I have been a Professor of Private International Law and Family Law at University of Turku since 2016. I graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University
of Lapland in 1993 (LL.M.). After this, I studied comparative law at Nottingham
University in 1994-1995. I started my research career as a member of a graduate
school in 1995 in the Institute of International Economic Law (at University of
Helsinki) and received my LL.D in the University of Lapland in 1999. Before I came to Turku, I held various positions at the Faculty of Law (in Helsinki and Lapland). I
have also worked in research projects funded i.e by the Academy of Finland. I
have even worked as an advocate at law firms in Tampere and Helsinki.

In my dissertation I concentrated on a theory of comparative law and obstacles to obtaining correct information concerning foreign law, especially inheritance law. Ever since, it has been my ambition to produce knowledge about how the method of comparative law can be tapped in researching substantive law. In general my research interests include marital- family- and inheritance law, property law and private international law. My areas of interest also includes English law. Examples of this are the monographs Trust (2003) and Fidusiaarivastuu (Fiduciary duty in English, 2006). As family and succession law have been the focus of my work in substantive law, it is natural that issues in these areas became topics in the research I have pursued in private international law (see i.e monographs Kansainvälinen avioliitto- ja jäämistöoikeus (International marriage and inheritance law in English, 2004, 2009) and Kansainvälinen lapsioikeus (International child law in English, 2012)).

I lecture basic courses of family and inheritance law, supervise graduate students and examine master theses.