Legal assistance

Legal assistance is provided by legal bureaus, law offices and notaries. Basic legal assistance is given to least privileged people by several non-profit associations, and the national system of legal assistance makes a lawyer's assistance available to the least privileged. State administrative agencies have information lines that can be called to ask for the information needed. You may also turn to rural municipality and city governments, where officials with a law degree might be able to provide legal advice.

State legal assistance means that legal services are provided to a person at the expense of the state. State legal assistance is given by a lawyer, and legal assistance is offered with regard to pre-trial procedure (in civil, criminal and misdemeanour matters), judicial proceeding (in civil, criminal, misdemeanour and administrative matters), execution proceeding, administrative proceeding, review procedure, drawing up a legal document, or another legal consultation or representation. State legal assistance means that the legal service is initially paid for by the state; however, upon providing legal assistance, an obligation may be put on the person to pay for the legal assistance in part, or to repay the legal expenses in part or in full after the end of the court action. Explanation of the options of state legal assistance is also provided free of charge by law offices.

Free legal assistance

The aim of the free legal assistance portal www.juristaitab.ee (in Estonian) created in cooperation between the Ministry of Justice and the Lawyers' Association is to help people find answers to legal questions that they encounter in everyday life. Until 15 December, the Lawyers' Association in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice opened so-called Legal Pharmacies (Õigusapteegid) in Tallinn, Tartu and Jõhvi, where people can receive free legal assistance.

Free legal assistance is periodically also offered by the law office run by the students of the University of Tartu, where the solicitors are students who have not yet fully obtained their law degree.

In Tallinn, free legal assistance is provided by students in the service bureau of Tallinn City Office on Vabaduse square in Estonian on Mondays between 12 and 14; on Tuesdays between 10 and 13; and on Thursdays and Fridays between 10 and 13. On Tuesdays between 14 and 17 and on Thursdays between 13 and 14.30, the service is provided in both Estonian and Russian.

The Students' Legal Bureau also gives free legal assistance to the economically least privileged residents of Tallinn in Tallinn Circuit Court (Pärnu mnt 7) on Mondays between 12 and 17, Tuesdays between 10 and 13, Wednesdays between 14 and 16, and Thursdays between 10 and 16 in Estonian, and on Wednesdays between 10 and 14 in Estonian and Russian.

See more information about Estonian legal system here https://www.eesti.ee/eng/topics/citizen/oigusabi

If you have any questions, just use the communication window on the left or contect us by e-mail veronika@jmk.ee