The Danish Bar and Law Society (“The Society”) conjoins lawyers holding the Danish title ”Advokat” authorised to practise law whether in Denmark, Greenland, the Faroe Islands or abroad.

Registration with the Society is mandatory, and today the Society conjoins more than 7,000 lawyers.

The objects for which the Society is established are:

• To safeguard the independence and integrity of lawyers
• To ensure and enforce the discharge of the duties and obligations of lawyers
• To ensure the professional competence of lawyers; and
• To work for the benefit of the rule of law in Denmark

The Society was established in 1919. By law it is vested in the Society to supervise lawyers’ adherence to the legal and ethical rules regulating the legal profession. The Council of the Society has in that capacity adopted a professional Code of Conduct with guidelines stating the rights and duties of lawyers.

The Society also manages the education of future lawyers by a compulsory education programme including a bar exam that all assistant attorneys must follow and pass.

Furthermore, the Society is active in the law-making process by participating in the governmental consultation procedures of law proposals as well as appointing members to governmental committees.

• The Society is not an association of lawyers, a trade union or a lobby organisation arguing the commercial or financial interests of its members.
• Thus, the Society does not engage in marketing activities promoting lawyers in competition with for instance accountants, real estate agents etc.
• The Society is not engaged in labour market issues concerning labour conditions, payment etc. for employees in law firms.
• The Society does not run any kind of financially revenue-giving activities.
• The Society does not offer lawyers services such as continuing training, pension schemes, insurance schemes, access to discounts on buying business utilities etc.

All these activities are considered to fall outside the activities necessary for maintaining an independent bar and law society and are therefore left to private initiatives for those lawyers who wish to contribute financially to such on a voluntary basis.