18.1.2017

Two New Partners: Pia Ek and Eija Warma

Castrén & Snellman is starting off the year by embracing change and once again announcing two new partners: market leaders Pia Ek (as of 1 February 2017) and Eija Warma (as of 1 February 2018). Pia will take up the reigns as head of our Digital & TMT and Outsourcing services and Eija will continue as head of our Data Protection & Privacy service.

Digitalisation is the main megatrend of our time, driving an unprecedented degree of change that will leave no field of business untouched. Everything that can be digitalised, will be digitalised. It’s no longer a question of procuring individual systems, but of large-scale and high-intensity business transformations. This has already led to technology becoming an indispensable building block of any business in terms of both boardroom attention and budget size. 

‘For nearly two decades already, our goal has been to cultivate both the breadth and depth of our team of technology experts, and Pia and Eija have both been key long-term players in this project. This is something that has also been noted by numerous consistent tier 1 rankings of both our individual experts and our team as a whole’, says Castrén & Snellman managing partner Pauliina Tenhunen.

Our experts have spent years working side by side with clients who are leading digital pioneers on groundbreaking technology projects. We are one of the only Finnish law firms to offer the full spectrum of technology law services, with a team of leading experts in TMT and digitalisation, data protection and privacy and intellectual property services.

‘Given her more than 15 years of experience, both technology suppliers and clients in the private and public sectors strongly trust Pia’s expertise in their complex and demanding projects. During her long career, Pia has seen how technology has upended traditional business models and enjoys getting her hands dirty helping our clients harness this change to build their future success. Pia is known as a level-headed lawyer and colleague who focuses on solutions rather than problems. As a big sports fan, Pia has an impressive number of sports professionals in her network, and no matter how busy she is, always finds time for assignments where she can make use of her sports law skills,’ says Tenhunen.

‘Eija, for her part, is undeniably one of Finland’s best known data protection experts. Having worked as her colleague for more than 12 years now, it has been fantastic to see her determinedly develop her expertise and take the role of an experienced pioneer in this niche field of law, which has grown to become very important to businesses today. Our clients truly appreciate Eija’s ability to take complex privacy matters and boil them down into understandable, actionable items. The new Data Protection Regulation requires actions from all business, regardless of size, and I’m proud that we have the top team in the country to help our clients make best of it,’ says Tenhunen.

Pia and Eija join IP partner Sakari Salonen to form the new spearhead of the technology, DP and IP services. This trio of partners are each dedicated to developing their respective services as part of our comprehensive offering. The combination of these teams makes our firm an ideal strategic partner to help our clients both make the most of the opportunities offered by digitalisation, but to avoid its pitfalls, as well.

Castrén & Snellman employs nearly 160 lawyers and a total of approximately 270 employees in Helsinki, Moscow and St Petersburg. Our mission is to help our clients succeed in a rapidly changing world.

For more information, please contact:
Pauliina Tenhunen

 

LinkedIn
Pia Ek
Eija Warma

Twitter
@PiaKEk
@EijaWarma

Our Latest Blog Posts and Articles on Digitalisation and Data Protection
22/11/2016 Robotics and AI: A Solid Contract is the Best Shield
8/9/2016 How to Take Data Protection into Account in M&A Transactions – 6 Tips
6/9/2016 New Data Protection Regulation: Agreements Set to Get Longer
4/5/2016 Data Protection Update: Confirmed Date for Entry into Force of New EU Data Protection Regulation
2/3/2016 How to Prepare for the Requirements of the EU’s New General Data Protection Regulation?

Latest references

We advised the shareholders of Suomen Autohuolto Oy in connection with the sale of the company’s entire share capital, to SAKA Finland Group Oy. Suomen Autohuolto Group is one of Finland’s largest companies specializing in brand-specific automotive maintenance and has locations in Oulu, Tampere, and from July, also in Järvenpää. The transaction is subject to final approval by the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV).
Case published 26.6.2026
AI training
We delivered two tailor-made AI workshops for the lawyers at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). We discussed the AI revolution and its impact on lawyers’ ways of thinking and working, and left the participants with practical solutions for enhancing and streamlining their work with Legora. Our AI-specialist lawyers prepared use cases tailored to Luke and the needs of public administration, which Luke received for its own use following the workshops. These use cases covered topics such as: utilising legal sources and the organisation’s own data to maximise AI results building and leveraging AI workflows AI-enhanced contract drafting based on a large volume of documents. The workshops sparked wide-ranging discussion on the role and benefits of AI in legal work. Participants appreciated how clearly and comprehensively our experts were able to present the nature and benefits of AI specifically within a legal context. ‘The workshops provided excellent support for Luke’s goal of leveraging AI responsibly and gave us concrete and ready-to-use practical takeaways,’ says Hannu Laitinen, Luke’s Senior Vice President, Administrative Affairs.
Case published 26.6.2026
We successfully represented a Finnish construction management consultancy and a safety coordinator employed by the company in criminal proceedings concerning an alleged occupational safety and health offence. The prosecutor sought a penalty for an alleged breach of occupational safety regulations. The charge arose from a fall accident at a construction site where our client acted as the safety coordinator appointed by the developer. We assessed the scope of the safety coordinator’s duties in relation to the responsibilities of the main contractor, as well as how our client had fulfilled their obligations in practice. We demonstrated that our client had acted with due care and in full compliance with their duties throughout the planning, preparation and execution of the construction project. The District Court of Eastern Uusimaa dismissed the charge against our client. The Court held that our client, in their capacity as safety coordinator, had duly fulfilled the occupational safety obligations incumbent on the developer during the planning and preparation phases of the construction project and had not been aware of the fall protection deficiency identified at the site. The judgment is final insofar as our client is concerned.
Case published 22.6.2026
We advised Efima Oyj on the sale of its financial management services business to Rantalainen as part of its strategic focus on fully concentrating on the delivery of business applications as well as data and AI solutions. As a result of the transaction, customer contracts related to financial management services and 65 experts working in these services will transfer to Rantalainen. The transaction will be carried out as a transfer of business, and the experts will move to the new owner as existing employees. Efima is a Finnish digital company that supports the sustainable growth of large and mid-sized companies by streamlining their business processes and by creating competitive advantage through the innovative use of artificial intelligence and data. The company has nearly 200 experts based in Helsinki and Tampere.
Case published 12.6.2026