Vesala Law Firm

Family matters

Divorce

Getting a divorce is no longer difficult in Finland. In this link, you can find a form , which you can fill out and submit to the district court of either spouse's domicile or permanent residence to start the divorce process. When six (6) months have passed, but less than 12 months, the spouses are sentenced to divorce if one of them demands it.
 

In addition, in divorce situations, children's housing, alimony and maintenance, as well as the division of the spouses' property, will be agreed upon.

Child affairs and maintenance
 

The most typical so-called children's cases are those about which parents are arguing and a child or children are in between. When the couple separates, children's matters must also be agreed upon, i.e. where the child will live, when the child can meet the parent who does not live with them, who will pay the expenses incurred for the child, i.e. alimony and maintenance. In the vast majority of separation situations, adults agree in a written agreement on how the child's affairs will be organized when the father and mother are no longer together. Contract forms can be found online on the municipalities' websites, and the childcare provider will assist in drawing up the contract. The contract is also confirmed by the child supervisor. However, some of the differences are so contentious that the parents cannot reach an agreement. Then the matter ends up in the district court to be decided.

Partition

Partitioning means settling and equalizing property under matrimonial law. Partition can be delivered when the basis for partition arises, i.e. when the marriage ends in divorce or the death of the other spouse. The parties to the partition are the spouses in the case of divorce, and the widow in the case of death, as well as the right holders of the spouse who died first.

Partition is a formal legal act, i.e. the marriage law defines the content and form of partition. Asset division can be delivered either by the parties delivering the division themselves in accordance with the agreement they have made with each other (contractual division) or by an estate distributor appointed by the court for this task, usually a lawyer (deliverable division).

Guardianship and will

We also prepare powers of attorney in case a person becomes incapable of taking care of his own behalf. The guardianship power of attorney becomes effective when it is presented to the magistrate together with a medical certificate stating the need for guardianship.

A person can also be placed under guardianship at the initiative of another, when it is obvious that he is unable to take care of his own interests. The court can appoint a guardian for an adult who, due to illness, mental disturbance, impaired health or other similar reasons, is unable to supervise his interests or to take care of matters concerning himself or his wealth that require care and cannot be adequately cared for in other ways. If necessary, the guardianship authority must submit an application to the district court to appoint a guardian.

With a will, a person determines what happens to his property after he dies. We prepare wills every week.
 

Basic writing

After the death of a person, the original must be submitted within three (3) months from the moment of death. The decedent's property at the time of death is listed in the will in order to determine inheritance tax for those who are the deceased's heirs. The certificate of incorporation must be submitted to the tax office within one (1) month of the registration of the certificate of incorporation. We are constantly preparing charters. Call and ask more.

Division of inheritance

After a person dies, his property is distributed to his heirs. An agreement is made between the heirs about the division of the inheritance, where they agree on what each will get. If no agreement can be reached on the division of the inheritance, the shareholder of the estate can apply to the district court for an order from the executor and/or the estate distributor to carry out the division in the estate. We assist in inheritance distribution and act as estate liquidators and estate distributors.

Over the years, we have handled numerous assignments in family and inheritance law. Contact us for more information.

Guardianship and will

We also prepare powers of attorney in case a person becomes incapable of taking care of his own behalf. The guardianship power of attorney becomes effective when it is presented to the magistrate together with a medical certificate stating the need for guardianship.

A person can also be placed under guardianship at the initiative of another, when it is obvious that he is unable to take care of his own interests. The court can appoint a guardian for an adult who, due to illness, mental disturbance, impaired health or other similar reasons, is unable to supervise his interests or to take care of matters concerning himself or his wealth that require care and cannot be adequately cared for in other ways. If necessary, the guardianship authority must submit an application to the district court to appoint a guardian.

With a will, a person determines what happens to his property after he dies. We prepare wills every week.
 

