Many lawyers start working in a law firm while still studying and continue in that career after graduating.
Counsel Sami Lommi took a different path. Before joining Castrén & Snellman, he spent about fifteen years working in an insurance company in various legal positions, such as compliance officer, director of legal affairs and internal services and member of the management team.
What got him to buy services from Castrén & Snellman in his previous in-house career?
‘As a client, I was attracted to the firm’s skill capital and reputation for sustainability. Those were the main things that led me to choose C&S as a service provider.’
‘Sustainability, interpreted broadly, is vital today. No matter how good the skill capital of a company is, it is hard to justify buying services from that company if it does not take sustainability into account. It is well worth being ahead of the pack in this matter.’
Legal Degrees from Two Countries
Sami was originally supposed to be a dentist.
‘I fell off my bike and knocked my teeth out when I was ten. This meant that I spent a lot of my youth at the dentist’s office, and I became interested in the profession.’
‘In high school, however, I realised that I was not passionate about math and could retain text much better than numbers. I also became interested in societal matters. The high school I went to had an optional law course, which is what got me interested in the law.’
After high school, Sami studied in Sweden. Swedish is his native language, and he wanted to see a bit of the world. After graduating in Sweden, Sami moved back to Finland and got a second legal degree at the University of Helsinki.
A Financial and Insurance Regulation Expert
Sami joined Castrén & Snellman in 2019 bringing impressive insurance regulatory expertise to the firm.
‘I’ve spent a large part of my career working with financial regulation, particularly insurance regulation. My employers have included a Finnish banking concern and an international insurance concern. I have experience not only of regulation specific to the financial industry, but also relating to the prevention of money laundering, strategic planning and business development.’
At Castrén & Snellman, Sami has advised domestic and international regulated parties in a wide range of matters relating to the financial industry, such as arrangements, transfers of insurance portfolios, authorisations, governance systems, capitalisation, as well as the distribution and marketing of products. He has also advised clients in matters relating to anti-money laundering and sanctions regulations, has drafted and reviewed related guidelines and provided training on these matters both inside the firm and to clients.
‘I have enjoyed working here so much. A big part of wellbeing at work depends on how your supervisor acts, what the team is like, what kind of assignments you get to work on and how much control you have over your own work. I feel like all of those things are well balanced here.’
Towards a More Sustainable Legal Services Industry
In February 2021, Sami started work as Castrén & Snellman’s compliance officer alongside his client work. In this position, he supports the firm’s management and employees in acting sustainably and in compliance with legal services industry regulations.
Law firms are not required to have a compliance officer,but considering the importance C&S places on sustainability, the firm wants to ensure its risk management is second to none.
‘Compliance and risk management were already well in hand at C&S. I feel a bit like Toto Wolff in that I am stepping into a team that is already doing an excellent job. My goal is to use my experience to further refine the team’s work’, Sami says.
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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