Swedish Lawyers Under the Spotlight
The world of Sweden’s legal fraternity is dealing with scandal as lawyers have been sentenced to prison for serious offenses including leaking confidential information and having romantic relationships with gang criminals. As a result, Sweden’s Bar Association now wants to tighten supervision. Mia Edwall Insulander, the Association’s Secretary-General, admits they haven’t done enough.
Lawyer Scandals
These startling revelations come on the back of evidence obtained from cracked, encrypted codes that shed light not only on criminal plans but also revealed several lawyers planning and committing crimes. The most shocking example is two defense lawyers named ‘the King’ and ‘the Prince’. The former was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, while the latter was convicted of the particularly serious narcotics crime.
Last year, a female lawyer was discovered to have a relationship with a gang criminal, who was also her client. Lawyers have also been criticized for appearing in a music video shot in a courtroom by a convicted rapper, which has raised questions on their ethical conduct.
Did you know?
The Bar Association has a self-cleaning system that facilitates reporting of lawyers suspected of breaking codes of conduct. However, recently they’ve faced criticism for being sluggish and ineffective.
A Step Towards Improvement
In response to growing criticism, the Association plans to improve its preventative work and establish a risk-based supervision of lawyers and law firms. Currently, complaints against lawyers have reduced in quantity but increased in severity, according to Mia.
To make audits more effective, the Association is ramping up its collaboration with other authorities. The hope is that the new supervisory unit will be operational by January 2024.
Insulander explains that the increase in serious criminal cases in recent years might have led to some lawyers crossing ethical boundaries. They’re placed under extreme pressure and attempts at infiltration, which not only affects the legal community but the entire judicial system.
Inflated Invoice Controversy
Another controversy plaguing Swedish lawyers in recent years is the issue of inflated bills. There’s also a demand for stricter qualification requirements for criminal lawyers handling complex cases like gang murders.
Why have these measures not been taken before? Insulander replies, “It could have come earlier, but at the same time, we’ve strengthened the work in other ways.”
The Bar Association in numbers
– There are around 6,570 lawyers in Sweden today
– Everyone is obliged to follow the code of good legal conduct
– In 2022, the disciplinary board treated 622 cases
– Out of these, 80 received a reprimand, 32 warnings, 4 were expelled, and 11 received a warning with a penalty feeSource: The Bar Association
To those of you planning to engage a lawyer here in Sweden, it’s essential to be aware of these changes. Understanding how the legal community is handling such issues could be critical to your decision-making. And sure, every barrel has its rotten apples, in every profession, not just law. But it’s all about transparency, right?
