ennakkotapa
Ennakkotapa is a Finnish legal term referring to the precedential value of prior court decisions as a guide for applying law in new cases. It describes the practice of interpreting statutes and legal principles by drawing on reasoning and outcomes from earlier rulings, particularly those of higher courts.
In Finland, ennakkotapa plays a central role in civil and administrative law. While the primary sources of
Ennakkotapa is not a formal, strictly binding rule in the same way as common-law stare decisis, but
Over time, repeated application of similar rulings can solidify an ennakkotapa into a stable interpretive approach.