25.3.2026

Castrén & Snellman top-ranked in the Legal 500 EMEA 2026: ‘The team possesses the full range of capabilities required to act as a first-class transactional advisor.’

The Legal 500 EMEA 2026 edition has ranked all the researched Castrén & Snellman’s services in Tier 1 and 2. The research assesses the competence of law firms and lawyers, focusing on client satisfaction.

All of our services reviewed in the Finland guide were ranked in the two highest tiers: Dispute resolution, Employment, Banking & Finance, TMT and Intellectual Property were placed in Tier 1. Our EU & Competition, Tax, Commercial, corporate & M&A, Real Estate and Construction, Capital Markets and Maritime & Transport services were placed in Tier 2.

A total of twenty‑eight of our experts were recognised for the exceptional work they do in their own fields: Marko Hentunen, Anna Kuusniemi-Laine, Rickard Langenskiöld, Janne Juusela and Mikko Alakare as Hall of Fame lawyers, thirteen as Leading Partners, five as Next Generation Partners and five as Leading Associates.

The Legal 500 ranks law firms and lawyers throughout the world and is one of the most prestigious publications in our line of business. The rankings are largely based on interviews with clients. Here are some quotes from our clients:

Dispute resolution, Tier 1

Castrén & Snellman’s dispute resolution practice stands out for its exceptional combination of legal precision and strategic insight. What makes the team unique is not just their ability to master complex legal issues, but also their commitment to understanding the business context and broader implications of each dispute. The team members are also highly communicative.

Employment, Tier 1

Castrén Snellman is in my view the strongest employment law team in Finland. They are very knowledgeable, pragmatic, timely and a trusted partner every time we have the need of involving a Finnish employment counsel.

Banking and finance, Tier 1

Castren’s banking and finance team is very experienced, solution-oriented and committed to providing excellent legal services. Resourcing is always great and appropriate for the task at hand.

TMT, Tier 1

The team combines strong industry knowledge with a breadth of skills across commercial and IT law. They provide consistently reliable advice, are responsive to our needs, and demonstrate a clear understanding of the commercial context in which we operate.

Commercial, corporate & M&A, Tier 2

You can always trust that Castrén & Snellman has done its homework. Sound, balanced advice in every situation. Castrén & Snellman always seem to have a good, collaborative spirit, whether sitting on the same or opposite sides of the table, both internally and externally, but can be tough when need be.

Intellectual property, Tier 1

There are no unnecessary questions once it has been agreed how things will be handled. All the IP matters will be handled with great expertise.

EU & Competition, Tier 2

Excellent team with a high standard of expertise combined with a practical understanding of the client’s operating environment. The team focuses on essential issues, gives practical advice and listens to the client’s needs. Collaboration is easy and fluent.

Tax, Tier 2

The team has always been very responsive and easy to work with. Especially the tax litigation part of the team’s work has consistently been a pleasant experience.

Real Estate and Construction, Tier 2

They have a very business-oriented mindset. The partners are very experienced real estate professionals. They recognise what truly matters to the client and know when to let go of less important details.

Capital Markets, Tier 2

We have experienced exceptional cross-border capability. The team led our multijurisdictional mandate across the EU, carried it out under a single commercial strategy and delivered on a matter with no established playbook. Most impressively, they designed and executed the re-domiciliation of our publicly listed company, achieving an outstanding outcome for our business.

Maritime and Transport, Tier 2

The maritime and transport team of Castrén & Snellman are very well equipped to advise on complex international maritime-related deals and transactions, for example, in negotiating acquisitions of vessels and drafting charter party agreements, as well as providing hands-on advice in transport and maritime-related matters.

View the results in detail on the Legal 500 -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).
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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