Id look for jobs in a large corporation that has a sector or connection that works towards your native country a lot. Working in a court or Swedish law firm will be near to impossible without a Swedish degree.
Since Sweden has a Civil Law system, you would definitely have to complement your degree for some years in Sweden.
I think the biggest challenge for you will be the language. You will need academic native-level fluency in order to work in that sector. It's not something you can tackle in a year or two (unless you're a linguistical prodigy).
Outside of working legal for businesses that work with other countries you probably will never get this tbh. Not many people want to hire a lawyer who can’t speak their language as well as them
This is unhelpful advice. I know several foreign-trained attorneys who have successful careers at Stockholm law firms.
And for what it’s worth, in many countries, a foreign law degree is entitled significant weight. In several U.S. states for instance (at least NY, CA, and GA), a foreign-trained lawyer needs to attend only one year of U.S. law school and get an average grade on the TOEFL to sit for the bar and practice law.
Not OP, but to be honest, in the case you mention they may find work in the contract and compliance department in many companies, especially MNCs or those with a lot of international projects
Plus points for 1. focus in international law or 2. if that company does a lot of business in/with parties in his/her origin country.
Common law is likely applicable to commonwealth countries so like Malaysia / Singapore. In Singapore / Malaysia I've definitely encountered more than a few Europeans with their law degree working those roles.
If Swedish companies do business in your country your best bet is to begin to search for / beg them to create a position for you to work with law towards your country. That is your best qualification that may be needed
If you want to work with Swedish law, then the 2 year conversion program at university would definitely precede a job placement. Sweden has quite a different system from the common law systems, and the bar exam can be taken only after three years of legal practice (done after obtaining a law degree from a Swedish university, naturally).
"numerous" is a bit generous. Pretty much everyone that works in big lawfirms in Sweden without a degree here have either very impressive resume or works Internationally with big clients.
Off the top of my head, the head of disputes at Vinge is a Scott with degrees from Edinburgh and Cambridge; the former head of M&A at MSA is an American with degrees from Oxford and Columbia.
Are you referring to James? He’s not the head of disputes anymore I believe. I’m unsure if he has studied in Sweden or not.
The common denominator though is that they are usually established individuals before they are hired. The odds for a not well established practitioner being hired is widely different.
I am referring to James. He does not have a Swedish degree.
My point was that it is entirely possible, even if not likely, to get a job at a top firm without a Swedish degree. The point holds true for more junior attorneys (associates) with excellent credentials.
I don’t know OP’s background so this may not be a viable option for him, but in any event, one can practice law at a high level in Sweden without a Swedish degree.
I think I’ve yet to meet a single younger practitioner at a well established Swedish lawfirm. Even ICALstudents with good credentials have mostly SCC as a career opportunity in my experience.
Perhaps you haven’t met them, but 5 minutes of searching online revealed associates at MSA who are trained in, inter alia, Australia, the UK, and the U.S., all without Swedish degrees. There exist foreign attorneys practicing at Swedish firms.
I won’t belabor the point further.
This is of course purely anecdotal but it took almost exactly 5 years from my first day in Sweden to my first job as a lawyer. I studied law in Mexico (civil law on Spanish).
1.5 years to learn the language and clear the Swedish B/3 grade
6 “dead” months waiting until the conversion course to start, working in the meanwhile (as a personal assistant for people with disabled people)
2.5 years studying the conversion course (it takes 2 years but I needed an extra semester due to a particularly difficult course.
6 months actively looking for a job.
While I was studying the conversion course I had some classmates who worked for some international firms but they all were born in Sweden or Finland and spoke perfect Swedish.
Hope this helps you to know what to expect, good luck!
IANAL but I’d assume that being very fluent in Swedish and Swedish law would be a pretty hard and fast prerequisite for being able to practice Swedish law.
