Code of Conduct

Castrén & Snellman’s Code of Conduct

More than 135 years of supporting our clients’ success have made Castrén & Snellman a forerunner of demanding legal services. Our team of approximately 300 experts is based in Helsinki, Finland, and we work across the globe with an extensive international network of law firms.

A central building block in our growth has been the Castrén spirit − a sense of community built and developed over many decades and codified in our values through a firm-wide dialogue.

This Code of Conduct translates our values into ground rules for how we interact with each other, our clients and society at large. It is aligned with the UN Global Compact and reflects our commitment to the Compact’s Ten Principles.

Our values

Courage

We follow our own path. We do not look for easy wins but have the courage to take a stand and to do what is right. We question, we develop ourselves and we look ahead.

Respect

No matter the situation, we always play as one team. We help our clients and one another shine. Every day, we build a work community where empathy, ambition and great results meet.

The Spark

We put ourselves on the line for our clients and push each other to exceed their expectations. The Spark is born of trust, close interaction and the professional ambition of each and every one of us.

Responsibility

Our business is a business of trust. We stand by our clients with integrity. We always strive towards the best possible results, but not at the expense of health, quality or the environment.

1. Human rights

We respect internationally proclaimed human rights in everything we do.

We expect our suppliers and business partners to do the same.

We refuse assignments where our advice would facilitate human rights violations.

2. Our people

Our people are our greatest asset. By looking after each other, we ensure the best possible quality for our clients.

We promote continuous learning and professional development beyond the requirements set by the standards of the legal profession.

To us, equal treatment and equal opportunities are self-evident. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination, be it based on gender, age, nationality, religion, sexual orientation or any other grounds. We assess how equality is realised at our firm and identify whether further development is needed.

We ensure that our working environment is inspiring, safe and supportive of everyone’s mental and physical wellbeing. We do not tolerate harassment or bullying in any form.

3. Professional conduct

Our business is based on trust and integrity. We always act in accordance with the professional and ethical standards of the legal profession, which regulate matters such as client relationships, loyalty to the client, independence, conflicts of interest, confidentiality and honesty.

We act in accordance with the applicable rules against money laundering and financing of terrorism. We know our clients and ensure we understand their intentions. We assess the risk of money laundering and financing of terrorism annually, and this assessment forms the basis for our internal guidelines and training.

As a leading law firm continually handling insider information, we regard confidentiality and unconditional compliance with insider regulations as matters of utmost importance for us, our clients and our reputation. Our internal guidelines provide detailed instructions for our employees.

Protecting the sensitive information our clients entrust to us is fundamental to our work as attorneys. Our information security management system is ISO/IEC 27001 certified and audited annually. Our employees are required to comply with strict internal rules and complete mandatory training on information security.

We do not tolerate corruption in any form. We have strict rules against bribery and limits on hospitality and gifts, which all our employees are obliged to follow.

We use artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance the quality and efficiency of our legal services. Our experts carefully review all AI-assisted content, and we always maintain human accountability. We have established ethical principles that govern the use of AI by our employees.

We are subject to statutory reporting obligations. We ensure that relevant activities and arrangements are assessed and reported in line with our internal guidelines.

4. Environment

Climate change fundamentally affects the economy. As a member of the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance, we are committed to supporting our clients in their transition to a low-carbon economy, networking with peers to advance the transition, and reducing our climate impact.

We assess our climate emissions annually and seek to identify further opportunities to reduce our emissions. We aim to ensure that all energy we use continues to come from non-fossil sources. We use the voluntary carbon market to support long-term climate solutions beyond our value chain.

5. Society

As attorneys, we have an important role to play in upholding and developing the rule of law. We actively participate in the preparation of new legislation through the expert groups of the Finnish Bar Association and specialised law associations.

We encourage our attorneys to engage in the education of future lawyers by sharing their knowledge with students.

6. Compliance and speaking up

Every C&S employee is a representative of C&S and is expected to follow this Code of Conduct in their daily work. Partners and supervisors are responsible for guiding their teams in implementing this Code of Conduct. All of us lead by example.

If you become aware of conduct that may breach this Code of Conduct or any applicable law, we encourage you to speak up. You can raise concerns with your supervisor or our Compliance Officer, HR Director or Managing Partner.

You can also report concerns through our whistleblowing channel, which allows for anonymous reporting. Note that this channel cannot be used to report discrimination or harassment, because such matters fall outside the scope of whistleblower legislation. Instead, contact your supervisor or our Compliance Officer, HR Director or Managing Partner.

You can raise concerns without fear of retaliation, knowing that they will be duly investigated and that appropriate actions will be taken in case of non-compliance.

Non-compliance with this Code of Conduct can lead to disciplinary action ranging from an oral warning to termination of employment, depending on the severity of the case.