With the smallest number of lawyers per inhabitant in the EU, Finland sill welcomes Eurojuris. Local member Peter Backström tells us how they built their small yet active network, and all his insights on doing a better job.
Can you tell us about your lawfirm?
We are a small firm of four lawyers, specialised in intellectual property law, especially patents and trademarks. We have been around for twenty years, and we mostly represent international clients. Occasionally we work on criminal law as well, but it is rare.
Our international activity is mostly centered around incoming business, such as international firms who own patents and trademarks in our country or have been charged with infringement here.
What is your history with Eurojuris?
I was there when EJ Finland was established in the mid-nineties. I was the first national president. Today, our president is one of my partners in the firm, Timo Mäenpäa.
Can you tell us the story behind the creation of Eurojuris Finland?
I first heard about Eurojuris International from a German colleague based in Hamburg. Then I went to a conference in Salzburg in 1994 and was allowed by EJ International to start a chapter in Finland.
Finland is a country with a very small population of lawyers. There are just a little more than 2000 members in the entire Finnish bar association. This reduces the potential for a network, but we did it anyway! We made a list of the lawyers we thought were the most interesting and we contacted them.
What advice would you give to someone who wishes to create an EJ chapter in their country?
Remember, a network without visibility is not a network; it is a freemasonic lodge or something like that. You want attention and publicity. So look for people interested in activities and ready to work for the national chapter and to give it an audience. Motivate your members as much as you can. The more numerous they are the better it gets!
Trivia: our members Gilad Berman (EJ Israël) and Spyros Gallos (EJ Greece) told us about the overpopulation of lawyers in their respective countries in past articles on this website – exactly the opposite problem of Peter! Furthermore, our member Olivier Vibert (EJ France) had put forward in our online magazine a study made by the European Union about the number of lawyers per inhabitant in various countries. Not only this study confirmed what Gilad and Spyros told us, but the same study also mentions Finland as having the lowest density of lawyers in the EU, backing up what Peter is telling us in this interview.
Read these past articles again! Gilad's insights are here: www.eurojuris.net/en/node/42622. Spyros' contribution is here: www.eurojuris.net/en/node/42587. Olivier's is at the following link: www.eurojuris.net/en/node/42589
