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
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

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