13.4.2023

Castrén & Snellman top-ranked once again in the Legal 500 EMEA 2023: ‘True desire to deeply understand our activities and the business we are engaged in’

The latest Legal 500 EMEA has ranked nine of Castrén & Snellman’s services in Tier 1 and two in Tier 2, and 51 of our leading experts were mentioned by name for their exceptional work in their own fields. Our clients were especially impressed by our collaborative way of working and our ability to bring clear thinking and innovative solutions to the table. The publication reviewed a total of 11 practice areas in Finland. The Legal 500 ranks law firms and lawyers throughout the world and is one of the most prestigious publications in our line of business.

Castrén & Snellman is also a recommended firm in the Green Guide EMEA 2023. Click here to learn more about this recognition.

C&S was ranked in the top two tiers in Finland in the following categories:

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

Mikko Alakare, Marko Hentunen, Anna Kuusniemi-Laine, Niklas Langenskiöld, Rickard Langenskiöld and Matias Wallgren

12 C&S lawyers were recognised as Leading Individuals:

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

Seven were recognised as Next Generation Partners:

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

Five were recognised as Rising Stars:

Sanna Honkinen, Anna-Maarit Laurila, Elina Marttala, Hanna Paloheimo and Jerker Pitkänen

What our clients say about us:

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

Banking & Finance: ‘Long term commitment to serve us. Deep understanding in relevant products and services. Also very impressive command of regulatory matters.’

Dispute Resolution: ‘The team focuses on large scale international arbitration disputes, primarily in the construction sector, and is probably the only Finnish firm to do so. The team is focused on finding swift and efficient resolution to disputes, taking a commercial view, whilst being underpinned by hugely competent and technical lawyers. This blend of international experience, commercial intelligence and pre-eminent legal acumen is unique in Finland.’

Capital Markets: ‘The team is easy to approach. Their way of working is informal and relaxed, still very professional.’

Employment: ‘Castrén & Snellman’s employment team is unique and delivers excellent quality service. Even though it’s the leading law firm in Finland, the employment team is easy to reach and able to give assistance in the most difficult cases in a practical way so that the customer really gets value for money.’

EU & Competition: ‘Definitively one of the best law firms in Helsinki in terms of pragmatic, accessible and professional approach. From our perspective the firm has enough resources in situations limited by time. We appreciate the firm’s solution driven and effective way of working. Basis for our good and long relationship is the firm’s true desire to deeply understand our activities and the business we are engaged in.’

Real Estate & Construction: ‘C&S has handled many of the biggest real estate transactions in Finland during the past few years. The quality of the work is impeccable and they have a big group of highly skilled lawyers in the team. Antti and his team have a deep knowledge of the industry.’

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