Annika Arvidsson is a Swedish lawyer who practised for much of her career in Paris, where she worked with the Carler law firm and in 1995 founded her own practice. She became a member of both the Swedish and French bars and is associated with Advokatfirman Carler as a partner.
Background
Annika Arvidsson was born in 1946. She completed her legal education in Sweden, earning the Swedish Bachelor of Laws (Candidate of Law) degree in 1971 from Uppsala University, and her career thereafter took her across the Swedish and French legal systems.
Her interest in international affairs appeared early, during her law studies in Uppsala, when she became involved with a Swedish foreign-policy society. Such societies offered Swedish students and citizens a forum for discussing international relations, a theme that later shaped her decision to work abroad.
Education
Annika Arvidsson studied law at Uppsala University, Sweden's oldest university, founded in 1477 and long one of the country's principal centres of legal education. Her Bachelor of Laws (Candidate of Law) degree was the Swedish first degree in law, which qualified graduates for further court practice and for the legal professions.
A few months after completing her law degree, she began studying international law in Paris. She then spent a year abroad before returning to Sweden for court practice, which prepared her for the advocate's career she subsequently chose.
After her studies in Paris, Annika Arvidsson returned to Sweden to complete court practice as a notary (notarie) at Sala District Court, known in Swedish as Sala tingsrätt. Swedish district courts are the first-instance courts of the general judicial system, and trainees there gained practical experience before qualifying for the advocate profession.
She then chose a career as an advocate and worked at the Paris law firm Carler, one of the few Swedish lawyers of her generation living and working abroad. The Stockholm firm Advokatfirman Carler traces its establishment to 1960, according to a legal directory profile, and its legal entity was registered in 2018. Today the firm describes itself as a commercial practice specialising in insolvency law and dispute resolution.
In 1995 she established her own law practice in Paris, first at Place André Malraux and then on avenue de l'Opéra. The practice was known as Cabinet d'avocats Arvidsson. Ulrika Seguin began working with her in 1998, followed by her daughter Anna. Arvidsson retired in 2016. Her career is also associated with Advokatfirman Carler in Stockholm, where she served as a partner.
Membership
The Swedish Bar Association (Sveriges advokatsamfund) is the national professional body for advokater, the lawyers admitted to practise in Sweden's courts. Membership of the association is a condition for practising as an advokat, and it oversees the professional conduct of its members.
The French bar organises lawyers admitted to practise before French courts, and Arvidsson practised as a lawyer in Paris. Utrikespolitiska föreningen is a Swedish foreign-policy society that promotes discussion of international affairs, and her involvement with it came during her studies in Uppsala.
Swedish Bar Association
,
Sweden
French Bar
,
France
Engaged with international questions while studying law in Uppsala
Utrikespolitiska föreningen
,
Sweden
Personality
Colleagues and reviewers described her as fearless, highly knowledgeable and well read. She was said to identify the central issue of a case quickly and to give sound and wise advice.
Quotes from others about the person
A 2025 obituary in the Swedish legal journal Svensk Juristtidning described her as a highly admired and well-liked lawyer who could appear with equal confidence in Swedish and French courts.
Interests
International affairs. During her Uppsala law studies she engaged with international questions through a Swedish foreign-policy society, and after graduation she studied international law in Paris.
Connections
Annika Arvidsson was married to Jean-Michel, and the couple had three children: Viktor, Ludovic and Anna. Her daughter Anna later worked with her in the Paris practice, after Ulrika Seguin, who had joined the practice in 1998.
child:
Viktor
child:
Ludovic
husband:
Jean-Michel
Daughter:
Anna
Worked with her mother in the Paris practice after Ulrika Seguin
Collegue :
Ulrika Seguin
Began working with Arvidsson in the Paris practice in 1998
References
Minnesord Annika Arvidsson
Obituary in the Swedish legal journal Svensk Juristtidning describing her studies in Uppsala, her work at Carler in Paris, her practice founded in 1995, her bilingual advocacy in Swedish and French courts, and her retirement in 2016.