Basic writing

After the death of a person, the original must be submitted within three (3) months from the moment of death. The decedent's property at the time of death is listed in the will in order to determine inheritance tax for those who are the deceased's heirs. The certificate of incorporation must be submitted to the tax office within one (1) month of the registration of the certificate of incorporation. We are constantly preparing charters. Call and ask more.

Division of inheritance

After a person dies, his property is distributed to his heirs. An agreement is made between the heirs about the division of the inheritance, where they agree on what each will get. If no agreement can be reached on the division of the inheritance, the shareholder of the estate can apply to the district court for an order from the executor and/or the estate distributor to carry out the division in the estate. We assist in inheritance distribution and act as estate liquidators and estate distributors.

Over the years, we have handled numerous assignments in family and inheritance law. Contact us for more information.

Disputes

Sometimes things just get into a fight that cannot be resolved by mutual clarification. In that case, an external solution is needed, which can be obtained either from a mediator or a judge. Mediation is offered as a free statutory service, and it is available in Oulu, for example, here .

As a consumer or a work orderer

When you have completed a transaction or ordered a service as a consumer, you are protected by the Consumer Protection Act. The consumer client is protected as the weaker party, which is why it stands out from other disputes. As a consumer, you are assisted by consumer advice, which has been transferred to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority since January 1, 2019. You can get more information here . Consumer advice gives recommendations, and sometimes the recommendation does not lead to the desired result. Then the matter may have to be dealt with in court. We have also handled a lot of consumer disputes.

As an employee

If you, as an employee, get into a dispute with your employer, you are protected by the Employment Contracts Act and other regulations of working life, such as the collective agreement. The employee is protected as the weaker party in employment relationships. Your trade union or organization can give you good, expert help with disputes in working life. You can also get legal help through trade unions, and union members usually also have legal protection insurance taken out on behalf of the union, which also covers the legal costs of disputes arising from employment relationships. Usually, work life issues are resolved by negotiation, but sometimes it turns out to be fruitless, in which case the matter has to be taken to court for resolution.

Other disputes
 

In other disputes, the parties are equal in the eyes of the law.

Mess with the neighbor

Arguments may arise with the neighbor when things do not go as agreed. The small real estate association or the property manager of the housing company are usually good advisers in the matter, so that the dispute can be resolved without further arguments. Sometimes the dispute cannot be resolved without a solution provided by an outsider, in which case it has to be sought from the court.
 

Debt or receivable

In debt disputes, it is usually clear to the parties who owes whom and how much, in which case the dispute is only that the debt has not been paid to the creditor. You can submit the issues of a simple subpoena application to the district court, for example, using the form available here . If things get complicated or you are being charged a debt that you don't think you should pay, it is wise to get an assistant involved. We have assisted in matters concerning debt or receivables at all levels of court.

Lease

We have handled disputes arising from the rental agreement as assistants to both the landlord and the tenant.

Dispute with the building society
 

There can be many kinds of disputes in a housing stock company, and we have been helping shareholders and housing stock companies. If the dispute requires a judge's decision, you must go to court. We have handled thousands of disputes in all Finnish courts and we can assist you in resolving your dispute. Call and ask more.

Criminal matters

As a victim

In legal parlance, the victim of a crime is called an interested party. In this link you can find more information on the matter .
 Accused

If you have had to deal with the police on suspicion of committing a crime, you already have the right to use an assistant during the preliminary investigation by the police. If the matter goes to court after the prosecution, you have the right to a defense attorney. You can find more information about this at this link . Call and ask more.

As a witness (also in non-criminal cases)
 If you have been receiving information in a case that is being discussed in court, you can be called as a witness to resolve the case. You can get more information on the matter from this link .

In employment matters

A labor dispute can even bring down a company if things go really wrong. "Investigate before you rush" is good advice in many matters, so call and ask for advice on the matter if you have any doubts "is this going right now?" We have assisted in the stages of hiring an employee as well as in matters related to the termination of the employment relationship by drafting employment contracts and employment contract termination agreements as well as other related agreements.