Samuli Jestilä

Associate, Master of Laws

Services

Real Estate Investments & Transactions

Contact details

I advise our domestic and international clients in real estate transactions and investments, and provide comprehensive advice on other property-related assignments.

Prior to joining Castrén & Snellman, I gained diverse work experience as a trainee at two other business law firms, with my most recent position focusing on real estate transactions. I have also worked in the rental housing operations of a nationwide rental housing company.

I hold a Master of Laws degree from the University of Lapland. During my studies, I also completed an exchange period at the University of Vienna, where I deepened my expertise in transactions.

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Latest references

Jensen-Group – Acquisition of Vestek

We advised Jensen-Group with its acquisition of Oy Vestek Ab, the long-standing distributor of Jensen solutions in Finland. The strategic step underlines Jensen-Group’s long-term commitment to the Nordic region and its ambition to further expand sustainable and future-oriented laundry automation solutions in Finland. Jensen-Group, listed on Euronext Brussels, is a global leader in heavy‑duty laundry technology, known for designing and manufacturing industrial laundry machines, systems, and turnkey automation solutions. Oy Vestek Ab is a Finnish import company founded in 1961. The company’s main activity is to import supplies and machinery, including providing products and services for the health care and laundry industries, from Europe and the USA and to act as a wholesale dealer on the Finnish market.

Fortum – AI workshop

We delivered two AI workshops for Fortum Corporation’s Mergers and Acquisitions team, with both legal and business professionals participating. The sessions combined fundamental AI principles with custom use cases for commercially available AI tools tailored to Fortum’s needs. We also presented a bespoke solution merging AI with a script-based tool developed by our Legal Tech team, enabling a more automated way of working. Our experts conducted the training drawing on their legal background and leading experience in this emerging field of legal technology. Participants particularly appreciated the clarity and relevance of the implementations demonstrated. ‘C&S delivered an excellent, well-structured series of workshops, with directly applicable takeaways,’ says Sabina Hautaviita, Legal Counsel for M&A at Fortum.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fingrid – Ilmarinen’s sale of shares to the Finnish State and OP Pohjola Kantaverkko

We advise Fingrid Oyj in a transaction in which Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company is selling its holding of approximately 20 per cent of the shares in Fingrid to the Finnish State and OP Pohjola Kantaverkko Holding Ky. Fingrid owns Finland’s main electricity transmission grid and all significant cross-border transmission connections. The main grid is the backbone of the electricity transmission network, to which major power plants, industrial plants and regional electricity distribution networks are connected.

Metsäkonepalvelu – Acquisition of PJP Metsäexpertit

We advised Metsäkonepalvelu Oy in its acquisition of the entire share capital of PJP Metsäexpertit Oy. PJP Metsäexpertit is a Pirkanmaa-based company specialising in forest management and logging. The acquisition will strengthen Metsäkonepalvelu’s operations, particularly in the Pirkanmaa region, and expand its operations. Metsäkonepalvelu is a portfolio company of A. Ahlström Oy, a Finnish family-owned industrial owner. Metsäkonepalvelu provides mechanical timber harvesting services to forest companies, large private forest owners, and the public sector in Finland and Sweden. Metsäkonepalvelu Group employs nearly two hundred forestry professionals.

Get to know our other experts in the field

Real Estate Investments & Transactions

+358 50 303 0459 antti.kaakkola@castren.fi

Real Estate Investments & Transactions

+358 40 769 4301 elina.marttala@castren.fi

Senior Associate

Real Estate Investments & Transactions

+358 20 776 5141 salla.koskela@castren.fi

Senior Associate

Real Estate Investments & Transactions

+358 40 574 6366 lauri.ylonen@castren.fi

Mickael Miettinen

Real Estate Investments & Transactions

+358 45 657 3435 mickael.miettinen@castren.fi

Real Estate Investments & Transactions

+358 45 112 0345 milla.pakkanen@castren.fi

Real Estate Investments & Transactions

+358 40 732 6315 jessica.salmia@castren.fi

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