Swedish legal counsel for foreign companies
Entering the Swedish market, acquiring a Swedish business, or employing your first person here? We are the Swedish legal team for companies headquartered somewhere else.
Ascend Law advises international clients on market entry, cross-border transactions, employment and commercial contracts under Swedish law — and acts as the local representative EU and Swedish rules require you to appoint.
Entering the Swedish market
You have decided to sell, hire or establish in Sweden and need to know what the law actually requires before you commit. We scope the obligations, choose the structure, and execute the setup.
Acquiring or investing in Sweden
You have a Swedish target, co-investor or portfolio company. We run the Swedish legal workstream — due diligence, transaction documents, and the local law points your lead counsel cannot cover.
Already operating here
You have a Swedish subsidiary, branch or employees and need counsel on call for employment questions, contracts, governance and compliance, without maintaining a Swedish legal function.
Services overview
How we help
Market entry and establishment
Choosing between a subsidiary, a branch and direct sales — and structuring the entry so it does not create problems in year three.
Cross-border transactions
Swedish-law M&A, investments and joint ventures, working alongside your lead counsel or running the deal.
Swedish employment law for foreign employers
Hiring your first employee, understanding collective agreement exposure, and managing terminations under LAS.
Commercial contracts under Swedish law
Distribution, agency, supply, SaaS and partnership agreements drafted or reviewed against Swedish requirements.
Corporate governance and ongoing compliance
Board composition, residency requirements, shareholder decisions and the filings that keep a Swedish entity in good standing.
Statutory representation
Acting as your company's GDPR Article 27 representative, with process agent and packaging representative services through our group companies.
Why a specialist
Why foreign companies use a Swedish specialist
Sweden is a straightforward jurisdiction to operate in, but it has requirements that catch foreign companies out. A Swedish company with no board member, managing director or authorised signatory living in Sweden must appoint a person resident in Sweden to receive service of process. Collective bargaining agreements can bind you through practice rather than signature. Employment protection is stronger than in most common law jurisdictions and cannot be contracted away.
None of this is difficult once you know about it. It is expensive to discover late.
We work with international clients as their Swedish counsel — not as a firm that occasionally handles a foreign matter. That means English-language advice, awareness of how Swedish rules interact with your home jurisdiction, and answers that account for the fact that your decision-makers are in another time zone.
Group
Part of the Ascendance group
Ascend Law sits alongside two specialist services within the Ascendance group:
Corporate Service Sweden — fixed-fee company formation, branch registration, registered office, process agent and ongoing corporate administration.
PPWR Sweden — packaging compliance, Swedish EPR registration and authorised representative services under Regulation (EU) 2025/40.
Advisory work sits with Ascend Law; recurring administrative and compliance services sit with the specialist companies. You deal with the same people either way.
