44 years at the Bar

Advisor to the International affiliate network of law firms Customs & Corporate Lawyers - Norwegian lawyer Gunnar Nerdrum awarded commemorative badge "150 years of Russian Bar"

On July 15, the Federal Bar Vice President Gennady Sharov solemnly presented to Norwegian lawyer Gunnar Nerdrum anniversary badge, timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Russian legal profession. "AG" asked the owner of the prestigious award, which it associates with Russia and what it is - '44 devote Bar.

- Russian legal profession this year marks the 150th anniversary. When you first met with Russian law?

- Of course, 150 years - a lot. So many things have happened during this time! I first became acquainted with Russia in 1988. I then spoke a little in Russian, and trained at the Institute of State and Law of the USSR. One of the themes that I had to thoroughly study was advocacy and legislation on the legal profession. While the legal profession is not considered prestigious and lawyers are not very well earned. Then perestroika began, the Soviet Union collapsed, and, in my opinion, the Bar began to develop more actively, and in 2002 a law on the legal profession.

- Is there any fundamental difference in the work of Russian lawyers and their foreign counterparts?

- I think not. For example, recently a client asked me to look at the draft agreement, which provided that in case of disagreement, the dispute will be resolved by compulsory arbitration in London. Today, for some reason, it has become fashionable to sue there. I participated in several processes in England and I can say that English law did not prestigious Russian or any other. On the contrary, the decision of the London arbitration is often unpredictable.

- What, in your opinion, lacks modern lawyers?

- It happens that they too believe in the positive outcome of the case, and then are disappointed when the opposite occurs. Sometimes their inaction, dishonesty, incompetence or exorbitant fees are the cause of complaints or even lawsuits clients, and in most cases these claims are satisfied.

- What are, in your opinion, should have a lawyer?

- Efficiency, open-mindedness. The lawyer has to start work early, follow the law, jurisprudence, be sure to communicate with clients, colleagues, be humane and pleasant, since we have no salary and customers - our direct employers. Therefore, the best advertising for a lawyer - it's satisfied customers.

- Today in the West often equate a lawyer and businessman. What do you think should be done to lawyers did not forget about their primary task - help the principal?

- Difficult question. If a person has no money, the largest law firm will not deal with his problems. Lawyer - very expensive. Of course, much still depends on the specialization, ie Not all lawyers are involved, for example, issues of family or criminal law. However, I believe that all the lawyers' organizations should be able to consider complaints of ordinary citizens, and if the law firm refuses to take the case, it must necessarily has applied to redirect to another company or to another lawyer, which will help him to man was not thrown.

- What influenced your choice of the legal profession?

- On the one hand, it was a random choice, but on the other - my father was a judge. After graduating from the Faculty of Law in Oslo, I spent 19 months linesmen later already replaced by other lawyers. In total, I Bar in January of 1970, i.e., for 44 years.

Read the full interview in the printed version of the "AG» № 15 of 2014