Tuomas Lehtinen

Partner, Member of the Finnish Bar, Doctor of Laws

Services

  1. International Construction & Projects
  2. Environment, Energy & Green Transition
  3. Banking & Finance
  4. Dispute Resolution
  5. Strategic Commercial

Contact details

I have dedicated over three decades to the legal profession, specialising in dispute resolution, contract law and banking. I have advised clients in complex disputes proceedings, in international arbitrations and before Finnish courts. I have served as an arbitrator in numerous domestic and international arbitrations.

My expertise extends to international construction projects, project agreements, bank guarantees, trade finance, and associated disputes. I have provided counsel to both public entities and private companies within the defence industry, drawing on a profound understanding of the sector. For over twenty years, I have been a trusted advisor in highly confidential matters for government organisations and private defence sector companies.

I hold a Doctor of Laws degree and serve as a docent in contract law and international trade law and held part-time Professorship at the University of Helsinki. My dissertation focused on international trade contracts and documentary credits. I have authored several books and articles on international contracts and guarantees.

My active involvement with the IBA’s International Construction Projects Committee and other international associations has helped me build a global network.

I am recognised by Chambers Europe, Chambers Global, and Best Lawyers as one of Finland’s leading legal experts. Clients value my vast experience, deep expertise, negotiation skills, and ability to address their business concerns fully.

