Biography

Ola Nilsson acts as counsel in commercial litigation and arbitration and also serves as arbitrator in domestic and international arbitration, both ad hoc and institutional. He is based in Stockholm, Sweden. 

Ola has extensive experience of disputes in a number of different areas such as shareholders’ and cooperation agreements, share and asset purchases, commercial real estate leases, agency and distribution, supply agreements, consultancy agreements, sale of goods (e.g. equipment and technical products), service agreements, bankruptcy-related issues (e.g. recovery in bankruptcy), banking and finance (incl. negligent financial advice), CEO agreements and liability of board members/liquidators (incl. liability under tax law). 

Moreover, Ola assists client companies with corporate investigations, e.g. when there are suspicions that directors or employees have not complied with applicable rules, instructions or guidelines.

Before founding the law firm Advokatfirman Ola Nilsson in 2022, Ola was a partner at A1 Advokater KB, a leading boutique law firm in Stockholm specialising in commercial dispute resolution. Prior to that Ola worked with dispute resolution at leading law firms in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Paris. Moreover, Ola has worked as a junior judge in the court of appeals and at a district court and as an adjunct judge at the Svea Court of Appeal (Sw: Svea hovrätt). 

Ola is also the co-author of the book ”Arbitration in Sweden”, issued in 2011, a concise guide for arbitrators and counsel acting in Swedish-seated international arbitration proceedings. Furthermore, between 2011 and 2016 Ola gave lectures and examined law students in arbitration law at the Stockholm University.

Professional experience

• 2022 – present: Sole practitioner, Advokatfirman Ola Nilsson AB
• 2016 – 2021: Partner, A1 Advokater KB, Stockholm
• 2003 – 2016: White & Case, Stockholm
  • • • Counsel (2009-2016)
      • Associate (2003-2008)
• 2014: Adjunct Judge, Svea Court of Appeal, Stockholm
• 1999 – 2002: Associate, Advokatfirman Vinge, Gothenburg (incl. 8 months
  at Vinge’s Paris office)
• 1998 – 1999: Junior Judge (Sw: hovrättsfiskal och tingsfiskal), Court of Appeal
  for Southern Norrland (Sundsvall) and District Court of Sveg
• 1994 – 1996: Trainee District Judge (Sw: tingsnotarie), Malmö District Court

Training

• 2008 The Arbitrator Training Program organized by the Swedish Arbitration Association (SAA) and the SCC Arbitration Institute in Stockholm
• 1996-1997 EU Law/EU Competition Law, Master of Laws degree (LL.M.), with distinction, Amsterdam University, the Netherlands
• 1993-1994 Business Administration and Economics, Master courses, Lund University, Sweden
• 1989-1994 Master of Laws degree (LL.M.; Sw: juris kandidat), Lund University, Sweden

Publications 

• Bengt Åke Johnsson and Ola Nilsson, Waving the Right to Arbitrate by Initiating Court Proceedings, Stockholm International Arbitration Review (SIAR), 2009:2.
• Ola Nilsson, Recent Swedish Ruling on Arbitrability, Kluwer Arbitration Blog, 2011.
• International Arbitration – Streamlining, while competition heats up, co-author, PLC Magazine, April 2011.
• Fredrik Andersson, Therese Isaksson, Marcus Johansson and Ola Nilsson, Arbitration in Sweden, Jure Law Books, 2011 (also published in the Russian language).
• International Arbitration in Sweden. A Practitioner’s Guide, co-author, (editors Ulf Franke, Annette Magnusson, Jakob Ragnwaldh and Martin Wallin), Wolters Kluwer, 2013.

Memberships

• Member of the Swedish Bar Association (Sw: Sveriges Advokatsamfund) since April 2002.
• Swedish Arbitration Association (SAA)

Languages

• Swedish as native language
• Fluent in oral and written English
• Fluent in oral and written French
• Limited working proficiency in Spanish
• Limited working proficiency in German
• Good understanding of Norwegian and Danish