License to Plead Before the Court of Appeal

It is possible to apply for a license to plead before the Court of Appeal from the Distict Commissioner of Northeastern Iceland.

Conditions

• Must have held the right to plead before the district court for five years.

• Must have pleaded 25 cases before the district court or a special court.

• At least 15 of these cases must have been civil cases that meet the conditions for appeal to the Court of Appeal.

• Demonstrate that the applicant is qualified to obtain the rights by pleading four test cases before the Court of Appeal, of which at least two must be civil cases.

Costs

The license fee is ISK 12,000.

Process

First, a request must be submitted to the District Commissioner of Northeastern Iceland. This can be sent either to logmenn@syslumenn.is or by letter to: District Commissioner of Northeastern Iceland Gránugata 4-6, 580 Siglufirði.

The request must include a summary of the cases that the applicant has pleaded orally, certified by the respective district court.

If the applicant meets the first three conditions, the magistrate will issue a certificate, and the lawyer can then request to plead the test cases before the Court of Appeal.

After completing the test cases, the lawyer must apply again for the license to be issued by the magistrate. This is done electronically, and the application must include a certificate from the Court of Appeal confirming that the applicant has successfully pleaded the test cases.

Exemptions

• If a lawyer, before January 1, 2018, completed three test cases before the Supreme Court, they may be granted pleading rights for the Court of Appeal. The pleading must be confirmed with a certificate from the Supreme Court.

• If a lawyer, before January 1, 2018, completed two test cases before the Supreme Court, they may be granted pleading rights for the Court of Appeal even if they plead only one test case before the Court of Appeal. The pleading must be confirmed with a certificate from the Supreme Court.

• If a lawyer, before January 1, 2018, completed one test case before the Supreme Court, they may be granted pleading rights for the Court of Appeal even if they plead only two test cases before the Court of Appeal. The pleading must be confirmed with a certificate from the Supreme Court.

Right to Appeal

If the magistrate denies the issuance of a certificate for test cases or the issuance of a license, that decision can be appealed to the Ministry of Justice.