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Barrister and lawyer – what is the difference?

 

All Barristers are lawyers, but not all lawyers are Barristers. In order to call yourself a Barrister, you must be a member of the Swedish Bar Association and you must have passed the requirements of entry. Hence, the title Barrister is protected by law. You can read more about this on the website of the Swedish Bar Association, advokatsamfundet.se. To sum things up, you can say that being a Barrister is to be obliged to act in accordance with the Code of conduct, which protects the interests of the clients. A Barrister is independent, free from conflicts of interest and has a duty of confidentiality, all because the client must feel safe that the Barrister does not take any other interests into account. Since the requirements for a Barrister are high, the title Barrister is some kind of a mark of quality or a professional certificate.

However, the title lawyer is not a protected one. Usually the word lawyer means a person who holds a Master of Laws degree, but anyone may call himself a lawyer and start a law firm. There are no requirements regarding training or experience in order to call yourself a lawyer and offer legal advice in Sweden.

 

There is a board, the Consumer Disputes Board. It rules disputers over fee and other economic demands a consumer directs against an attorney or a law firm. Lawyers are obliged to participate in a trial at the Consumer Disputes Board. About  the board and detailed information on how  to do so there are information on www.advokatsamfundet.se/konsumenttvistnamnden or Konsumenttvistnämnden, Sveriges  Advokatsamfund, Box 27321, 102 54 Stockholm.

info@enskedeadvokaterna.se

Enskede Advokatbyrå, Stora Gungans väg 12, 122 31 Enskede, tel: 08-648 75 60