Jerker Pitkänen

Partner, Member of the Finnish Bar

Services

  1. International Construction & Projects
  2. Dispute Resolution
  3. Shipping & Logistics
  4. Insurance

Contact details

I have worked in the fields of risk management and dispute resolution for more than a decade. My main areas of expertise include arbitration, litigation, mediation and pre-dispute consultation. I also frequently advise clients in non-contentious matters, with a focus on construction, insurance and corporate law matters.

A considerable part of my work consists of international and domestic arbitration. In recent years, I have worked closely with clients in the energy sector, acting as counsel in numerous large-scale contractual disputes for both contractors and employers. I have gained vast experience from various EPCM and EPC (both FIDIC based and customised) contracts governed by laws of different countries, including Finnish, Swedish, Estonian and English law. Furthermore, I often advise clients in post-M&A disputes and disputes related to shareholders’ agreements, sale of goods, product liability and IT.

I have also been appointed as arbitrator and acted as secretary for arbitral tribunals in large-scale disputes. In addition to arbitration, I frequently litigate in courts of all instances.

Latest references

YIT – Data centre construction agreements with XTX Markets
We advised the urban developer and construction company YIT on the drafting and negotiation of two construction agreements with the leading algorithmic trading firm XTX Markets for the development of two data centres in Kajaani, Finland, which are part of XTX Markets’ data centre complex. The first agreement, valued at approximately EUR 100 million and signed in December 2024, marked the commencement of the construction of the first data centre facility in Kajaani, establishing Kajaani as a strategic hub for high-performance computing infrastructure.  Building on the success of this collaboration, YIT and XTX Markets entered into a second agreement in August 2025 to commence construction of a second data centre facility. This phase includes the delivery of the shell and core of the new building.
Case published 20.11.2025
WasaGroup – Planning of production and technology campus in Mustasaari
We advised WasaGroup Ltd in a green transition project where WasaGroup will plan Hitachi Energy’s new production and technology campus in Mustasaari. WasaGroup will be responsible for planning, permitting, managing and conducting the entire project as well as for the tender processes. We advised WasaGroup in drafting and commenting the project management and financing agreements for the project. The Mustasaari campus will be approximately 30,000 square meters in size. The investment by Hitachi Energy will double the capacity for transformer production in Finland, and the product range will expand to include even larger transformers. The objective of the investment is to meet the demand for transformers and other modern technology that is increasing in Finland and internationally due to the green energy transition. The first phase of the project involved an agreement for a development project to prepare the building permit and reach sufficient planning readiness for the implementation of the project. The aim is to have the production and technology campus in use by 2027.
Case published 30.5.2024
FinnHEMS – Set-Aside Proceedings of an Arbitral Award
We represented FinnHEMS Oy, the company in charge of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) operations in Finland, in set-aside proceedings. In 2016, an arbitral tribunal rendered an award dismissing the claims presented by FinnHEMS against one of its service providers. The arbitral tribunal accepted that the service provider had breached the agreement, but decided not to award any compensation to FinnHEMS, as the arbitral tribunal considered FinnHEMS to have failed to give notice of the breaches within a reasonable time. However, the service provider had not invoked failure to give notice as grounds for disputing the claim during the arbitration. Consequently, FinnHEMS initiated set-aside proceedings in the District Court of Helsinki. The District Court of Helsinki accepted FinnHEMS’ action and set the award aside. The service provider appealed to the Helsinki Court of Appeal, which also found in favour of FinnHEMS. Both the District Court of Helsinki and the Helsinki Court of Appeal accepted FinnHEMS’ argument that the arbitral tribunal had failed to provide FinnHEMS with sufficient opportunity to present its case and had exceeded its jurisdiction when basing its award on grounds not invoked by the parties in the arbitration. The Supreme Court did not grant the service provider leave of appeal, making the decision by the Helsinki Court of Appeal final.  The threshold for a court to set aside an award is high. Arbitral awards are meant to be final and can only be challenged on very limited grounds. All in all, there is very little legal praxis available relating to set-aside proceedings and even less so where an arbitral award has actually been set aside. Nevertheless, FinnHEMS was able to show that the arbitral tribunal had exceeded its jurisdiction and failed to provide FinnHEMS with sufficient opportunity to present its case to such a degree that the arbitral award was set aside. The final decision by the Helsinki Court of Appeal is noteworthy and rare in Finland and provides good guidance for future cases with respect to the limits of the powers of arbitral tribunals.
Case published 11.5.2020
United Bankers – Sale of three care properties
United Bankers – Sale of three care properties
We advised United Bankers on the sale of three care properties to Kinland AS. The buildings were completed between 2021 and 2022 and meet high technical and environmental standards. All three properties are fully leased. The portfolio has a weighted average unexpired lease term of 13 years.
Case published 1.6.2026
Hiab acquisition financing
Hiab – Financing for USD 1,035 million acquisition of Labrie Environmental Group
We are advising Hiab Corporation in the financing for its USD 1,035 million acquisition of Labrie Environmental Group, a leading North American refuse collection vehicle (“RCV”) manufacturer, from Wynnchurch Capital, L.P. Hiab Corporation (Nasdaq Helsinki: HIAB) is a leading provider of smart and sustainable on-road load handling solutions, with 2025 sales of approximately EUR 1.6 billion and approximately 4,000 employees, operating through a global network spanning over 100 countries. Labrie Group is a leading North American provider of RCVs, employing approximately 1,200 people. 
Case published 1.6.2026
Lenders to ICEYE – EUR 300 million revolving credit facility for ICEYE
We advised an international bank syndicate in a EUR 300 million revolving credit facility (RCF) for ICEYE, the world leader in sovereign intelligence from space. The bank-syndicate comprised Nordic and global banks, with Citi and Danske Bank acting as Joint Global Coordinators and Mandated Lead Arrangers. The RCF will support the issuance of guarantees for customer contracts, enable continued business growth, and serve as a liquidity backstop. 
Case published 21.5.2026
Terrieri Kiinteistöt, A. Ahlström Kiinteistöt and S-Bank Building Plot non-UCITS Fund – Sale of a production and logistics property
We are advising Terrieri Kiinteistöt Ky and A. Ahlström Kiinteistöt Oy in the sale of a modern production and logistics building complex to Swedish property investment company Catena AB. We are also assisting S-Bank Building Plot non-UCITS Fund which in connection with the transaction, has agreed to sell the land area where the building complex is located to Catena AB. The building complex located in the immediate vicinity of Helsinki-Vantaa Airport was completed in 2021 and comprises approximately 23,260 square metres of leasable area, fully leased to Cramo Finland Oy. The approximately 140,000-square-metre plot offers additional long-term development potential in the form of approximately 45,000 square metres of additional building rights.
Case published 21.5.2026
Huhtamäki – EUR 300 million bond and tender offer of bond maturing in 2027
We advised Huhtamäki Oyj on its issuance of a EUR 300 million 6-year senior unsecured bond under the EMTN programme and on the tender offer of its EUR 500 million senior unsecured bond maturing in 2027. The new bond bears interest at a fixed rate of 3.875 per cent per annum. Huhtamäki used the net proceeds from the issuance of the new bond for the partial repurchase of its bond maturing in 2027 and for general corporate purposes.
Case published 21.5.2026

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