NCJ Number
73936
Date Published
1980
Length
152 pages
Annotation
The relationship between formal legal aid and legal advice columns in the Finnish press is examined.
Abstract
Two varieties of legal aid are available to people of limited means in Finland: indigents may receive cost-free trials and attorney's services, and communal legal aid offices assist in court trials and other matters. In practice, both forms of legal aid focus on court trials. The actual need for legal aid remains uncertain because many people do not recognize their problems as legal ones and because there is often a cultural and physical distance separating the giver and the receiver of the aid. A popular form of legal aid is offered by the question-and answer columns in the newspapers. Around the beginning of the 20th century, questions in the columns typically dealt with administrative matters. A survey of 13 current newspapers and magazines selected to represent the reading public suggests that the emphasis of questions to legal or general advice columns has shifted. A number of questions concern such topics as inheritance matters, housing and immediate home surroundings, and social and labor law. In general, the questions answered in the columns have to do with matters not handled by the legal aid system. Most of the questions in columns do not require an immediate answer and are of limited importance. The benefits of legal advice columns to readers vary. If a person can present his problem clearly, the column is an easy and cheap method of obtaining legal advice. Unfortunately, many of the problems are unclearly formulated so that even the professional lawyers who write the columns have trouble answering the questions without further details. Furthermore, the specific nature of the questions and answers may prove misleading. Frequently, the advice given in an individual reader's case cannot be applied to another case unless the expert has thoroughly explained the general legal principles involved. A bibliography and tables are furnished.