“Remain curious and explore widely before committing to a specific field of law”
Associate Richard Wennberg from our Dispute Resolution practice reflects on the experiences and interests that guided him towards a legal career and ultimately to dispute resolution. He shares how curiosity, a broad range of early-career experiences and an interest in diplomacy and international affairs shaped his path, and how a generalist mindset continues to support his development as a lawyer.
What led you to pursue a legal career and how did you end up at Krogerus?
My first recollection of considering a legal career dates back to childhood, when my grandmother, based on my personality, suggested that I might one day become a judge. While that idea was not decisive in itself, it planted an early seed of interest in the legal profession. As I grew older, I began to consider different paths more seriously, ranging from becoming an attorney or judge to broader options in the social sciences or history, with diplomacy as a particular point of interest.
Although my interest in diplomacy has not faded, it became increasingly clear to me during upper secondary school that the legal profession was the field I wanted to pursue: broad enough to keep many doors open, yet focused enough to provide a clear professional direction. Since then, my path has been guided by curiosity and opportunity, leading me to explore a variety of fields both within and beyond the legal sphere. This ultimately brought me back to Krogerus, where I completed a traineeship in 2023.
How did your studies and early career experiences shape your development and guide you towards your current role?
A consistent feature of my personal life has been a strong curiosity about how things function. When I encounter a topic I do not fully understand, I tend to explore it in depth until I am able to follow and engage with it in a meaningful way. This approach has also characterised my legal studies, where even areas that at first glance did not seem particularly interesting often became engaging once I had taken the time to understand them properly.
This open mindset also shaped my early career choices. To gain a better understanding of different professional contexts and areas of practice, I aimed from an early stage to explore broadly rather than specialise too soon. This led me to experiences across start-ups, M&A, financial regulation and competition law, as well as, driven by my interest in diplomacy and international affairs, research roles at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. This approach of first building a generalist foundation before eventually committing to a specialisation ultimately led me to my current position, where a broad, generalist background is particularly valued.
What initially drew you towards dispute resolution and how did you find your way to this practice area?
My interest in dispute resolution was sparked through my participation in the Nordic Moot Court Competition on Human Rights in the spring of 2022. The competition involved both a written phase, in which we prepared detailed legal memorials, and an oral phase, where we had the opportunity to argue before a panel of judges from the highest courts of the Nordic countries as well as the European Court of Human Rights. It was a formative experience that gave me direct insight into how legal reasoning functions in practice, where arguments are developed, tested and refined through continuous dialogue, aligning closely with my longstanding interest in diplomacy.
That experience, combined with my generalist background across different areas of law, eventually led me to join the Dispute Resolution team at Krogerus as an Associate Trainee in 2023. Among the various areas I had explored, dispute resolution stood out as the one that best matched my broad interests and preferred way of working. Against this background, and building on the positive experience of my traineeship, joining the Dispute Resolution team after graduation felt like a natural next step.
What aspects of working in dispute resolution have been the most rewarding for you so far?
What I find most rewarding is the variety. One might assume that while the substance – the regulatory framework, the industry, and the underlying facts – changes from matter to matter, the process itself remains broadly the same. In my experience, that does not seem to be the case at all. No two processes are alike. Unexpected developments, shifting dynamics between the parties and procedural turns that could not have been anticipated all contribute to making each matter genuinely unique and engaging.
Beyond that, there is something particularly satisfying about following a matter from its earliest stages through to resolution – seeing how the strategy evolves, how arguments are tested and refined, and how the case ultimately unfolds. Dispute resolution requires precisely that kind of sustained engagement, as each new matter calls for a genuine understanding of the client's business and the legal landscape surrounding it, often within a short timeframe. For someone who finds satisfaction in that process, it is a particularly rewarding area of practice.
Piece of advice you would give an aspiring lawyer
- Build genuine relationships. What many people refer to as “networking” is better understood as building genuine relationships. The people you meet during your studies are likely to become future colleagues, collaborators, or clients. Taking the time to get to know them early on can be one of the most valuable long-term investments in your career.
- Do not settle too quickly. The scope of work a lawyer can do is very broad, yet many fall into the trap of committing to the first legal field that seems somewhat interesting. Instead, remain curious during your studies and take the opportunity to explore widely before committing to a specific path.
- Stay true to yourself. Being authentic and humble, rather than trying to present a version of yourself that is not genuine, will set you up for success – whether in securing a traineeship or a job, or simply in being a colleague that people enjoy working with.
Richard's career in numbers
- 1 year of working as a lawyer
- 1.5 years at Krogerus
