Member Profile: Sweden’s Peter Utterström

Member Profile: Sweden’s Peter Utterström

11.6.2026

By Jennifer Andrus

Peter Utterström is an international tax and corporate compliance attorney in Stockholm, Sweden. He has extensive experience as outside and in-house counsel for international companies like Goodyear. He is the co-chair of the Swedish chapter of the New York State Bar Association’s International Section. 

How has your practice changed after Sweden joined the European Union?

The change when Sweden joined the EU had an impact as we were suddenly included in legislation which was automatically superior to our national legislation. Business lawyers suddenly had to learn a far different approach to business law such as antitrust and procurement in the EU system.

How has technology impacted your international practice over the last 30 years?

In my professional life I have experienced the introduction of the fax machine and the IBM PC in the 1980s, email in the 1990s and the full explosion of the digital age!

In the 80’s each lawyer had a secretary; you wrote or used a Dictaphone for the secretary to type your work! Today you may have a fraction of an assistant and you can work anywhere.

During the period of 2013- 2023, I had at least three or four different workplaces to use, traveling with my MacAir and my iPhone.

Why did you join the New York State Bar Association and its International Section, and what benefits do you get from the membership?

I was pulled into NYSBA when the International Section had its seasonal meeting in Stockholm in 2008.  We had so much fun with the NYSBA lawyers; joining the International Section was an easy decision to make. Now I co-chair the Sweden chapter with Carl-Olof Bouveng.  The main benefit to membership is that I get [to shape] the U.S. influence in the legal world.

Can you share an experience or story during a NYSBA International event?

I am proud to be a part of two successful conferences in Stockholm in 2008 and 2018. During one of those events, an experienced transactional lawyer stated during a panel discussion that in Swedish contract negotiation “corruption is not an issue as this is a minor problem in Sweden.” This [falsehood] at first made me laugh, but then I had to intervene and correct the statement.

If someone was not a member of NYSBA and the International Section, what would you say to encourage them to join? 

I wouldn’t hesitate to encourage you to join. I would also say that you need to be committed, spending time at meetings which will make you a part of the section of your choice relatively fast. There is a cost to your time and travel, but it is worth it.

What advice would you give to young lawyers or those new to the profession?

I am currently a mentor to a young future lawyer and our discussions are interesting. He told me that the impact of AI does not discourage him. Realistically, a legal education can take you anywhere!