Clients’ experiences of dealing with their matters at the courts are positive

A client survey was carried out in the courts in spring 2026, and the results of which show that clients’ experiences of the courts’ operations are mainly positive. Clients’ trust in the courts’ operations and their experiences of fair treatment are at a strong level.

However, the survey highlighted the importance of processing times for the customer experience, and long processing times weakened the respondents’ overall assessment of the court’s operations. In addition, development needs were identified in communications.

”The processing times of the courts are too long, and we are aware of this problem. However, clearing the backlog and shortening the processing times are primarily a question of resources, which means that in the end, the question is what kind of funding will be allocated to the judiciary in the state budget. The statistics show that it is possible to shorten the processing times if the resources are sufficient. However, the outlook for the coming years is gloomy, as funding is decreasing and the number of cases received at the same time is increasing,” says Pasi Kumpula, Director General of the National Courts Administration.

”The courts also have very limited communication resources, but with the support of the National Courts Administration, efforts are constantly being made to develop and clarify joint communications.”

The aim of the survey was to find out customers’ experiences of the courts’ operations, services and procedures, as well as the implementation of fair treatment. The survey was carried out in all district courts, administrative courts and insurance courts. A total of 290 responses were received, of which 173 were from district courts, 111 from administrative courts and six from the Insurance Court.

The results of the district courts showed strengthened trust in the justice system

In the district courts, experiences of dealing with their matters at the courthouse were positive in all areas assessed. The friendliness and helpfulness of the staff, the functionality of the reception, and the findability and accessibility of the premises were assessed particularly positively. In addition, experiences of the legal system were mainly positive, and 50 per cent of the respondents felt that their trust in the judicial system had strengthened during their dealing with their court cases.

Some differences were observed in the responses related to criminal and civil cases. Those who had dealt with civil cases assessed the clarity of documents and instructions and access to information more positively than those who had dealt with criminal cases.

In both groups, long waiting times were highlighted as an area for development, and it was hoped that awareness of remote participation opportunities would be improved.

The feedback given on the judges’ activities, on the other hand, was mainly positive. The judges were described, among other things, as proper, polite, humane and fair.

Comprehensibility emphasised in the administrative courts

Two separate surveys were carried out in the administrative courts, one of which was distributed electronically with the decision and the other was distributed to clients present at the administrative court. Based on the responses to the questionnaire distributed electronically, the experiences of using the services were mainly positive. The respondents rated the comprehensibility of the documents, instructions and decisions as good, and there was strong confidence in the fairness of the decisions. The most critical assessments focused on the duration of the processing of the case, which was felt to weaken the customer experience. In addition, the need to improve access to information on the progress of the processing of the case emerged.

The results of the survey conducted among those who participated in the oral hearing on site in court were very positive: the findability of the premises, the reception and the willingness of the staff to serve received high ratings. Fair treatment, comprehensibility of the procedure and clarity of one’s own position, rights and obligations were also rated positively.

The results of the Insurance Court are indicative

Six responses were received to the Insurance Court’s survey, so the results can only be considered indicative. The comprehensibility of the documents and the fairness of the decisions were mainly assessed positively, but long processing times were also mentioned as a problem in Insurance Court cases.

Further information: Head of Communications Pilvi Isotalus,

Tel. +358 29 56 50505, forename.surname@oikeus.fi