I work as a lawyer and still have time for life!

- It's easy to get from A to B. You almost never have to queue for anything and you quickly get help and service when running errands. It's a luxurious feeling. It's an everyday life without obstacles where life flows smoothly. 

Katja also saw the opportunity to give her daughter Mathilda more time with close relatives and more freedom early in life. 
- She's only four years old now, but in Åland she'll be able to move around more freely, cycle to her friends on her own and be more independent earlier than in the big city. 

New life situation

Katja had actually never considered leaving Stockholm, which had become her home city back during her high school years. Here she had built her entire life with work and friends. Professionally, she was well on her way to becoming a judge.

- Then I had a child. Parental leave went well in Stockholm, but when it was time for Mathilda to start daycare, it no longer felt right. Suddenly I saw Stockholm through completely new eyes. The very things that made me move there in the first place – the pulse, the bustle and the anonymity – were also what brought me back to Åland. You're constantly queuing and jostling with strangers whether it's in the traffic queue, on the escalator to the subway or for your child to have a turn on the swings in the park. There are obstacles everywhere. I wanted to focus my time on her and not on rush hour traffic and other irrelevant things.

Åland law

Now Katja and Mathilda have lived in Åland for three years and they're doing well. While Mathilda attends daycare, Katja now works as a lawyer at the law firm Widman & Co. As a former attorney in Sweden, she was able to rejoin the Swedish Bar Association and subsequently become registered as an EU lawyer in Finland. This means she is a licensed attorney in both Sweden and Finland.

- Here we work with all types of business law assignments, often with connections outside Åland. I've already had cases where the opposing party was represented by former colleagues from the firm I worked at in Stockholm. 

During her first period in Åland, however, she worked as a legal officer at the Government of Åland. 
- It was a good entry point for understanding Åland's legal framework, which in some ways is unique.

Åland's autonomy means that Åland has its own legislative authority in several areas. Otherwise, Finnish law applies. Compared to Sweden and Finland, there is relatively little case law and barely any legal literature on Åland law.
- It requires a greater element of independent assessment. The legal position is rarely as clear here as it is in Sweden or Finland.

Enjoys challenges

Otherwise, the law in Sweden, Finland, Åland and the rest of the Nordic countries has many similarities.
- At a fundamental level, you recognise the common ground. Understanding how a corresponding issue is assessed in Finland enriches one's understanding of Swedish law – and vice versa.

You can work as a legal professional and attorney in Åland without knowing Finnish, but knowledge of Finnish is an advantage. Especially if you want to delve deeper into Finnish law. Katja has a private tutor in Finnish.

- It's entirely focused on teaching me to read legal texts. It's a real challenge, but exciting to notice progress.

Many employment opportunities

Katja says she was surprised by how many legal jobs there are in Åland.
- You can work in public administration, at a bank, at an insurance company, at a law firm and other places. The job market is broad with many different roles for legal professionals!