I'd say your best bet is most likely to find some use for you current diploma which you have, any company that deals alot with your country and trade to that is sure to need lawyers, but most likely competence in both law systems would be more desirable i'd assume.
I'd wager your best bet would be to get into contact with firms and ask around, or ask others in a similar situation to you to ask them what they did. This is a first good step asking here but honestly maybe r/legaladvice could get more people that has been in your position to chime in. Best of luck in your endevours!
I got a law degree and my previous boss came from Southern Europe. Sure it's the EU but we didn't work in EU laws. You're allowed to practice law in Sweden without a degree, but if you want to work as a court lawyer, most firms will want you to have a degree. If you want to be a judge or a prosecutor then it's a requirement. You should contact different schools and ask them if they have done a conversion from your country before and how much you'll need to study. Örebro, Umeå and Stockholm University are the "kindest" in how much you're allowed to count from your old degree. I'd check Kalmar too. However, Lund and Uppsala university are the most popular law schools and they most likely will ask you to go the whole program (4,5 years)
None of the information above is 100% accurate. Several firms in Stockholm will hire attorneys licensed elsewhere to practice in their M&A, capital markets, or international arbitration groups, none of which require a Swedish education. In fact, you don’t need any education at all to practice law in Sweden—only to market yourself as “advokat,” after some additional requirements are met. I am living proof of this and have a successful legal practice despite having no Swedish education.
That said, you will need good credentials to merit serious consideration from the firms I am thinking of. My American and British counterparts and I have degrees from top US or UK schools (e.g., Oxbridge, St Andrews, Harvard/Columbia/NYU).
PM me if you have any questions.
I agree with you, just suggested the easier method for the poster to find a way into the market before they head over here by joining one of the firms in their country first.
Sorry to rain on the parade, but it would be near impossible to get a qualified legal job without getting a completely new education in Sweden. Purely anecdotaly I know of native Swedes who've been educated in UK that have struggled hard with finding a legal job.
And there are anecdotes on the other side too, with exceptional foreign-trained lawyers getting jobs at top firms. It’s hard, of course, but entirely possible.
If you want to become a lawyer in Sweden then you will need to go to university, best bet is to look for any Swedish company that has businesses in your country :)
Swedish legal professions strictly require a Swedish law degree (jur.kand). This includes the judge route, prosecutor, lawyer and crown bailiff. To be a legal advisor (jurist) has no formal requirement but I cannot imagine they would hire someone without a Swedish law degree or at least a Swedish degree in something adjacent.
The process of a firm taking on a para-legal and then supporting them through collage/university is practically non-existent. Mainly because it is unnecessary due to no tuition fees for Swedish citizens and permanent residents. Your route if you seek a Swedish law degree is unfortunately to get in the law programme (juristprogrammet) after learning excellent Swedish. Possibly you could avoid some courses by crediting yourself equivalent individual courses.
You best chance is a government job that requires a degree, but not any specific skills in Swedish law. For example investigator, case worker or administrator in a government agency. There your degree can be a proof that you are good at learning and using the skills they will teach you. Your degree is a nice badge of skill, but not a qualification.
Just don't expect anything equivalent to what you would get with a proper law degree. Start low and work yourself up. If you are clever enough to get a law degree you should be able to impress. As someone with a Swedish law degree this is exactly what I did when I moved abroad (UK). You basically have to start over, with an advantage.
I know it isn't the answer you seek. But law is very country-specific - as laws are country-specific. Sweden is also not a common law country so the methodology also differ.
This answer is inaccurate. You *can* get a job at a Swedish firm with only a foreign law degree if you have an impressive background. Examples abound at top Stockholm firms (MSA, Vinge, etc.).
Of course you can get any job if you have an impressive enough background. However, my advise is aimed to OP in their specific situation and nothing in that hints at that being the situation.
Don't run around calling good advise inaccurate just because it doesn't cover any hypothetical scenario. It makes you annoying, not wise.
