Impact Investing - Castrén & Snellman

Impact Investing

Impact investing is a growing global phenomenon. Interest in new forms of financing is also growing in Finland, where the public sector is struggling with cost pressures.

We are here to help our clients succeed in this new field, which is just taking shape. Our finance, public sector project and corporate form experts design legally insightful operating models that are tailored to the Finnish regulatory environment and harmonised with state aid and public procurement rules.

We speak the same language as the diverse operators in this field which enables us to bring them together. We also actively promote the development of the operating environment through domestic and international organisations, such as the European Social Enterprice Law Association (ESELA).

Latest references

FIM – Establishment of Fund to Promote Child and Youth Welfare

We advised FIM in the establishment of the SIB fund focused on promoting child and youth welfare, including drafting documentation and addressing taxation questions. Social impact bonds (SIBs) are a good example of a new form of investment, which seeks to achieve social goals in addition to financial profit. The SIB fund established in this project is managed by FIM together with the Finnish Central Union for Child Welfare, the participating Finnish municipalities and the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra. The activities of the fund are guided by representatives of the municipalities, the Central Union for Child Welfare and partner organisations providing child and youth services. The assets of the fund are used to finance projects promoting child and youth welfare. The fund’s profit is tied to the achievement of joint welfare goals, and the cost savings achieved are distributed between the municipalities and the fund’s investors. The fund is intended for professional investors.

Shareholders – Sale of the Suomen Autohuolto Group

We advised the shareholders of Suomen Autohuolto Oy in connection with the sale of the company’s entire share capital, to SAKA Finland Group Oy. Suomen Autohuolto Group is one of Finland’s largest companies specializing in brand-specific automotive maintenance and has locations in Oulu, Tampere, and from July, also in Järvenpää. The transaction is subject to final approval by the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV).

Natural Resources Institute Finland – AI training

We delivered two tailor-made AI workshops for the lawyers at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). We discussed the AI revolution and its impact on lawyers’ ways of thinking and working, and left the participants with practical solutions for enhancing and streamlining their work with Legora. Our AI-specialist lawyers prepared use cases tailored to Luke and the needs of public administration, which Luke received for its own use following the workshops. These use cases covered topics such as: utilising legal sources and the organisation’s own data to maximise AI results building and leveraging AI workflows AI-enhanced contract drafting based on a large volume of documents. The workshops sparked wide-ranging discussion on the role and benefits of AI in legal work. Participants appreciated how clearly and comprehensively our experts were able to present the nature and benefits of AI specifically within a legal context. ‘The workshops provided excellent support for Luke’s goal of leveraging AI responsibly and gave us concrete and ready-to-use practical takeaways,’ says Hannu Laitinen, Luke’s Senior Vice President, Administrative Affairs.

Finnish Construction Management Consultancy — District Court Dismisses charge in occupational safety offence case concerning a safety coordinator

We successfully represented a Finnish construction management consultancy and a safety coordinator employed by the company in criminal proceedings concerning an alleged occupational safety and health offence. The prosecutor sought a penalty for an alleged breach of occupational safety regulations. The charge arose from a fall accident at a construction site where our client acted as the safety coordinator appointed by the developer. We assessed the scope of the safety coordinator’s duties in relation to the responsibilities of the main contractor, as well as how our client had fulfilled their obligations in practice. We demonstrated that our client had acted with due care and in full compliance with their duties throughout the planning, preparation and execution of the construction project. The District Court of Eastern Uusimaa dismissed the charge against our client. The Court held that our client, in their capacity as safety coordinator, had duly fulfilled the occupational safety obligations incumbent on the developer during the planning and preparation phases of the construction project and had not been aware of the fall protection deficiency identified at the site. The judgment is final insofar as our client is concerned.

Latest insights

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