Martin Biörklund, Law Programme

Martin Biörklund, what made you choose the Law Programme at Karlstad Business School?

- I was born and raised in Karlstad. When I moved back after studying in Gothenburg, I decided that I wanted to become a lawyer and, by chance, Karlstad University had just established its own law programme.

What were your expectations for the degree programme – and did it live up to your expectations?

- When I was in Gothenburg, I studied the first year of a programme in engineering at Chalmers. My expectation was therefore that the law programme in Karlstad would be of the same high standard, which I thought was a reasonable expectation since there was already an established programme in jurisprudence. I’m happy to say that it lived up to my expectations. The already existing courses were of high standard, and for the new courses that were introduced as part of the new programme, the university brought in staff and guest lecturers from other universities with a law programme. All in all, I’m very pleased with my choice of education.

How well did the programme prepare you for working life?

- While I was studying, I felt that it was difficult to know how big the difference would be between studying and practicing law. It wasn’t until the mandatory placement in semester eight that I felt that the difference was much smaller than I had previously thought. Of course, there was a lot to learn, but not nearly as much as I had expected.

Tell us a bit about being a student at Karlstad Business School.

- About a year has passed since I graduated, and I look back at that time as some of the best and most rewarding years of my life so far. There were a lot of people who shared similar interests, which meant that it was easy to make new contacts. Many times, you also developed a good and close relationship with the teachers, which I personally felt helped a great deal. In addition to studying, I also got involved in the law students’ association which organised various social activities as well as conducting education monitoring, something which I really recommend.

What are you doing today and where are you working?

- Immediately after graduating in January 2022, I started working as a junior reporting clerk at the Administrative Court in Karlstad, but I have since changed position and now work as a law clerk. This means that I work with cases from the time they are registered until they are handed over to the judge for a decision. More specifically, I mainly write drafts for judgements, as well as communicating with the parties of a case and taking minutes during negotiations. Administrative court handles hundreds of different types of cases, which makes work both varied and challenging.

Has your education been useful to you?

- I would definitely say so, yes. The legal approach that you acquire as part of the law programme means that you can quickly familiarise yourself with different areas of law, something that is of great importance when you work in an administrative court. When it comes to work at an administrative court, which includes a lot writing, I also think that it has been a big advantage that the law programme at Karlstad Business School has a big focus on writing. More or less all of the courses included at least one written assignment of varying scope.

Do you have any advice for someone who is thinking about studying at Karlstad Business School?

- If you are not completely sure what to study, you can always apply to a course or a programme and see how you feel. If it turns out that it is not for you, you can always try something else. Once you have found the right programme for you, you should take it seriously and make sure to get as much as possible out of your time as a student. However, this does not mean that you have to study constantly. It is also important to enjoy yourself while studying.

How do you view the future?

- I have trust and faith in the future. With a law degree, you can work in so many different areas of law and in many different types of workplaces. Regardless if I continue working at the court or choose to do something else, it feels like there will always be opportunities for further development.