them, other specialists may work at the unit.

The administrative units are responsible for the administrative duties of the offices, such as budget preparation, procurement, personnel recruitment and invoicing, exclusive of client invoicing.

There are 3–4 legal aid offices and 3–4 public guardianship offices in each district. A legal aid office is headed by a leading public legal aid attorney, and a public guardianship office is headed by a leading public guardian. In addition, the largest legal aid offices have a head of unit for financial and debt counselling services.

Contact information of the legal aid and public guardianship districts

Legal aid and public guardianship districts’ business ID: 0245974-7

Legal Aid and Public Guardianship District of Southern Finland

E-mail address: [email protected]

Postal address: PL 600, 00181 Helsinki

The district comprises the Legal Aid Offices and Public Guardianship Offices of Helsinki, Itä-Uusimaa, Keski-Uusimaa and Länsi-Uusimaa.

Legal Aid and Public Guardianship District of Eastern Finland

E-mail address: [email protected]

Postal address: Kauppakatu 20, 3rd floor, 80100 Joensuu

The district comprises the Legal Aid Offices and Public Guardianship Offices of Etelä-Savo, North Karelia and Pohjois-Savo.

Legal Aid and Public Guardianship District of Southeastern Finland

E-mail address: [email protected]

Postal address: Wähäjärvenkatu 6, 13200 Hämeenlinna

The district comprises the Legal Aid Offices and Public Guardianship Offices of Kanta-Häme, Kymenlaakso, Lappeenranta and Päijät-Häme.

Legal Aid and Public Guardianship District of Southwestern Finland

E-mail address: [email protected]

Postal address: Eerikinkatu 40-42, 20100 Turku

The district comprises the Legal Aid Offices and Public Guardianship Offices of Åland, Rauma, Satakunta and Varsinais-Suomi.

Legal Aid and Public Guardianship District of Western and Inland Finland

E-mail address: [email protected]

Postal address: PL 31, 40101 Jyväskylä

The district comprises the Legal Aid Offices and Public Guardianship Offices of South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia and Ostrobothnia, Central Finland and Pirkanmaa.

Legal Aid and Public Guardianship District of Northern Finland

E-mail address: [email protected]

Postal address: Sepänkatu 5 A, 90100 Oulu

The district comprises the Legal Aid Offices and Public Guardianship Offices of Kainuu, Lapland, Oulu and Ylivieska.