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 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
We acted as Finnish legal advisor to Delta Capacity in connection with its acquisition of the ready-to-build Karppio battery energy storage system (BESS) project from Helios Nordic Energy. The acquisition was made and the project will be implemented together with Strioga Family Foundation. The Karppio BESS project is located in Teuva, Finland, and has a capacity of 125 MW / 300 MWh. Delta Capacity will lead the remaining development of the project through to commissioning, planned for 2027, and will serve as long-term asset manager. Delta Capacity is a Swiss-based developer of utility scale battery storage systems. The acquisition adds to Delta Capacity’s growing Nordic portfolio. 
Case published 20.7.2026
We advised Swedbank AB (publ) on the refinancing of a large Finnish retail real estate portfolio owned by Trophi’s Finnish subsidiaries. Trophi is the leading Nordic real estate company focusing on grocery anchored retail properties, with 278 properties across Sweden and Finland. Finland is a market that continues to develop and is also strategically important for Trophi, accounting for approximately 30% of Trophi’s letting and property value.
Case published 17.7.2026
We are acting as Finnish legal advisor to HANZA in connection with its acquisition of Fortaco Finland’s heavy mechanics and assembly business. The transaction is structured as a combined asset and share acquisition and includes Fortaco Finland’s heavy mechanics and assembly operations in Finland, as well as shares in two Estonian and two Polish subsidiaries. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Founded in 2008, HANZA is a Swedish mechanical engineering and electronics contract manufacturing company listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm main list. HANZA has approximately 5,000 employees and annual sales of SEK 10 billion. We advise HANZA on this transaction in collaboration with the Swedish law firm Lindahl.
Case published 15.7.2026