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 advise Fingrid Oyj in a transaction in which Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company is selling its holding of approximately 20 per cent of the shares in Fingrid to the Finnish State and OP Pohjola Kantaverkko Holding Ky. Fingrid owns Finland’s main electricity transmission grid and all significant cross-border transmission connections. The main grid is the backbone of the electricity transmission network, to which major power plants, industrial plants and regional electricity distribution networks are connected. 
Case published 11.2.2026
We advised Metsäkonepalvelu Oy in its acquisition of the entire share capital of PJP Metsäexpertit Oy. PJP Metsäexpertit is a Pirkanmaa-based company specialising in forest management and logging. The acquisition will strengthen Metsäkonepalvelu’s operations, particularly in the Pirkanmaa region, and expand its operations. Metsäkonepalvelu is a portfolio company of A. Ahlström Oy, a Finnish family-owned industrial owner. Metsäkonepalvelu provides mechanical timber harvesting services to forest companies, large private forest owners, and the public sector in Finland and Sweden. Metsäkonepalvelu Group employs nearly two hundred forestry professionals.
Case published 6.2.2026
We acted as legal adviser to EcoUp Oyj in a directed share issue, through which EcoUp raised a total of approximately EUR 3 million in gross proceeds to strengthen the company’s capital structure and finance its growth. The share issue was directed to a limited group of domestic investors, deviating from the shareholders’ pre-emptive subscription right. EcoUp’s shares are traded on the First North Growth Market Finland marketplace maintained by Nasdaq Helsinki.  EcoUp promotes the green transition of the construction industry by producing carbon-neutral, energy-efficient and circular economy-based materials, services and technologies that help construction industry players reduce their environmental impact. The company has over 40 years of experience in developing and delivering circular economy solutions to customers.
Case published 29.1.2026
We advised a leading global investment firm Brookfield, alongside a global sovereign wealth investor, on the Finnish law aspects of a EUR 1 billion holdco financing for DayOne Data Centers, a Singapore-headquartered developer and operator of hyperscale data centres. Structured as a seven-year secured holdco financing facility of €500 million, expandable to €1 billion – and secured by DayOne’s Finland platform – the financing will support the rollout of hyperscale developments in Lahti and Kouvola, providing nearly 300MW of planned capacity across Finland. The proceeds will also support DayOne’s global expansion across the EU and APAC, with flexibility to allocate to other key growth markets as required.
Case published 29.1.2026