Speakers: a panel of partners and practitioners, including Jonas Du Rietz and Therese Andersson (Morris Law/AGRD), Katrin Troedsson (MAQS), Jörgen Larsson (CMS Wistrand, Board of the Swedish Bar Association), Stefan Brocker (Mannheimer Swartling) and Björn Goldman (independent arbitrator and mediator).

‍

What was the lecture about?

This was an event at MAQS with networking and a panel debate on the future of business law firms, against the background of the formation of AGRD and the arrival of private equity in the industry. The discussion centred on the adviser's independence, how the market is affected, the differences between new and traditional law firm models, and future career paths for lawyers.

‍

What did I learn?

Three things stuck. First, that people are law firms' most important resource, something that has become even clearer as the industry has been transformed. Second, how the law firm model has concrete legal consequences – for example, how legal professional privilege and the prohibition on seizure are handled by retaining classic law firm structures – and why it is important that clients understand these differences in order to make informed decisions. Third, that new actors such as AGRD do not seek to replace the traditional law firms but to offer a complementary alternative built on existing structures.

‍

What am I taking with me into my studies?

The question of the adviser's independence recurred as a common thread, and it connects directly to themes I have worked with in the portfolio – the partisan adviser versus the neutral expert in TA-2 and the conflict of loyalties in ECT-1. Seeing how the structure and business model of the profession affect both independence and client protection gave me a more systemic view of what it means to be a business law adviser.

‍