General information

Estonian Bar Association is a self-governing professional association acting on local government administration principles established on 14 June 1919 for the organization of the provision of legal service in private and public interest and defending of the professional rights of the attornies. Estonian Bar Association assists the members of the Bar Association in their professional activity and performs surveillance, also looks out for the carrying on of the traditions of Estonian attornies.

Among the rest the Bar Association organizes professional in service training of the attornies, relations with the lawyers, state companies and several local and foreign organizations and actively participates in legislative drafting. The Bar Association also organizes the performing of the public law function – performing of defence and representation in civil and administrative matters for a fee payable by the state.

Since 1992 Estonian Bar Association is a member of the International Bar Association (IBA) and since 1 May 2004 a full member of a body uniting the bar associations of the member states of the European Union (CCBE).

The members of the Bar Association (advocates) include attornies-at-law, senior assistants of an attorney-at-law and assistants of an attorney-at-law. As of  31.03.2010  Estonian Bar Association has a total of 700 members:

447 attornies-at-law
139 senior assistants of an attorney-at-law
98 assistants of an attorney-at-law
16 associated members