Russian-Speakers Predominate in Free Legal Advice Sessions, Says Head of Lawyers' Union
Free legal advice given by students attracts more Russian-language speakers than ethnic Estonians, and the minority has a different understanding of legal topics, says Krista Paal, the head of the Estonian Lawyers' Union.
In an annual event, second- and third-year students will give legal advice for free in Tallinn, at the Linnakantselei (city office), from today until Thursday, with Paal telling ERR radio today that the Russian-language speakers in Estonia are living in a different sphere of understanding when it comes to legal matters.
She said that, for example, there is a rumor among the Russian-speaking community in Estonia that housing associations take a part of any property inheritance in their jurisdiction, which is completely false.
Alimony and property rights are the top problems people ask about, Paal said, and the same questions have been asked the past 15 years.
The state recently decided to begin translating the more important laws into Russian, with the first 50 to be unveiled by the end of October.