Latest references

Finnish manufacturing company – Arbitration proceedings under the SCC rules
We successfully represented a Finnish manufacturing company in arbitration proceedings under the SCC rules against a global construction company. The dispute was governed by Finnish law and the seat of arbitration was Stockholm, Sweden. The dispute mainly concerned the termination of an erection contract and the right to compensation for delays of the project and for cost increases due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The main questions in dispute were the lawfulness of the termination of the erection contract as well as the consequences of the termination such as the right to costs to complete the project after termination, the right to liquidated damages for delay of the project and adjustment of contract price due to cost increases. The total value of the dispute exceeded EUR 15 million.
Case published 8.1.2025
The Finnish State – The Court of Appeal dismissed the action of Peter Fryckman against the Finnish State
We successfully advised the Finnish State/the Ministry of Justice in a declaratory action in which the Helsinki Court of Appeal dismissed the claims of businessman Peter Fryckman and confirmed the non-existence of an arbitration agreement. Fryckman had filed for arbitration before The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in February 2018. The request was based on a claim that the Finnish Minister of Justice had signed a consent to arbitration between Fryckman and the Finnish State in the PCA. The State denied the existence of an arbitration agreement in its response to the request for arbitration and refused to appoint its own arbitrator. The Secretary-General of the PCA deemed that the document titled ‘Declaration of Consent’ was too ambiguous and general in nature, and therefore he could not appoint an arbitrator for the State to an arbitration conducted under the PCA Arbitration Rules 2012. After this, Fryckman requested that the District Court confirm the existence of an arbitration agreement between him and the Finnish State, under which disputes between the parties concerning tax and debt collection actions against Fryckman and his companies, as well as the resulting damages, would be settled before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.  However, the District Court dismissed this action because the consent signed by the Minister of Justice was general in nature, its content was unspecified, and it was unclear whether the consent was even a matter that could be arbitrated. Furthermore, the District Court deemed that the consent signed by the Minister of Justice and the plaintiff’s application for commencement of arbitration were not identical and reciprocal, and there was no evidence of an agreement between the parties as to the commitment to and content of the agreement. Fryckman appealed the District Court’s decision to the Court of Appeal, but in its judgement of December 2022, the Court of Appeal deemed that there was no cause to amend the District Court’s decision. The Court of Appeal found that the expression of will in the document titled ‘Declaration of Consent’ had not been made in accordance with the Ministry of Justice’s procedure for presentation and decision-making. According to the Court of Appeal, due to this key fault in the Ministry’s procedure, the free-form expression of will by the Minister did not have a binding effect on the parties. The Court of Appeal remarked that the plaintiff’s actions bore characteristics of an intent to bypass the Ministry’s customary procedure for decision-making. The Court of Appeal also noted that the Minister’s expression of will was encumbered by deficiencies in arbitrability and the subject matter of the consent as stated by the District Court, and referred to the grounds stated by the District Court in other respects as well. On 5 May 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that no leave to appeal would be granted, and the judgment of the Court of Appeal is therefore final.
Case published 27.6.2023
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
Finnish Defence Forces – Squadron 2020 Project
We advised the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command in the Squadron 2020 project. Squadron 2020 is the Finnish Navy’s project that is aimed at replacing seven vessels that the Navy will decommission. These will be replaced by four modern corvettes. Rauma Marine Constructions Oy and RMC Defence Oy based in Rauma will construct four multi-purpose corvettes, called the Pohjanmaa Class, for the Squadron 2020 project. Saab AB from Sweden was selected as the  combat system supplier. The Pohjanmaa Class will form the backbone of the Finnish Navy’s capability and combat vessel fleet and is planned to remain in service until the 2050s. The total cost of the Squadron 2020 project is approx. EUR 1,300 million.
Case published 16.3.2020
NATO Innovation Fund – Kelluu’s EUR 15 million Series A funding round
We advised the NATO Innovation Fund as lead investor on Kelluu’s EUR 15 million Series A funding round, with participation from Keen Venture Partners, Gungnir Capital, and Tesi. Kelluu is a Finnish deep tech company operating the world’s largest autonomous airship fleet. We advised NIF on this transaction alongside global law firm Latham & Watkins.
Case published 17.4.2026
Nscale – Data centre project
Castrén & Snellman advised Nscale, a European AI infrastructure company, in connection with its planned data centre project in Harjavalta, Finland. The facility will be located in the Sievari industrial area. Castrén & Snellman’s advisory role encompassed the negotiation and execution of a site securing and development agreement (SSDA) with Fortum, as well as the preliminary land sale process for the Sievari site with the Town of Harjavalta. Under the SSDA, Fortum supports the advancement of Nscale’s project development, including grid connection design and permitting.
Case published 15.4.2026
Taaleri – Acquisition of a majority stake in Nordic Science Investments
We are acting as legal adviser to Taaleri Plc on its acquisition of a 51 per cent ownership stake in Nordic Science Investments Oy (NSI), marking Taaleri’s expansion into deeptech-driven venture capital. Through the transaction, Taaleri broadens its private equity offering into early-stage venture capital funds as well as the commercialisation and scaling of research-driven innovations. NSI is a Finnish venture capital fund manager operating across the Nordic and Baltic regions, focusing on early-stage investments in research- and science-based technologies. Its portfolio companies develop, among other things, health technologies, life sciences, advanced materials and AI-driven solutions. In addition to providing growth capital, NSI supports spin-out companies with strategic guidance, access to networks and assistance in building teams during the early phases of business development. NSI’s first fund, the EUR 45 million NSI Nordic Science I Ky, was established in 2024 and has to date invested in 22 early-stage companies in Finland, Sweden and the Baltic countries. Taaleri is a specialist in investments, private asset management and non-life insurance, with a strong position in renewable energy, bioindustry and housing investments as well as credit risk insurance. Taaleri has EUR 2.7 billion of assets under management in its private equity funds, co-investments and single-asset vehicles, employs approximately 130 people and is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. The founders of NSI will continue in their operational roles following the transaction. The completion of the transaction is subject to approval by the FIN-FSA.
Case published 13.4.2026
Finnish Centre for Pensions – Information design workshop
We delivered two information design workshops for the legal department of the Finnish Centre for Pensions, with participants from both legal and other professional backgrounds. In the sessions, we applied the principles of legal design thinking to the Finnish Centre for Pensions’ field of operation and background materials, also utilising AI as a design tool. The participants found the tailored training highly useful and commended the trainers for their in-depth familiarisation with the Centre’s opinion drafting process and operating environment. As a result of the workshops, our experts proposed a new structural and linguistic model for the legal department of the Finnish Centre for Pensions for drafting opinions and guidelines. The proposal was well received as clear and applicable to the participants’ everyday work. In addition, we presented tailored AI use cases to support experts, allowing for a more efficient AI-assisted way of working. Our experts who delivered the workshops combined their legal expertise with their leading experience in legal design. The participants appreciated this versatile expertise, which enabled a knowledgeable, creative and applied approach to legal writing. ‘C&S created a well-structured training tailored to our needs, providing clear direction for our organisation and concrete takeaways for our experts in their day-to-day work,’ says Mari Kuunvalo, Head Of the Legal Department at the Finnish Centre for Pensions.
Case published 10.4.2026

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