News, Strike | The lawyers’ strike is extended – the children’s home in Bergen is affected

From before, the orphanages in Oslo, Trondheim, Tromsø and Bodø have been affected by the strike.

It is legal aid lawyers who are appointed in cases related to suspicions of violence or abuse against children and other vulnerable persons, who will go on strike from Monday 29 April.

The strike started on 4 March as a response to what the Bar Association believes is the government’s persistent breach of agreement on the increase in the public legal aid rate. They believe the rate has been grossly underregulated over the past 20 years.

The Bar Association points to a deep frustration among defenders, aid and legal aid lawyers throughout Norway. They point out that lawyers who work on the legal aid rate are crucial for the maintenance of legal certainty in the Norwegian rule of law.

– Assisting children and other vulnerable people in their perhaps most difficult moments is the core of our work as aid lawyers. The extension of the strike is not something we take lightly, but it is necessary to ensure legal certainty for these groups in the future as well, says aid attorney Kjetil Ottesen from Bergen in a press release.

The Bar Association’s leader Jon Wessel-Aas asks the Ministry of Justice to work towards a solution that respects both the agreement and the need for a sustainable legal aid scheme.