Janina Ketola

Associate, Master of Laws

I specialise in dispute resolution and criminal proceedings. My areas of practice include both domestic and international court and arbitration proceedings.

I assist companies and the company’s management in criminal proceedings such as

• Various financial offences

• Trade secret criminal cases and data and communication offences

• Occupational safety offences and employment offences

• Public and private corruption

• Environmental offences

• Securities market criminal cases and insider trading

• Sanction offences

I assist both defendants and injured parties. I also support our clients in internal investigations within companies and in the examination of various discrepancies. I also advise our clients on compliance matters relating to sanctions and export control.

My career began as an intern at Castrén & Snellman. During my studies I also won the Merilampi Case moot court competition, where I gained valuable experience in arbitration and understanding the client`s business as part of the legal process.

I have Master of Laws degree from the University of Turku. In addition, I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Administrative Sciences from Tampere University, where I studied financial management, business law, and tax law.

Latest references

We acted as Finnish counsel to SuperOffice AS, backed by Axcel, in its acquisition of Lyyti Oy from Finnish private equity firm Vaaka Partners and other sellers. Lyyti is a leading event management software company for physical, digital and hybrid events with a strong customer base in Finland, Sweden and France. SuperOffice is a leading provider of customer relationship management (CRM) software for small and medium-sized businesses across Northern Europe. Axcel is a Nordic private equity firm with a focus on technology, business services and industrials, healthcare, and consumer sectors.
Case published 9.12.2025
We advised S-Bank Plc in its issuance of a EUR 150 million Senior Non-Preferred Notes and on the tender offer of its EUR 150 million Senior Preferred MREL Eligible Notes maturing in 2026. The tender offer required prior approval from the Finnish Financial Stability Authority based on the Commission’s regulatory technical standards (EU) 2023/827. The Stability Authority granted S-Bank a permission for repurchases of the notes. Based on the permission, S-Bank replaced the notes with own funds or eligible liabilities instruments of equal or higher quality at terms that are sustainable for the income capacity of S-Bank. According to the final tender offer results published on 10 December 2025, S-Bank repurchased a total of EUR 97.9 million of the notes. The new notes will pay a floating interest rate, which is determined based on 3-month Euribor added with a margin of 1.35 per cent. The notes were issued on 11 December 2025 and listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. The maturity date of the notes is 11 December 2029. The purpose of the issue was to meet the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL) and to finance the bank’s activities.
Case published 18.12.2025
We are assisting eQ Community Properties Fund in the sale of seven social infrastructure properties to Kinland AS. The value of the transaction is approximately EUR 29 million, and the portfolio comprises three preschool facilities and four child protection units from different parts of Finland. The portfolio consists of modern and energy-efficient properties that are long-term leased to leading operators in the industry. The Weighted Average Unexpired Lease Term (WAULT) is approximately 11 years. The transaction is expected to close on 17 December 2025.
Case published 10.12.2025
We advised Ålandsbanken Abp in the consent solicitation process regarding its SEK 150,000,000 Tier 2 notes due December 2041 and SEK 200,000,000 Tier 2 notes due March 2043. The terms and conditions of the aforementioned instruments were amended by removing the write-down mechanisms in the consent solicitation process. In addition, we advised Ålandsbanken Abp on the issue of SEK 350 million Additional Tier 1 notes. The notes bear floating interest at the rate of STIBOR three months plus a margin of 3.35 per cent per annum. The AT1 notes were issued on 20 November 2025, and admitted to trading on the official list of Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. The instrument has no maturity date and qualifies as Additional Tier 1 capital in accordance with the EU Capital Requirements Regulation. The issue strengthens Ålandsbanken’s capital structure by taking advantage of favourable market conditions.
Case published 10.12.2025
Life Finland Oy, a retailer of natural products, other health-related products and cosmetics, filed for bankruptcy on its own initiative in June 2025, and our attorney, counsel Elina Pesonen was appointed administrator of the bankruptcy estate. Life Finland Oy was part of the international Life Group, and its parent company Life Europe AB was declared bankrupt in Sweden in June 2025. When declared bankrupt, Life Finland Oy had over 30 operational stores and almost 170 employees across Finland. In addition to the premises of the operational stores, the company had several other leased premises, such as retail premises it was vacating as well as office and warehouse spaces. The bankruptcy estate organised clearance sales in all of the company’s stores. The shutdown of the stores and the clearance sales were efficiently carried out in approximately two weeks in cooperation with the company’s country manager, regional managers and sales staff. The clearance sales yielded a significant liquidation result, and consumers bought nearly the entire inventory. The administration of the bankruptcy estate has required expertise in many areas. The proceedings have dealt with specialised issues such as cash pooling arrangements, intellectual property, franchising agreements, employment relationships and consumer creditors. In addition, the proceedings are notably international, as the estate administrator has organised the shutdown of operations and the liquidation of assets in close cooperation with the estate administrators of the Swedish Group companies. The cooperation has included, among other things, exploring opportunities for selling the business, the sale of intangible rights and the coordination of intra-group agreements.
Case published 9.12.2025
We advised General Catalyst as lead investor on ICEYE’s EUR 150 million series E funding round, valuing the company at EUR 2.4 billion. ICEYE is the world leader in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite systems and operates the largest SAR constellation globally. Its technology delivers objective, near real-time Earth observation in any weather or light conditions, enabling governments and institutions to manage risks and respond faster. General Catalyst is a global investment and transformation company, partnering with leading entrepreneurs to build toward global resiliency and applied AI. Its portfolio includes companies such as Airbnb, Snap, Stripe, Mistral AI, Hubspot, Anduril, Helsing and Legora. We advised General Catalyst on this transaction in collaboration with the US law firm Goodwin. 
Case published 8.12.2025
We are assisting the Municipality of Tuusula in the sale of land to funds managed by Blackstone, a global asset management company, for a data centre project. Currently, a preliminary agreement has been signed for the sale of the approximately 16.7 hectare site in Jokela, Tuusula. In October 2025, the Municipal Council of Tuusula approved zoning amendments that enable the construction of a data centre campus in the Vallunlenkki zoning area. The preliminary agreement on the sale of the land and the approval of the zoning are the first steps in a process that would upon its implementation constitute a significant investment that supports employment and economic growth in Tuusula and its surroundings. The next phase, the environmental impact assessment, is planned to commence in early 2026. Blackstone owns QTS, one of the worlds’s fastest growing data centre platforms with more than 82 data centres in operation or under development across Europe and the United States.
Case published 4.12.2025
We are assisting OP-Public Services Real Estate Fund in the sale of seven preschool properties to Kinland AS. The transaction value is approximately EUR 24 million, and the majority of the properties are located in the Greater Helsinki area. The portfolio comprises high-quality assets with EPC ratings of A or B, with most properties achieving the highest rating of A. The properties are leased to one of the sector’s leading private operators under lease agreements with a weighted average unexpired lease term of approximately 10 years. The transaction is expected to close on 18 December 2025.
Case published 2.12.2025

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