The government is considering breaking the monopoly of the State’s Legal Adviser, (Kammeradvokaten). A task force has been appointed to investigate the possibility of using other legal advisors besides Kammeradvokaten. This was announced by the Agency for Modernisation. The task force is expected to submit a report with their analysis and recommendations to the government by the end of 2024.
The chairman of the task force is economics professor Philipp Schröder from Aarhus University. The Kammeradvokat scheme has been in place since 1936 and was last renewed in 2015 when the law firm Poul Schmith/Kammeradvokaten took over the task. The government aims to introduce more competition in the legal advice provided to the state, as clearly stated in the government’s political manifesto.
The legal spokesperson for the Liberal Party (Venstre), Preben Bang Henriksen, expresses satisfaction with the initiative. He points out that Venstre has been working for over a decade to abolish Kammeradvokaten’s monopoly, which he believes has been a costly solution for the state. Henriksen highlights that lifting the monopoly would benefit taxpayers and strengthen legal certainty.
The legal spokesperson for the Conservative People’s Party (Moderaternes), Tobias Grotkjær, shares this view and emphasizes the need to reassess the current scheme. He notes that the state’s expenses for Kammeradvokaten have been steadily increasing over the past 15 years. Grotkjær believes that the current scheme is not only costly but can also be a hindrance for citizens who do not have access to the same resources as the state.
The task force will now analyze and assess the options for introducing more competition in this area and deliver their recommendations to the government next year.