Only experienced jurists fulfilling certain professional requirements may be accepted as members of the Finnish Bar Association. They must also pass a special examination covering the basic elements of the legal profession and professional ethics.

Under Finnish law, only members of the Finnish Bar Association are entitled to use the professional title “advocate” (in Finnish ”asianajaja” or in Swedish ”advokat”).

A person who holds a State or municipal office or who is in other service based on an employment relationship in the public sector cannot be an advocate, unless the Board of the Bar Association agrees thereto for special reasons. Furthermore, a person who is in the service of another or who is engaged in other gainful employment in a manner which can be presumed to be detrimental to his/her impartiality as an advocate may not be an advocate.