Helga Vala Helgadóttir

2024 –  Partner at the law firm Lögfræðistofu Reykjavíkur
2011 – 2024 Valva Lawyers, owner
2017 – 2023  Member of Parliament, Social Democratic Alliance
2021 – 2023  Member of Parliament at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
2009 – 2011  Representative at Lögron, law firm

2011  Master’s degree in law from the University of Reykjavik
2009  Bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Reykjavik
1998  Acting diploma from the Icelandic Academy of Arts (Leiklistaskóli Íslands).
1988  Menntaskólinn í Hamrahlíð (a high school in Reykjavik)

Other work

2000 – 2001  Bylgjan, program production
2001 – 2005  Ríkisútvarpið, (National Broadcasting Service), program production
2005  Talstöðin program production
2008  Mannlíf, journalist
2000  The New Perspective Theater Company, actress
1999  Akureyri Theatre Company, actress and director

Committees and boards

Iceland Post (Íslandspóstur)
National Theatre Council (Þjóðleikhúsráð)
Copyright Council (Höfundarréttarráð)

Community Activities

European Movement, Vice Chairman
Social Democratic Alliance chapters in Reykjavik and Bolungarvík, Chairman and Board Member
Icelandic Actors’ Association, Board Member
Dance Education, Board Member

Helga Vala graduated with a Master of Laws (ML) degree from Reykjavík University in 2011 and obtained her license as a District Court Attorney later that same year. She gained the right to practice before the Icelandic Court of Appeal (Landsréttur) in 2023.

Together with several other lawyers, she co-founded Völva Lawyers in 2011 and worked there until 2017, when she was elected to the Icelandic Parliament (Alþingi) as a member of the Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin). During her time in Parliament, she held various trusted positions, including Chair of the Constitutional and Supervisory Committee, the Welfare Committee, and served as parliamentary group leader. She was also a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Outside of Parliament, Helga Vala has held various leadership roles, including board member of the Icelandic Actors’ Association, the National Theatre Council, the board of Iceland Post, and the Copyright Council. She has also served as chair of the Social Democratic Alliance’s local branches in Reykjavík and Bolungarvík.

Helga Vala is a trained actress and has worked in theatre both in Iceland and the United Kingdom. She also worked in the media for several years. Prior to graduating from law school, she worked as a legal associate at Lögron – a law firm in Reykjavík and surrounding areas.

In 2024, Helga Vala began working at Reykjavik Law Firm (Lögfræðistofa Reykjavíkur).