When you look for a lawyer in Iceland you will come across several Icelandic titles: lögmaður, héraðsdómslögmaður and hæstaréttarlögmaður. They describe a lawyer's rights of audience, meaning the courts the lawyer may argue cases before.
What is a lögmaður?
Lögmaður is the protected professional title for a licensed lawyer in Iceland. To use it, a person must hold a law degree, pass the professional examination and obtain a licence to practise.
All practising lawyers are members of the Icelandic Bar Association (Lögmannafélag Íslands) and must follow its code of ethics. Their rights before the courts are then divided into three levels.
District court attorney (héraðsdómslögmaður)
A héraðsdómslögmaður may argue cases before the district courts, the first instance of the Icelandic court system. This is the most common level, and these lawyers handle the large majority of cases, from family matters to contract disputes.
Rights before the Court of Appeal (Landsréttur)
The Court of Appeal (Landsréttur) began operating in 2018 as a new middle tier between the district courts and the Supreme Court. Lawyers with rights before Landsréttur can argue appeals there, and most appealed cases now end at this level.
Supreme Court attorney (hæstaréttarlögmaður)
A hæstaréttarlögmaður holds the highest rights of audience and may appear before the Supreme Court of Iceland (Hæstiréttur). Gaining this title requires meeting stricter conditions, including substantial experience of arguing cases in court.
Since 2018 the Supreme Court only hears cases of general importance, so relatively few cases reach it.
Which lawyer do you need?
For most matters a district court attorney is fully sufficient, because most cases are settled out of court or decided at first instance. Many lawyers also advise on matters that never reach court at all, such as contracts or residence permits.
If your case is likely to be appealed, it can make sense to choose a lawyer with higher rights of audience from the start, so you do not need to change lawyer later.
Find the right level in the directory
Every listing on Lögmannaskrá shows the lawyer's rights of audience. Browse lawyers by practice area or region and pick the one that fits your case.