Our business is to enable our clients’ success and ensure their legal protection. To acknowledge their versatile expertise and dedicated work towards our clients’ success, we promote Teemu Auressalmi, Jenni Korhonen, Hilma-Karoliina Markkanen, Tiina Orre and Sakari Sedbom to counsels as of 1 April 2023.
Teemu Auressalmi, Dispute Resolution
Teemu Auressalmi is an expert in domestic and international disputes. His area of practice covers both international and domestic arbitration and litigation proceedings as well as alternative forms of dispute resolution. He is also experienced in questions related to corporate law.
Teemu represents our clients in a wide variety of commercial and corporate disputes relating to, among others, construction projects, mergers and acquisitions, and shareholders’ agreements. Teemu is also a regular speaker in topics related to dispute resolution and a board member of the Young Arbitration Club Finland.
Jenni Korhonen, Tax & Structuring
With a deep knowledge of tax law and structuring, Jenni Korhonen specialises in tax matters and structuring related to transactions and mergers and acquisitions. She has extensive experience in demanding M&A as well as in restructuring of international groups and listed companies.
Jenni advises our clients in both international and domestic matters related to corporate taxation, M&A and restructuring. She also assists our clients in preliminary ruling processes and pre-emptive discussions as well as in ensuring the tax treatment of restructurings from the tax administrators.
Hilma-Karoliina Markkanen, Intellectual Property
Hilma-Karoliina Markkanen is an experienced lawyer with extensive knowledge of intellectual property questions and the related dispute resolution. She has profound understanding of marketing and consumer law, fashion and luxury law, and questions related to unfair business practices and IP commercialisation, and she is an active trainer in these topics. Hilma-Karoliina is also the Vice President of the Finnish Fashion Law Association.
Hilma-Karoliina provides IP advice to our clients in mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions and other transactions.
The latest Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars recognised Hilma-Karoliina as a Rising Star.
Tiina Orre, Intellectual Property
Tiina Orre is a versatile lawyer versed in intellectual property and dispute resolution. Her expertise includes industrial property rights and copyright as well as marketing and consumer law. She is also experienced in matters related to unfair business practices and anti-counterfeiting in various industries.
Tiina advises our clients in assignments related to brand portfolio protection and enforcement, IP and marketing dispute resolution and authority processes, and mergers and acquisitions. Tiina is also an active speaker and trainer in topics related to IP and marketing law.
The latest Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars recognised Tiina as a Rising Star.
Sakari Sedbom, Capital Markets & Financial Regulation
Sakari Sedbom is an expert in capital markets and financial regulation. He is particularly experienced in IPOs and right issues, public takeover bids, as well as regulatory questions related to insider and market abuse regulation.
He also advises our clients on various M&A and finance transactions, bond issuances, and regulated transactions in the financial and fintech sector.
The latest IFLR1000 Financial & Corporate ranks Sakari as a Notable Practitioner.
Our warmest congratulations to all our new counsels for their new role!
Read more: Castrén & Snellman appoints three new senior associates – Appointments also in Business Services
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Latest references
VR – Supreme Court decision clarifies working time practices
We successfully represented VR Group before the Supreme Court in a case concerning the meal break practice of commuter train drivers. On 6 February 2026, the Supreme Court ruled in VR’s favour (decision KKO:2026:12), confirming that VR had the right to amend the commuter train drivers’ meal break practice in 2021 by rendering the break unpaid in accordance with the applicable collective agreement. This decision clarifies the interpretation of collective agreements and employment legislation as well as the limits of the employer’s right to direct work. Over 250 commuter train drivers challenged the unpaid meal break practice which VR introduced in April 2021. Before the change, meal breaks had a long history of being paid. The change was based on the train drivers’ collective agreement, which allows for meal breaks to be organised either as paid or unpaid time. The Supreme Court ruled that the scheduling and managing of breaks falls within the core area of the employer’s right to direct work. This increases the threshold for an established practice becoming a binding condition for the parties. Merely following a practice consistently and over a long period of time does not make the practice binding; instead, the employer’s intent to commit to the practice must be clearly evident from the employer’s conduct or other circumstances. As both alternatives – paid and unpaid – for organising meal breaks had been retained in the collective agreement despite other amendments over the years, it could not be considered that VR had intended to commit to the paid break practice and waive its right to direct work as regards break scheduling. It was also significant that the employment contracts explicitly referred only to the collective agreement as regards working time. The Supreme Court deemed that the employees’ paid meal break was not an established term of employment and that VR was entitled to change the practice based on the collective agreement. The employer had the right, by virtue of its right to direct work, to unilaterally change the meal break practice by choosing to apply the other arrangement permitted by the collective agreement.
Case published 3.3.2026
CapMan Growth – Investment in Kuntokeskus Liikku
We are assisting CapMan Growth in its significant investment in Kuntokeskus Liikku, a Finnish gym chain known for its high-quality self-service facilities and excellent value for money. The investment will further strengthen Liikku’s position as a market leader and support the continued execution of its growth strategy. Liikku is one of Finland’s leading fitness chains, with more than 70 locations across the country serving nearly 90,000 members. The company’s concept is to offer high-quality self-service gyms at an exceptionally competitive price point which, combined with strong operational efficiency, provides a solid foundation for profitable growth. The company’s main shareholder is COR Group, a long-time partner of CapMan Growth, and a Finnish health and wellness conglomerate known for active ownership and long-term value creation. CapMan Growth is a leading Finnish growth investor that makes significant investments in entrepreneur-led growth companies with a turnover of €10–200 million. CapMan Growth is part of CapMan, which is a leading Nordic private equity investor engaged in active value creation work. CapMan has been listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange since 2001.
Case published 27.2.2026
Terrafame – Environmental and water management permit processes concerning the company’s entire operations and the KL1 side rock area
Castrén & Snellman successfully assisted Terrafame Ltd in environmental and water management permit processes concerning the company’s entire operations and the KL1 side rock area, on which the Supreme Administrative Court issued its decision on 12 February 2026 (KHO 366/2026 and 367/2026). The changes made to the decisions of the Vaasa Administrative Court as a result of Terrafame’s appeals, enable the company to implement its new strategy and develop its operations as planned. The decisions of the Supreme Administrative Court brought the nearly ten-year-long permit process to a close.
Case published 20.2.2026
Plastep – Sale of share capital
We advised Plastep Oy and its shareholders in the sale of the entire share capital of the company to FinnProfiles Oy. The acquisition strengthens FinnProfiles’ position as a Nordic expert in sealing and insulation solutions and expands the company’s expertise in the manufacture of plastic products and technical components. Plastep, founded in 2001 and based in South Savo, is a contract manufacturer specialising in the design and production of demanding and technical plastic components, with a turnover of EUR 6.5 million.
Case published 18.2.2026