Jutta Vainikainen started work as a trainee assistant in our firm in the spring of 2019. It was her first introduction to the legal services industry, but she quickly became familiar with the day-to-day work on the sixth floor of the C&S office, which is home to the firm’s Dispute Resolution and Corporate Governance teams.
The traineeship went well and Jutta felt right at home at C&S. Fortunately, a permanent assistant position opened up in the Dispute Resolution team, and Jutta was able to stay on after the end of her traineeship.
‘I’m very happy I was able to keep working at C&S. It’s great to be able to work with a familiar team where I get along with everyone and already know how they like to work’, Jutta said.
The Dispute Resolution team assists domestic and foreign companies in challenging disputes both in Finland and abroad.
‘Our team’s assignments are interesting. Dispute cases tend to last quite a while, and we get to see the whole lifespan of the case from beginning to end’, Jutta said.
The Dispute Resolution team includes 12 lawyers and a second assistant, Laura. The dynamic assistant duo work well together.
‘My tasks include conflict checks, opening assignments, putting the finishing touches on and sending out briefs and attachments, invoicing, travel arrangements and tasks relating to foundations and associations. I help our Corporate Governance team when necessary, but most of my time is dedicated to the Dispute Resolution team. The work can be very different in each team, which provides some nice variety’, Jutta said.
The firm’s assistants are organised into a group assistant service that uses a digital task management system. Jutta thinks the system works well, and her team has adopted the new system well, ‘work is easier to divide evenly, as both group assistants can see all of the team’s request and who is handling them’.
Jutta feels that the most important things at C&S are the people and enjoyable tasks. Jutta is young and still at the beginning of her career. She graduated as a Bachelor, HSO, in the spring of 2020 and hopes to continue her studies later and also continue to develop herself in the firm.
‘The people here at the firm and on my team mean a lot to me. This is great work for this point in my career. I am learning new things every day, which keeps things interesting. In addition to my daily routines, I like being able to participate in firm’s other projects, such as arranging events’, Jutta said.
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eQ Fund Management Company Ltd – Structural Arrangement Related to Residential Funds
We acted as legal advisor to eQ Fund Management Company Ltd in a structural arrangement in which Special Investment Fund eQ Residential Fund and Special Investment Fund eQ Residential Fund II transferred their assets to the newly launched Special Investment Fund eQ Residential Fund III. In connection with the arrangement, eQ Residential Fund III raised 37 million euros in new capital, and its fundraising will continue throughout 2025. The portfolio of eQ Residential Fund III consists of 19 residential properties completed between 2021 and 2024, comprising nearly 1,400 apartments located in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Turku, and Tampere.
Case published 21.5.2025
eQ Community Properties Fund – Sale of two healthcare properties
We assisted eQ Community Properties Fund in the sale of two healthcare properties to a fund managed by Northern Horizon. The properties have a total floor area of approximately 3,500 square meters. The two properties are located in Espoo and Lahti. The Espoo asset was completed in 2018 and the Lahti asset was completed in 2023. Both assets are operated by Attendo, the leading care provider in the Nordic region.
Case published 9.5.2025
BMW AG – Enforcement of BMW’s trademark and design rights
We successfully represented BMW in an exceptionally long dispute over whether the spare rims sold by the defendant and the hub caps included in them infringed BMW’s trademark and design rights. The Market Court found that the sign used by the defendant caused a likelihood of confusion with BMW’s trademarks. The defendant had used the sign on the hub caps and in the marketing of the hub caps and rims, leading the Market Court to find that the defendant had infringed BMW’s trademark rights. The defendant admitted to infringing BMW’s Community design but denied the related injunction claim. However, the Market Court found that there was no particular reason to refrain from issuing an injunction. The Market Court prohibited the defendant from continuing to infringe BMW’s trademarks and Community design and ordered the defendant to alter or destroy the products and marketing materials that infringed BMW’s rights. Furthermore, the Market Court ordered the defendant to pay BMW EUR 70,000 in reasonable compensation and EUR 80,000 in damages for the trademark infringements, as well as EUR 7,000 in reasonable compensation and EUR 8,000 in damages for the design right infringement. The amounts can be considered exceptionally high in Finland. Additionally, the Market Court ordered the defendant to pay a significant portion of BMW’s legal costs with interest on late payment. In its decision of 11 March 2025, the Supreme Court of Finland did not grant the defendant leave to appeal, and also decided that there was no need to seek a preliminary ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union. Thus, the Market Court’s judgements (MAO:494/18 and 517/2023) are final. In addition to the main dispute, BMW demanded in a separate proceeding that one of the defendant’s trademark registrations be revoked. A total of three separate legal proceedings were conducted in the Market Court regarding the revocation. The defendant’s trademark registration was ultimately revoked.
Case published 9.5.2025
DNA – Global brand portfolio management and IP enforcement
We are advising DNA Plc in brand protection and intellectual property enforcement matters globally. Our intellectual property team manages DNA’s global trademark portfolio, including registration, prosecution, opposition and enforcement. We also advise DNA in questions concerning consumer and marketing law, unfair competition, social media, domain names and cybersquatting. DNA Plc is one of Finland’s leading telecommunication companies. DNA offers connections, services and devices for homes and workplaces, contributing to the digitalisation of society. The company has approximately 3.7 million subscriptions in its fixed and mobile communications networks. In 2024, DNA’s total revenue was EUR 1,100 million, and the company employs about 1,600 people around Finland. DNA is part of Telenor Group.
Case published 7.5.2025