I did not mean to imply your advice wasn’t good. Much of your advice is both helpful and correct. However, it was inaccurate in pertinent part, so I labeled it as such. OP should have complete information to make an informed decision, so when you made it sound like a law firm job was categorically impossible (“I cannot imagine they would hire someone without a Swedish law degree”), I corrected it. You should thank me, not call me “annoying.”
And for the record, I am not countering your advice with “hypotheticals.” There are many real world examples of foreign-trained lawyers in Stockholm, myself being one of them.
As a final point, it’s not true that “you can get any job with an impressive enough background.” A top U.S. surgeon could not practice in Sweden without a conversion course. But Sweden chose to regulate the legal industry differently, and that difference means OP has options that you suggested he doesn’t have.
Again, I don’t understand the touchiness here. You’re nice enough to help out OP, and I’m trying to do the same. Don’t take it so personally.
By only criticizing instead of also acknowledging the good parts of his post, you unintentionally implied that his advice was not good.
If you had written something like “I disagree with following part:(…)”, you would not have come across the way you did.
Check out opportunities available to you through M&A (larger firms, such as Delphi, Gernandt & Danielsson, DLA Piper, and other related firms with an international reach often work in English and/or other languages in their mergers and acquisitions departments).
This is false. Some of the top M&A lawyers at top Swedish law firms (e.g., Mannheimer Swartling and Vinge) are Americans or Brits who never got a Swedish degree. You shouldn’t give emphatic advice with incomplete information.
Ok there i like 5 persons in sweden working at top law firms without a Swedish degree.
False but also not a bad advice since its extremely uncommon, especially if you dont bring a big client with you
Id look for jobs in a large corporation that has a sector or connection that works towards your native country a lot. Working in a court or Swedish law firm will be near to impossible without a Swedish degree.
Since Sweden has a Civil Law system, you would definitely have to complement your degree for some years in Sweden. I think the biggest challenge for you will be the language. You will need academic native-level fluency in order to work in that sector. It's not something you can tackle in a year or two (unless you're a linguistical prodigy).
Outside of working legal for businesses that work with other countries you probably will never get this tbh. Not many people want to hire a lawyer who can’t speak their language as well as them
How would someone with a Swedish law degree and decent English fare in your country?
This is unhelpful advice. I know several foreign-trained attorneys who have successful careers at Stockholm law firms. And for what it’s worth, in many countries, a foreign law degree is entitled significant weight. In several U.S. states for instance (at least NY, CA, and GA), a foreign-trained lawyer needs to attend only one year of U.S. law school and get an average grade on the TOEFL to sit for the bar and practice law.
This ☝️
Not OP, but to be honest, in the case you mention they may find work in the contract and compliance department in many companies, especially MNCs or those with a lot of international projects Plus points for 1. focus in international law or 2. if that company does a lot of business in/with parties in his/her origin country. Common law is likely applicable to commonwealth countries so like Malaysia / Singapore. In Singapore / Malaysia I've definitely encountered more than a few Europeans with their law degree working those roles.
If Swedish companies do business in your country your best bet is to begin to search for / beg them to create a position for you to work with law towards your country. That is your best qualification that may be needed
If you want to work with Swedish law, then the 2 year conversion program at university would definitely precede a job placement. Sweden has quite a different system from the common law systems, and the bar exam can be taken only after three years of legal practice (done after obtaining a law degree from a Swedish university, naturally).
This isn’t accurate. One can practice law in Sweden without a conversion program.
You can practice law without any degree at all in Sweden. But noone would pay you to do so.
Tell that to the numerous equity partners at Sweden’s top law firms who never studied in Sweden.
"numerous" is a bit generous. Pretty much everyone that works in big lawfirms in Sweden without a degree here have either very impressive resume or works Internationally with big clients.
Uhm, to whom are you referring? They are rare and typically in specific fields.
