The Norwegian Association of Lawyers

(Norges Juristforbund)

is Norwegian lawyers' employee organisation and interest group. The association's vision is that its members will represent a guarantee of justice and the rule of law in society. The association is affiliated to the Federation of Norwegian Professional Associations (Akademikerne).

The main purpose of the association is to ensure its members the best possible pay and employment conditions, highlight the importance of legal expertise in all sections of society and allow its members access to expertise, networks and financial benefits.

As an employee organisation the association is working for secure working conditions and competitive terms for its members, as well as individually and locally negotiated wage settlements based on education, expertise, responsibilities and performance.

The members of the Norwegian Association of Lawyers (NAL) are organised in five sections which are all represented on the National Executive. In addition to sections for lawyers employed by the central government and local governments, privately employed lawyers and law students, the Norwegian Judges Association (Den norske Dommerforening) is a separate section.

The NAL's supreme body is the Council, which normally meets once a year. Between such meetings the association is led by the nine members of the National Executive. The secretariat handles day-to-day operations.

Some of the secretariat´s chief tasks are negotiations and labour agreement work, information and public relations, advice and assistance on employment legislation, political work and highlighting legal expertise, membership benefits and statistics, arenas and events for networking and political debate, training of union representatives and the secretarial functions for the elected bodies.

The Norwegian Association of Lawyers publishes Juristkontakt, which is Norway's main magazine on law and society (www.juristkontakt.no). The association´s web resources are available on www.juristforbundet.no.

As a political player, the Norwegian Association of Lawyers is particularly interested in justice and access to legal aid and legal advice for all citizens. Legal expertise must be available in both the public and the private sector when issues are considered and decisions are made. Civilisation is not just built through democracy and economics, but just as much through standards, values, laws and regulations.