The City of Tallinn will once again offer free legal counselling to residents in 2025, with consultation days scheduled in each city district. The next counselling sessions will take place on 19 March from 9:00–13:00 at the Põhja-Tallinn District Government and on 21 March from 9:00–13:00 at the City Centre Social Centre.
According to Tallinn City Secretary Priit Lello, the city has been providing free legal advice to residents for many years. “There are three ways Tallinn offers free legal support: firstly, 20 consultation days will be held across all districts throughout the year; secondly, residents can receive legal counselling via email and phone in cooperation with law students and the Estonian Lawyers’ Union; and thirdly, assistance is provided to low-income residents. We’ve made the counselling service more flexible and increased the frequency of consultation days,” said Lello.
Compared to 2023, the number of service users more than doubled last year. In 2023, the service was used by 392 residents, while in 2024, 918 people received counselling. The most common topic of interest was inheritance law (296 inquiries), followed by the law of obligations (161), family law (128), and housing association issues (119). There was less interest in contract law (59), employment law (57), tax law (14), enforcement proceedings (8), and consumer protection (2). Issues related to interaction with state or local authorities accounted for 70 inquiries. Counselling was provided in Estonian (365 cases), Russian (529), and English (21).
“All Tallinn residents are welcome to attend the consultation days, which offer initial legal counselling on a wide range of topics. Everyone should have the opportunity to understand and defend their rights, regardless of whether they can afford a lawyer,” added Lello.
Legal advice is available on topics such as family law, inheritance law, law of obligations, contract law, employment law, tax law, consumer protection, enforcement proceedings, housing association issues, and communication with local or state authorities.
This year, a new service provider has been contracted – the counselling will be offered by specialists from ContractOK OÜ. The service is available in Estonian, Russian, and English. No prior registration is required. Consultations are held across all districts, and residents may attend any date and location regardless of their place of residence.
More information is available at: www.tallinn.ee/en/services/legal-counselling