VQ Founder Helena Hallgarn was asked to provide her insights on the Swedish legal market for the latest issue of RE:thinking Law, no. 6, December 2019. In the article, Helena Hallgarn explains how there is no monopoly on legal services in Sweden, but how instead the title “advokat” is protected by law and this title is exclusively reserved for members of the Swedish Bar Association (Sveriges advokatsamfund). She also explains how the regulatory framework for legal services in Sweden can mainly be found in the code of conduct for members of the Bar Association, and how these regulations may have a profound impact with regards to online legal services:
“If we consider, for example, the rules regarding conflicts of interest, it can be complicated for a law firm to deliver online legal services since a client conflict control has to be completed before access can be given to the online service.”
Choosing not to use the title “advokat” makes it possible to gain alternative investments, involve “non-lawyers” as owners and develop new kinds of offerings without the restrictions of the regulatory framework set by the Bar. The simplest route to developing new legal services in Sweden is to offer such services via a company unregulated by the Swedish Bar Association and which does not make use of the title “advokat”. In this way, it is possible to offer any kind of new, innovative legal service in Sweden.
Read the complete article here: The Regulation of Legal Services in Sweden by Helena Hallgarn for Rethinking Law December 2019