laillisena

Laillisena is the essive form of the Finnish adjective laillinen, meaning legal or lawful. In Finnish grammar, the essive case indicates a temporary state or a role, and laillisena is used to express “as legal” or “in a legal capacity.” It is not an adverb; for adverbial meaning of legally, Finnish uses laillisesti.

In practice, laillisena appears in formal or legal language to describe someone’s status or function in a given context. It denotes acting in a capacity that is defined by law or by formal rules, rather than describing how something is done. The expression is common in official documents, court or administrative phrasing, and scenarios where one must specify the authority under which actions are taken.

Usage notes:

- Laillisena is typically followed by a noun in the adessive/essive sense of role, such as edustajana (as a representative) or toimijana (as an operator/agent).

- It contrasts with laillisesti, which is the adverb meaning “legally” and describes the manner of actions rather than a role or status.

- The term is mostly found in Nordic-language style or technical/legal Finnish and may appear less in everyday speech.

Examples:

- Hän toimi laillisena edustajana sopimusasioissa. (He acted as a legal representative in contract matters.)

- Yritys toimii laillisena toimijana ja noudattaa voimassa olevia lakeja. (The company operates as a legal actor and complies with applicable laws.)

See also: laillinen, laillisuus, laillisesti, essive case.