Lawyers fined for lack of further education

Secretary-General of the Norwegian Bar Association, Merete Smith. further educationSecretary-General of the Norwegian Bar Association, Merete Smith. Photo: Norwegian Bar Association

Lawyers fined for lack of further education

The Norwegian Bar Association has fined 521 lawyers NOK 12,000, on average, because they have not fulfilled required further education.


521 lawyers, corresponding to 6 per cent of the members of the Norwegian Bar Association, had not met the further education requirement when the last five-year period ended at New Year’s, Advokatbladet reports.

This is fewer than in the previous period, completed in 2013. 10 per cent of the members (759 lawyers) did not meet the requirement then. While the Norwegian Bar Association will charge NOK 6,625 million in fines, this time around, the claim was NOK 7.13 million in 2013.

Members of the Norwegian Bar Association, just over 90 per cent of the lawyers, must follow at least 80 hours of further education during a five-year period. If they don’t, they will have to fork out a maximum of NOK 30,000 in fines.

 

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Wishes for a general requirement

The Norwegian Bar Association ask the Ministry of Justice to introduce a general education requirement for all Norwegian lawyers.

“The Bar Association would rather make do without this money,” Secretary-General of the association, Merete Smith, comments.

The further education scheme has significant weaknesses, Smith points out in a letter to the Ministry of Justice.

“Firstly, it does not apply to lawyers who are not members. Secondly, the sanction against non-compliance is a demand for a fee. This allows lawyers to “buy” out of the claim. This is a possibility that the Bar Association considers as unfortunate,” the letter states.


© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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