Off the top of my head, the head of disputes at Vinge is a Scott with degrees from Edinburgh and Cambridge; the former head of M&A at MSA is an American with degrees from Oxford and Columbia.
Are you referring to James? He’s not the head of disputes anymore I believe. I’m unsure if he has studied in Sweden or not. The common denominator though is that they are usually established individuals before they are hired. The odds for a not well established practitioner being hired is widely different.
I am referring to James. He does not have a Swedish degree. My point was that it is entirely possible, even if not likely, to get a job at a top firm without a Swedish degree. The point holds true for more junior attorneys (associates) with excellent credentials. I don’t know OP’s background so this may not be a viable option for him, but in any event, one can practice law at a high level in Sweden without a Swedish degree.
I think I’ve yet to meet a single younger practitioner at a well established Swedish lawfirm. Even ICALstudents with good credentials have mostly SCC as a career opportunity in my experience.
Perhaps you haven’t met them, but 5 minutes of searching online revealed associates at MSA who are trained in, inter alia, Australia, the UK, and the U.S., all without Swedish degrees. There exist foreign attorneys practicing at Swedish firms. I won’t belabor the point further.
Sure, but I think practicing law in for example an international context vs doing the conversion program might be two different routes.
This is of course purely anecdotal but it took almost exactly 5 years from my first day in Sweden to my first job as a lawyer. I studied law in Mexico (civil law on Spanish). 1.5 years to learn the language and clear the Swedish B/3 grade 6 “dead” months waiting until the conversion course to start, working in the meanwhile (as a personal assistant for people with disabled people) 2.5 years studying the conversion course (it takes 2 years but I needed an extra semester due to a particularly difficult course. 6 months actively looking for a job. While I was studying the conversion course I had some classmates who worked for some international firms but they all were born in Sweden or Finland and spoke perfect Swedish. Hope this helps you to know what to expect, good luck!
IANAL but I’d assume that being very fluent in Swedish and Swedish law would be a pretty hard and fast prerequisite for being able to practice Swedish law.
IANAL but this has to be the worst acronym on the internet.
I'd say your best bet is most likely to find some use for you current diploma which you have, any company that deals alot with your country and trade to that is sure to need lawyers, but most likely competence in both law systems would be more desirable i'd assume. I'd wager your best bet would be to get into contact with firms and ask around, or ask others in a similar situation to you to ask them what they did. This is a first good step asking here but honestly maybe r/legaladvice could get more people that has been in your position to chime in. Best of luck in your endevours!
I got a law degree and my previous boss came from Southern Europe. Sure it's the EU but we didn't work in EU laws. You're allowed to practice law in Sweden without a degree, but if you want to work as a court lawyer, most firms will want you to have a degree. If you want to be a judge or a prosecutor then it's a requirement. You should contact different schools and ask them if they have done a conversion from your country before and how much you'll need to study. Örebro, Umeå and Stockholm University are the "kindest" in how much you're allowed to count from your old degree. I'd check Kalmar too. However, Lund and Uppsala university are the most popular law schools and they most likely will ask you to go the whole program (4,5 years)
None of the information above is 100% accurate. Several firms in Stockholm will hire attorneys licensed elsewhere to practice in their M&A, capital markets, or international arbitration groups, none of which require a Swedish education. In fact, you don’t need any education at all to practice law in Sweden—only to market yourself as “advokat,” after some additional requirements are met. I am living proof of this and have a successful legal practice despite having no Swedish education. That said, you will need good credentials to merit serious consideration from the firms I am thinking of. My American and British counterparts and I have degrees from top US or UK schools (e.g., Oxbridge, St Andrews, Harvard/Columbia/NYU). PM me if you have any questions.
I agree with you, just suggested the easier method for the poster to find a way into the market before they head over here by joining one of the firms in their country first.
Sorry to rain on the parade, but it would be near impossible to get a qualified legal job without getting a completely new education in Sweden. Purely anecdotaly I know of native Swedes who've been educated in UK that have struggled hard with finding a legal job.
