28.3.2024

Castrén & Snellman top ranked in the Legal 500 EMEA 2024: ‘C&S is truly a full-service law firm’

The Legal 500 EMEA 2024 edition has ranked nine of Castrén & Snellman’s services in Tier 1: 

Banking and finance, Capital markets, Commercial, corporate and M&A, Dispute resolution, Employment, EU and competition, Intellectual property, Real estate and construction and TMT. Our Tax and Maritime & Transport services were placed in Tier 2.

A total of 32 of our experts were recognised for their exceptional work in their own fields. Our clients were especially impressed by our deep expertise and collaborative, pragmatic and solution-oriented way of working. The Legal 500 ranks law firms and lawyers throughout the world and is one of the most prestigious publications in our line of business.

Clients praise our legal expertise and teamwork

The rankings are largely based on interviews with clients. Here are some quotes from our clients:

Commercial, Corporate & M&A: 

A solid team working very well together. Quick turnaround in challenging questions, pragmatic and solution oriented.

Banking & Finance: 

The team has resources to advise on the most challenging finance transactions.

Dispute Resolution: 

I find this to be the best disputes team in Finland. Very knowledgeable in procedure, including international arbitration, and with a distinct focus on quality in every aspect. Detailed and strategic at the same time, structured and pragmatic. A pleasure to work with.

Capital Markets: 

Deep competence in capital markets laws, helpful and friendly attitude.

Employment: 

Castren’s employment law team are the strongest employment law team in Finland. They solve the client’s problems in the best way. The collaboration with the client and other law firms on multi-jurisdictional projects is excellent.

EU & Competition: 

They provide pragmatic legal advice without taking any shortcuts, extremely knowledgeable within their legal fields, of the firms’ different practice areas, and about the Finnish and Nordic market.

Real Estate & Construction: 

C&S has one of the leading real estate practices in Finland. They have a strong position especially in demanding real estate transactions and development projects.

TMT: 

Excellent lawyers. Great litigators and legal advisors. Extremely good knowledge about the market and our specific business needs. Proactive.

Tax: 

Relevant high-quality experience and straight forward thinking – no nonsense in approach, wide variety of knowledge in all tax areas.

Castrén & Snellman is also a recommended firm in the Green Guide EMEA 2024. Click here to learn more about this recognition. 

The Legal 500 highlighted five C&S lawyers in the Finnish Hall of Fame:

Mikko Alakare, Marko Hentunen, Janne Juusela, Anna Kuusniemi-Laine, Rickard Langenskiöld

10 C&S lawyers were recognised as Leading Individuals:

Anders Forss, Tomi Kemppainen, Merja Kivelä, Janne Lauha, Tuomas Lehtinen, Sakari Lukinmaa, Sakari Salonen, Tero Tuomisto, Outi Tähtinen and Jan Örndahl

Eight were recognised as Next Generation Partners:

Benjamin Bade, Antti Kaakkola, Ilona Karppinen, Minna Korhonen, Jussi Nieminen, Kim Parviainen, Jerker Pitkänen and Eija Warma-Lehtinen

For a more detailed look at the rankings, please visit the Legal 500 website.

Latest references

We advised SRV Group plc when it sold its 50% holding in the Pearl Plaza shopping centre in St. Peterburg to CP Invest Limited. The sale was the final part of SRV’s actions to exit from all of its operations in Russia which began in 2022. The sales price of SRV´s ownership of the shopping centre was approximately 11 million euros. SRV is a Finnish developer and innovator in the construction industry. SRV was established in 1987 and is listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.
Case published 17.2.2025
We advised Valio Oy in its acquisition of Raisio Oyj’s plant protein business, related fixed assets and the Härkis® and Beanit® fava bean brands. The fixed assets include, among other things, the production equipment of the factory that makes plant protein products in Kauhava. The transaction supports Valio’s strategy to grow from a dairy company to a food company. This business acquisition will make us an even more significant developer and producer of plant-based protein products. The demand for these products will grow in the long term, and a great deal of growth potential still remains. In 2022, we acquired the Gold&Green® business and, since then, we have been carrying out strong product development and renewed the brand. Following successful product launches, sales in the last quarter of 2024 increased by about 50% from the previous quarter. With this acquisition, we are building our own production capacity. The production equipment of the Kauhava factory is just right for our needs and situation. says Kimmo Luoma, Valio’s Senior Vice President. Valio is a Finnish dairy and food company founded in 1905 and owned by Finnish dairy cooperatives. Valio has subsidiaries in Sweden, Estonia, the United States and China. In 2023, the Group had a turnover of EUR 2 278 million and more than 4 000 employees.
Case published 14.2.2025
We successfully represented Trety AB in a dispute and settlement negotiations concerning an agreement for development and production of communication devices for the healthcare sector. Eventually, the parties reached an amicable settlement to the full satisfaction of our client and thus the parties avoided an extensive arbitral proceeding. Trety AB is a global company that provides its customers with solutions for development, industrialization and production of electronics. Trety AB has over 30 years’ experience from IT, electronics and telecommunication industries.
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We advised a financier consortium including OP Corporate Bank plc, Nordea Bank Abp, and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB in a leveraged financing arrangement for Vexve, a company owned by DevCo Partners Oy. The financing included EUR 143 million acquisition, refinancing and other facilities for, among other things, the financing of Vexve’s acquisition of Denmark-based Frese A/S, a leading manufacturer of dynamic balancing valves for hydronic networks. Vexve’s combined turnover after the completion of the transaction will be ca. EUR 200 million. Vexve is the leading European provider of valve solutions for the energy sector and selected energy-intensive industries.
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