Guidelines concerning examination
on the Swedish legal system for EU lawyers wishing to apply for membership
of The Swedish Bar Association
under chapter8, section2, paragraph3,
first sentence of the Code of Judicial Procedure
Adopted by the board of The Swedish Bar Association
on 15December 2005
In chapter8, section2, paragraph3, first sentence of the Code of Judicial Procedure, it is stipulated that a person who has completed an education required to be an advocate in a state within the European Economic Area or in Switzerland, and who in Sweden has passed an examination showing that he has sufficient knowledge of the Swedish legal system, shall be deemed to fulfil the requirements under points2 and 3 of the first paragraph, that is the requirements concerning proficiency tests and practical and theoretical training required for work as an advocate. Provisions corresponding with this provision are found in section3, paragraph3 of the Charter of The Swedish Bar Association.
In order to be considered to have passed an examination showing that he has sufficient knowledge of the Swedish legal system, the applicant as a rule shall have passed the examination for
•the university course Juridisk introduktionskurs [Introduction to law]
•the university course Processrätt [Procedural law] (the basic course of procedural law in the syllabus of the Swedish master of laws programme)
and shall have participated in the preparatory courses for, and passed,
•the Swedish bar examination (see section3, paragraph1, point5 of the Charter of The Swedish Bar Association)
Participation in the courses Juridisk introduktionskurs and Processrätt is offered, at a fee, through co-operation with Stockholm University. Registration and payment of fees should be made through the Swedish Bar Association’s office. Registration with the university will not be made until the fee has been paid. The preparatory courses necessary for passing the bar examination, and the examination itself, are administered by the Swedish Bar Association’s office.
Issues concerning exemption from the requirements specified above are decided by the board of the Swedish Bar Association upon application made separately.
As follows from to these new regulations now adopted, the bar examination requirement is substituted for the university course Advokatens yrkesroll [The legal profession], 5credit points, which is also offered by Stockholm University. Applicants who notified the Swedish Bar Association before the 1January 2006 of their interest in participating in the said course and the above-mentioned courses at the Stockholm University, and who have paid the fees for those courses at the latest at that same time, are exempted from the requirement to have passed the bar examination.