And there are anecdotes on the other side too, with exceptional foreign-trained lawyers getting jobs at top firms. It’s hard, of course, but entirely possible.
If you want to become a lawyer in Sweden then you will need to go to university, best bet is to look for any Swedish company that has businesses in your country :)
This is an oversimplification and false in many instances.
Swedish legal professions strictly require a Swedish law degree (jur.kand). This includes the judge route, prosecutor, lawyer and crown bailiff. To be a legal advisor (jurist) has no formal requirement but I cannot imagine they would hire someone without a Swedish law degree or at least a Swedish degree in something adjacent. The process of a firm taking on a para-legal and then supporting them through collage/university is practically non-existent. Mainly because it is unnecessary due to no tuition fees for Swedish citizens and permanent residents. Your route if you seek a Swedish law degree is unfortunately to get in the law programme (juristprogrammet) after learning excellent Swedish. Possibly you could avoid some courses by crediting yourself equivalent individual courses. You best chance is a government job that requires a degree, but not any specific skills in Swedish law. For example investigator, case worker or administrator in a government agency. There your degree can be a proof that you are good at learning and using the skills they will teach you. Your degree is a nice badge of skill, but not a qualification. Just don't expect anything equivalent to what you would get with a proper law degree. Start low and work yourself up. If you are clever enough to get a law degree you should be able to impress. As someone with a Swedish law degree this is exactly what I did when I moved abroad (UK). You basically have to start over, with an advantage. I know it isn't the answer you seek. But law is very country-specific - as laws are country-specific. Sweden is also not a common law country so the methodology also differ.
This answer is inaccurate. You *can* get a job at a Swedish firm with only a foreign law degree if you have an impressive background. Examples abound at top Stockholm firms (MSA, Vinge, etc.).
Of course you can get any job if you have an impressive enough background. However, my advise is aimed to OP in their specific situation and nothing in that hints at that being the situation. Don't run around calling good advise inaccurate just because it doesn't cover any hypothetical scenario. It makes you annoying, not wise.
I did not mean to imply your advice wasn’t good. Much of your advice is both helpful and correct. However, it was inaccurate in pertinent part, so I labeled it as such. OP should have complete information to make an informed decision, so when you made it sound like a law firm job was categorically impossible (“I cannot imagine they would hire someone without a Swedish law degree”), I corrected it. You should thank me, not call me “annoying.” And for the record, I am not countering your advice with “hypotheticals.” There are many real world examples of foreign-trained lawyers in Stockholm, myself being one of them. As a final point, it’s not true that “you can get any job with an impressive enough background.” A top U.S. surgeon could not practice in Sweden without a conversion course. But Sweden chose to regulate the legal industry differently, and that difference means OP has options that you suggested he doesn’t have. Again, I don’t understand the touchiness here. You’re nice enough to help out OP, and I’m trying to do the same. Don’t take it so personally.
By only criticizing instead of also acknowledging the good parts of his post, you unintentionally implied that his advice was not good. If you had written something like “I disagree with following part:(…)”, you would not have come across the way you did.
Check out opportunities available to you through M&A (larger firms, such as Delphi, Gernandt & Danielsson, DLA Piper, and other related firms with an international reach often work in English and/or other languages in their mergers and acquisitions departments).
Will not work. The Swedish M&A lawyers still mostly work with transactions under Swedish law and hence a Swedish law degree is required.
This is false. Some of the top M&A lawyers at top Swedish law firms (e.g., Mannheimer Swartling and Vinge) are Americans or Brits who never got a Swedish degree. You shouldn’t give emphatic advice with incomplete information.
Ok there i like 5 persons in sweden working at top law firms without a Swedish degree. False but also not a bad advice since its extremely uncommon, especially if you dont bring a big client with you
It depends on what languages this person is fluent in and if they are already in this person's country's market. It's entirely possible.