15.2.2019

Castrén & Snellman Experts Top-Ranked in Chambers Global: ‘Very Service-Minded and Target-Oriented’

Chambers Global once again ranked our services among the best in Finland in its annual publication, which came out on 14 February 2019. The rankings place the greatest emphasis on client feedback, supplemented by background information provided by law firms.

Chambers Global researched and ranked Finnish law firms in the categories of Intellectual Property (Band 2), Banking & Finance (Band 1), Dispute Resolution (Band 1) and Corporate/M&A (Band 2).

Additionally, a total of 13 of our experts received individual rankings from Chambers Global.

Tero Tuomisto (Banking & Finance): ‘Clients describe him as “a top-notch professional” who “possesses a good combination of broad experience and negotiation skills”.’

Sakari Lukinmaa (Banking & Finance): ‘Clients praise his “deep knowledge of financing”, adding: “He delivers what we agreed and usually a bit more”.’

Carola Lindholm (Corporate M&A): ‘Clients describe her as “great in M&A and at combining all the different skills that are needed”.’

Jan Örndahl (Corporate M&A): ‘Clients describe him as “very service-minded and target-oriented”, as well as “business-savvy, flexible and easy to work with”.’

Anders Forss (Dispute Resolution): ‘Clients commend his “excellent team leader qualities”, adding they “can trust that he makes the right choices and leads the case in the best possible way”.’

Niklas Langenskiöld (Dispute Resolution): ‘One client states he “was very effective in negotiations and concentrated on commercial goals. He is experienced handling disputes relating to banking, finance and insurance”.’

Sakari Salonen (Intellectual Property): Clients praise his experience in IP disputes, trade mark infringement and customs seizure matters.

Besides the Global directory, Chambers also annually publishes the Chambers Europe directory, which looks more extensively at Finnish legal experts in various fields. Both publications have for many years ranked Castrén & Snellman’s services and experts as being among the best in Finland. For a more detailed look at the rankings, please visit the Chambers Global website.

Latest references

We advised Suominen Corporation in connection with its rights issue. The offering was oversubscribed, and the company raised gross proceeds of approximately EUR 28 million. We also advised Suominen in connection with the renegotiation of the terms of the company’s three-year EUR 100 million syndicated credit facility, under which the maturity was extended and headroom was added to the financial covenants. “I would like to thank our shareholders for their support and confidence in Suominen’s future. The completion of the Offering will enable us to accelerate the implementation of our Full Potential Program while strengthening our capital structure. Our transformation particularly focuses on enhancing the reliability and efficiency of our production and supply, and on reinforcing our commercial capabilities, allowing us to better meet the expectations of our customers and shareholders”, comments Charles Héaulmé, President and CEO of Suominen. Suominen is a nonwovens manufacturer operating in global markets. Suominen creates value by taking fiber raw materials and turning them into nonwovens that the company’s customers convert into both consumer and professional end products. Suominen’s vision is to be the frontrunner for nonwovens innovation and sustainability. Suominen’s net sales in 2025 were EUR 412.4 million and the company has almost 700 professionals working in Europe and in the Americas. Suominen’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
Case published 6.7.2026
We acted as joint legal advisor for Nordea Bank Abp and Avain Yhtiöt in an approximately EUR 48 million financing arrangement which included facilities for refinancing of an existing real estate portfolio and also for acquisition and property development purposes. The financing arrangement strengthens Avain Yhtiöt’s objective to build and maintain a functional, safe and environmentally friendly living environment, as well as to develop the overall quality of housing and construction. Avain Yhtiöt is a Finnish group specialising in housing and housing-related services, construction contracting and new construction. Its goal is to build 1,000 new apartments per year in key growth areas in Finland.
Case published 2.7.2026
We advised the shareholders of Suomen Autohuolto Oy in connection with the sale of the company’s entire share capital, to SAKA Finland Group Oy. Suomen Autohuolto Group is one of Finland’s largest companies specializing in brand-specific automotive maintenance and has locations in Oulu, Tampere, and from July, also in Järvenpää. The transaction is subject to final approval by the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV).
Case published 26.6.2026
AI training
We delivered two tailor-made AI workshops for the lawyers at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). We discussed the AI revolution and its impact on lawyers’ ways of thinking and working, and left the participants with practical solutions for enhancing and streamlining their work with Legora. Our AI-specialist lawyers prepared use cases tailored to Luke and the needs of public administration, which Luke received for its own use following the workshops. These use cases covered topics such as: utilising legal sources and the organisation’s own data to maximise AI results building and leveraging AI workflows AI-enhanced contract drafting based on a large volume of documents. The workshops sparked wide-ranging discussion on the role and benefits of AI in legal work. Participants appreciated how clearly and comprehensively our experts were able to present the nature and benefits of AI specifically within a legal context. ‘The workshops provided excellent support for Luke’s goal of leveraging AI responsibly and gave us concrete and ready-to-use practical takeaways,’ says Hannu Laitinen, Luke’s Senior Vice President, Administrative Affairs.
Case published 26.6.2026