Paula Aura

Director of Knowledge Management & Innovation

Contact details

I am in charge of knowledge management and innovation at Castrén & Snellman. I head our legal technology and legal design teams as well as our KM and translation functions, and as a member of our Management Group I take part in developing our firm’s business and strategy. I find motivation in the diverse tasks and challenges of my work.

I have extensive experience in integrating legal technology with legal practice. I lead our firm’s AI projects in which we pilot and roll out AI solutions that genuinely benefit our lawyers. With the AI revolution, change is faster than ever before. My main task is to ensure that our chosen legal technology solutions and new ways of working meet the demands of the evolving business environment and are successfully integrated into the lawyers’ work. As a change leader, I encourage innovation while ensuring that our development work continues to serve a practical purpose.

I am social by nature, and I thrive in our dynamic and forward-looking work community. I collaborate extensively with a wide range of people, both within and outside the firm. One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is to witness how my talented team excels in their work.

I obtained my law degree in 2004 and have since furthered my expertise with a qualification in legal informatics and a degree in project management. Before I joined C&S in 2007, I worked in the KM team of another large law firm for several years.

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My latest blogs

Blog Being a Part of the Legal Transformation at Castrén & Snellman

Blog Legal Technology Improves Efficiency – But Not by Itself

Blog Quality Contracts Faster than Ever – Kicking Our Services into High Gear with Automation

Latest references

Fraktal – Legal design of terms of service

We drafted and designed new terms of service for Fraktal Oy’s DevSecLab learning platform. In this legal design project, we created a new, clearer structure for the terms of service, rewrote the terms from scratch and presented them with a fresh visual look. The final result was a completely new product, not just a redesign of the earlier terms. Fraktal’s goal was to have terms of service that are easy to understand and simple to accept. The project was carried out in our multi-professional legal design team consisting of experts in legal technology, linguistics, graphic design and the law. The new terms, which are both clear and in line with Fraktal’s visual brand, were presented as an interactive prototype in Figma. The key to successful legal design projects is understanding the client’s needs and wishes. In this project, efficient project management and an open line of communication increased our team’s understanding of the client, resulting in a product that fits the purpose perfectly. Active dialogue with the client was an important quality factor in this agile and iterative project. “Our previous terms of service were difficult to understand, which usually led to lengthy negotiations. This created an obstacle for increasing sales. We believe that the new, designed terms of service will increase sales, make the agreement process faster and reduce the need for administration and constant negotiations,” says Iiro Uusitalo, product owner of DevSecLab. “Implementing the new terms is currently Fraktal’s top priority.” Founded in 2019, Fraktal Oy is a young and agile cyber security company. Fraktal has served organisations with hundreds of assignments across the continents. In 2021 the company had a turnover of EUR 2 million and employed 25 people.

Finnish P&C Insurance – Design of Insurance Terms

We carried out a legal design project in which we designed insurance terms for Finnish P&C Insurance Ltd according to the client’s wishes. Legal design is all about multi-professional dialogue and cooperation. In this project, our team included experts in legal technology, the Finnish language, graphic design and the law. In line with the principles of legal design, the process was agile and iterative. In the first phase of the project, we delivered a prototype for commentary. The comments we received from the client enabled us to better address the client’s goals. The visual appearance of the final product was based on the client’s wishes and graphical guidelines. We kept the end-user in mind when designing the insurance terms – after all, user-centricity, or taking the target group’s needs into account, is one of the main principles of legal design. In addition to a legal review of the insurance terms, the goals for this design project included clarifying the terms and cutting down on legalese. During the project, the client’s initial draft was completely transformed. The end result was insurance terms in a compact, practical and clear format. Finnish P&C Insurance Ltd is a modern Finnish non-life insurance company that provides customised insurance services for the brands POP Insurance and Savings Bank Insurance. The digital aspect of the company was key from its foundation in 2012. The company currently has over 170,000 customers and more than 100 employees. Finnish P&C Insurance Ltd is owned by the financially sound POP Bank Group.

Neoen – Sale of data centre

We advised Neoen Renewables Finland Oy, part of the French Neoen Group, in its sale of a data centre project to a consortium consisting of international data centre developers and operators. This marked Neoen’s first data centre development project in Finland. Founded in 2008, Neoen is one of the world’s leading independent renewable energy producers. The company operates in 15 countries. It develops, finances, builds, owns, and operates solar power plants, wind farms, and battery storage systems. Neoen Group is owned by global alternative asset manager Brookfield Corporation.

