Again, like last year, the Legal 500 EMEA has ranked eight of Castrén & Snellman’s services in Tier 1 and two services in Tier 2. The publication reviewed a total of ten practice areas in Finland this year. Our St Petersburg office’s M&A expertise maintained its position in Tier 2.
14.4.2016
Castrén & Snellman Holds its Strong Position in the New Edition of Legal 500
Partners Marko Hentunen, Jan Kuhlefelt, Anna Kuusniemi-Laine, Niklas Langenskiöld, Rickard Langenskiöld, Kimmo Rekola, Tero Tuomisto and Matias Wallgren were once again ranked as Leading Lawyers in Finland. The head of our IP practice, Partner Sakari Salonen, was also recognised as a Leading Lawyer for the first time this year.
This year, the publication also mentioned several of our lawyers for the first time, including Sami Lindström, Anne Vanhala, Eija Warma and Miika Pinomaa.
The publication had, e.g. the following to say about our firm:
Banking & Finance: Department head Tero Tuomisto ‘ensures that even the smallest details will be treated and delivered as promised’.
Dispute Resolution: Castrén & Snellman’s growing practice is led by Marko Hentunen and is noted for its ‘great service’ and ‘specialist teams who really know their area’… The ‘conscientious’ Anders Forss is also recommended.
EU & Competition: Castrén & Snellman’s team is praised for its ‘good understanding of business and clients’ financial considerations’.
Real Estate & Construction: Castrén & Snellman acted for OP Financial Group on one of the largest real estate transactions to date in Finland, concerning the construction of the REDI shopping centre and parking facilities in Helsinki.
TMT: Castrén & Snellman is praised for its knowledge of data privacy legislation.
The Legal 500 is one of the most prestigious publications in our line of business, and it ranks law firms and lawyers throughout the world. The rankings are based on interviews with lawyers and their clients.
For a more detailed look at the rankings, please visit The Legal 500 website.
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Marina Group – Acquisition of Iisiveneily and Porvoon Venekorjaamo
We advised Hopeasalmen Telakka Oy, part of Marina Group, on the acquisitions of Iisiveneily and Porvoon Venekorjaamo. The transactions form part of Marina Group’s expansion into the Finnish marina and boatyard sector, strengthening its position under the Quattro Marine brand. Following the acquisitions, Quattro Marine’s Finnish operations comprise Hopeasalmen Telakka, which operates boatyard facilities in Helsinki’s Mustikkamaa and in Tolkkinen, Porvoo, together with Iisiveneily and Porvoon Venekorjaamo. Marina Group is a Norwegian marina and boatyard consortium owned by the private equity sponsor Norvestor. It has grown rapidly through acquisitions to become the Nordic region’s largest boating services provider, having acquired 24 marinas and boatyards across Norway, Sweden and Finland within roughly a year.
Case published 24.8.2026
Neste – A EUR 250 million 10-year loan with NIB
We advised Neste as it signed a EUR 250 million 10-year loan with NIB. The loan will finance Neste’s investments related to research and development (R&D) in processing lower-quality feedstocks into high-quality renewable products; as well as the liquefied waste plastics (LWP) investment at Neste’s refinery in Porvoo, Finland. The R&D activities supported by the loan focus on the development of renewable solutions. These include, for example, expanding feedstock capabilities and technologies that enable the processing of new and lower-quality waste and residues into high-quality renewable end products. Part of the financing supports Neste’s liquefied waste plastics investment in Porvoo, related to upgrading low-quality plastic waste into high-quality feedstock at an industrial scale. The investment contributes to advancing circular economy solutions by enabling the use of hard-to-recycle plastic waste as a replacement for virgin fossil raw materials. The unit has an annual capacity to process up to 150,000 tonnes of liquefied waste plastic. Production ramp-up commenced in 2026.
Case published 19.8.2026
Aspo – Demerger and finance matters
We advised Aspo Plc, ESL Shipping Ltd and AtoBatC Shipping AB in relation to finance matters in connection with the demerger of Aspo, by which all the shares in ESL Shipping Ltd held by Aspo, together with the related assets and liabilities, will be transferred to a new independent company to be named ESL Shipping Group Plc. Aspo intends to apply for the shares of ESL Shipping Group to be admitted to trading on the regulated market of Nasdaq Helsinki. It is further intended that Aspo be renamed Telko Group Plc.
Case published 19.8.2026
Lenders and Export Credit Agencies – EUR 514.4 million green project financing for Easpring Finland New Materials’ CAM plant
We acted as Finnish law legal adviser to the lenders and the export credit agencies in connection with the EUR 514.4 million green project financing for the development and construction of Easpring Finland New Materials Oy’s cathode active material (CAM) manufacturing plant in Kotka, Finland. The borrower, Easpring Finland New Materials Oy, is a joint venture owned by Beijing Easpring Material Technology, Finnish Minerals Group and LG Energy Solution. The financing was provided by six international commercial banks, with Société Générale acting as financial adviser and mandated lead arranger together with Natixis as co-mandated lead arranger, and DNB, ICBC, ING and Standard Chartered participating as lenders, with support from the export credit agencies Finnvera and Sinosure. The project represents a significant milestone for Finland and the European battery value chain by strengthening Europe’s domestic supply of cathode active materials, a key component in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage applications. Once the first phase of the project is operational, the Kotka facility is expected to produce approximately 60,000 tonnes of cathode active material annually, making it one of the largest CAM production plants in Europe and supplying leading battery manufacturers across Europe.
Case published 21.7.2026