Supreme Guardian of the Law
The Chancellor of Justice, along with the Parliamentary Ombudsman, is the supreme guardian of the law in Finland. The Chancellor of Justice supervises authorities' compliance with the law. He also pays particular attention to the observance of basic rights and liberties and human rights.

Supervisor of the Government
The Chancellor of Justice supervises the legality of the official acts of the Government, its members and the President of the Republic. He also oversees the observance of basic rights and liberties and human rights. From the constitutional point of view, the supervision of the legality of the Government's actions is one of the most important duties entrusted to the Chancellor of Justice.

Supervision of Public Officials
According to the Constitution of Finland, the Chancellor of Justice is charged with supervising that the courts of law, the authorities, civil servants, employees of public corporations and other persons in public posts obey the law in the performance of their duties and fulfil their obligations. In performing his duties, the Chancellor of Justice also monitors the implementation of basic rights and liberties and human rights.

The Chancellor of Justice investigates notices and recommendations from various authorities and undertakes further measures where necessary.

The Chancellor of Justice also investigates matters on his own initiative. For example, news reports in the media or alleged incidents of unlawfulness may lead to an investigation.

Supervision of Advocates
As provided in the Advocates Act, the Chancellor of Justice is also responsible for supervising the actions of advocates, even if the primary supervisory function rests with the Finnish Bar Association.

The Chancellor of Justice supervises that the actions of advocates or public legal aid advisors comply with the requirements of the code of ethics of the Bar, but he cannot interfere with the actual work of an advocate or impose any disciplinary sanction. Instead, the Chancellor of Justice may initiate disciplinary action against an advocate on the basis of a complaint or on his own initiative and he has authority over decisions on Bar membership. In addition, the Chancellor of Justice reviews all decisions by the Board of the Bar Association concerning the supervision of members.

Anyone who considers that an advocate or a public legal aid advisor has neglected his duties or acted in violation of the code of ethics of the Bar can bring the matter before either the Bar Association or the Chancellor of Justice.