Jolt Capital and Tesi – Investment in VEV

We advised Jolt Capital and Tesi in connection with their investment in VEV, a leading provider of commercial fleet electrification solutions. The investment, led by Jolt Capital with Tesi as co-investor, will support VEV’s next phase of growth and expansion across Europe. As part of the transaction, VEV became an independent company following the acquisition of Vitol’s stake in the business. Founded by Vitol, VEV provides integrated fleet electrification solutions combining fleet strategy, charging infrastructure, energy supply and operational services. Through its VEV IQ platform, the company supports more than 6,000 commercial electric vehicles across Europe and has been deployed across more than 600 sites spanning the transport, logistics and waste sectors. Jolt Capital is a private equity firm focused on growth investments in European deeptech companies. Tesi is a Finnish state-owned investment company that promotes Finnish business and economic growth through investments. We advised Jolt Capital and Tesi on the equity financing and structuring aspects of the transaction. International law firm Goodwin advised the investors on the acquisition of VEV.

VR Group – Intellectual property matters

VR-Group Plc is a transport and logistics group owned by the Finnish State, operating passenger and freight rail transport in Finland with activities also in the Swedish market. VR Group provides passenger, logistics and maintenance services with over 160 years’ experience in developing responsible transport of the future. We advise VR Group in intellectual property matters as part of the company’s wider brand protection efforts. Our assignments have included advice on copyright, design rights and trademarks, focusing on the protection of the company’s visual identity – including its distinctive green colour – in connection with transport services as part of a comprehensive IP protection strategy. VR Group’s consistent brand building has also received recognition, including the Finland Chamber of Commerce’s Brand of the Year award in 2026. In the competition, brands were viewed comprehensively from various perspectives, including their story, strategic role, brand renewal ability and intellectual property protection. The jury found that VR had understood the importance of the protection of its brand as part of a comprehensive business strategy.

NoHo Partners – EUR 50 million secured notes and EUR 97 million senior secured facilities agreement

We advised NoHo Partners Plc on the issuance of EUR 50 million senior secured floating rate notes. The notes have a tenor of four years and mature on 10 September 2030. The notes bear interest at a rate of three-month EURIBOR plus a margin of 4.375 per cent. per annum. The notes were allocated to a mix of domestic and international investors. We also advised NoHo Partners on the negotiation of its new senior facilities agreement. The facilities agreement comprises a EUR 60,000,000 term loan facility, a EUR 10,000,000 capex facility and a EUR 27,000,000 revolving credit facility. “We are delighted by the interest investors have shown in the company’s Notes, which reflects confidence in our strategy. The successful issuance of the Notes, together with the new loan agreement, extends the maturity profile of our financing and enables the company to continue executing its growth strategy going forward. I would like to thank all investors for their participation, as well as our partner bank for the excellent execution of the Notes issuance”, says Jarno Suominen, CEO of NoHo Partners. OP Corporate Bank plc acted as the sole lead manager and bookrunner for the issue of the notes. NoHo Partners Plc is a Finnish group established in 1996, and it specialises in restaurant services being the creative innovator of the Northern European restaurant market. The company was listed in Nasdaq Helsinki in 2013 becoming the first Finnish listed restaurant company, and it has continued to grow strongly throughout its history. NoHo Partners’ vision is to be the leading restaurant operator in Northern Europe.

Topfoods – Acquisition of Delice Plus

We advised Topfoods Oy, a Triton-backed Geia Group company, on its acquisition of Oy Delice Plus Ab, a Finnish supplier of cakes and pastries. Through the acquisition, Topfoods strengthens its retail business and further reinforces its position in the cakes and pastries segment. Founded in 2008, Topfoods supplies selected food products to professional kitchens, the retail sector, and the food industry.

Deka Immobilien – Acquisition of a prime logistics property

We advised Deka Immobilien on its acquisition of a prime logistics property located at Turvalaaksonkuja 4, Vantaa, for the Deka-ImmobilienEuropa open-ended real estate fund. The property is situated within the Aviapolis logistics cluster, which is Finland’s leading logistics hub, benefiting from its location next to Helsinki Airport and its connections to the country’s main transport routes. Completed in 2022, the modern property comprises 32,947 sqm of lettable space and is fully let on a long-term basis to Barona Varastopalvelut Oy. The tenant is a Finnish 3PL provider offering warehousing and e-commerce logistics services to companies in Finland and internationally and uses the property as its central logistics hub. The property has achieved a BREEAM International New Construction rating of Excellent and an EPC rating of A, and it features photovoltaic and geothermal systems, among other things.

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