Denmark opens ten-year state-funded counsel post at Svendborg district court

A ten-year appointment as state-funded counsel (beneficeret advokat) at Retten i Svendborg is open, with applications due on 25 November 2026. The appointed lawyer must run cases for parties granted free process and must be available for appointment as public defender at Retten i Svendborg and at Østre Landsret in cases first heard by the Svendborg court. The vacancy is announced in Statstidende of 28 October 2026, notice S26102026-291, in the “Diverse · Ledige stillinger” category of section I.

The beneficeret advokat scheme is the standing pool from which Danish courts draw counsel in legally aided cases. The post is advertised by Retten i Svendborg, Christiansvej 41, 5700 Svendborg, and the decision rests with Civilstyrelsen, which is also the marking required on the envelope or email. The appointment runs for a fixed term of ten years and is personal to the lawyer who receives it.

A personal post with appearance duties and no travel allowance

The notice sets out an unusually concrete set of obligations attached to the office:

• The lawyer must personally appear in the cases assigned to them.
• The lawyer must accept assignment as public defender at Retten i Svendborg and at Østre Landsret for appeals from Svendborg first-instance cases.
• No reimbursement of travel expenses is available to a lawyer appointed at a city court for appearances within the court district, under § 333, stk. 1, 2. pkt., and § 741, stk. 1, of Retsplejeloven.
• Beneficerede advokater are further obliged to provide public legal aid.

How the application travels between the courts

Applications go to Retten i Svendborg with the lawyer’s advokatbeskikkelse and any other annexes. Once the deadline has passed, the court president at Retten i Svendborg collects statements — with the consent of the nominated lawyers — from the following bodies:

• Civilstyrelsen
• Advokatrådet
• Kriminalregistret
• the chief of police (politidirektøren)

The applications then go forward with the Svendborg president’s recommendation to the president of Østre Landsret, who adds his own recommendation and forwards the file to Civilstyrelsen. Civilstyrelsen hears the applicants on the recommendations and the information gathered before it decides the case. Consent to obtain the statements from Civilstyrelsen and Advokatrådet may be attached to the application itself, which shortens the process.

Criminal, family and appellate experience carry weight

The notice states that the decision is a overall assessment of the applicant, with emphasis on:

• qualifications and experience in criminal cases or criminal law generally;
• experience of family-law cases;
• whether the applicant holds møderet (right of audience) before a regional court;
• procedural experience and standing as a litigating lawyer;
• demonstrated skill and commitment in the practice of law.

The same day’s Statstidende shows the scheme’s regular turnover: Kim Steen, a lawyer in Holmegaard, has had his appointment as beneficeret advokat at Retten i Næstved extended for ten years with effect from 1 September 2027 (S26102026-242), while Kasper Fuhr Christensen of Randers was appointed to the equivalent post at Retten i Randers by the justitsminister on 26 August 2026. A separate court recruitment notice also appears in the same issue, for fixed assistants in debt-relief cases at Retten i Herning, with a deadline of 13 November 2026.

Deadline, address and marking

• Deadline for receipt of applications: 25 November 2026.
• Address: Retten i Svendborg, Christiansvej 41, 5700 Svendborg, Denmark.
• Email: svendborg@domstol.dk.
• Marking: Civilstyrelsen.

For practitioners in Funen and the wider region the notice is a rare opening: these ten-year posts fall vacant only when a holder retires, resigns or has his or her advokatbeskikkelse deposited, as happened at Retten i Randers with effect from 1 October 2026. A lawyer who wins the Svendborg appointment secures a decade of publicly funded criminal defence and legal aid work, and with it the personal appearance duty and the unlimited legal aid obligation that the notice spells out.

Source: Statstidende, 28 October 2026, section I, Diverse · Ledige stillinger (official reference: S26102026-291).