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Estonia > Shipping and transport

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  1. Shipping and transport
  2. Leading individuals

Leading individuals

Heiki Lindpere is a maritime and transport expert at LAWIN, with experience in all areas of shipping law, including vessel financing and charter party matters. The firm is advising the charterer of a vessel following a recent event in Estonia’s Port of Paldiski, while clients from other transport sectors include a leading Estonian road constructor and an international manufacturer of military and commercial helicopters.

Clients describe the team at Attorneys at Law Borenius as ‘attentive’, ‘competent’ and ‘helpful’. The firm acts for a number of leading players in the transport sector, such as Estonian Air, advising it on aircraft leasing, and is representing a subsidiary of Globaltrans Investments in a dispute concerning rail transport infrastructure. Practice leader Marti Hääl specialises in the sale and purchase of aircraft, vessels and rolling stock.

Malsco Law Office is a specialist shipping law boutique, where partners Juri Nuut and Indrek Nuut advise on all areas of maritime law, from asset finance to ship arrests. Clients include insurer Willis.

Asko Pohla at Pohla & Hallmägi is an established and leading figure in the Estonian shipping arena, prominent in most of the vessel arrest disputes in the country. Together with Toivo Viilup, the pair act for oil transportation companies, major ports, surveyors and a railroad operator. Matters included advising on pollution and tort actions in Estonian territorial waters.

Raidla Lejins & Norcous continues to act for Tallink Group and Hansatee Cargo, Estonia’s leading shipping companies, in their claim against the state concerning navigation fees. The broad practice is led by Jaanus Ikla, who is supported by leading individuals from other practice areas, and acts for clients from across the transport sector.

Sorainen is ‘well equipped to deal with maritime law issues’. It advises several major players from the transport sector, with much of the focus on international matters, such as advising Norwegian export credit institution Eksportfinans on the €81m financing of three new ferries to operate between the Estonian mainland and Hiiumaa and Saaremaa islands. The practice is led by litigator Carri Ginter who is ‘swift and to the point’ with input from specialists such as finance expert Reimo Hammerberg.

Toomas Taube, head of corporate and commercial at Tark Grunte Sutkiene, advises a number of financiers and shipping and logistics companies, such as P&I insurer The London Steam-Ship Owners Mutual Insurance Association, which the firm is representing in relation to the biggest tanker oil pollution in Estonia. Other clients include Superseacat and Intergate Chartering.

Aare Raigi Advokaadibüroo acts for some heavyweight rail and shipping companies, including one of the Baltic’s largest companies, Tallink Grupp, which operates shipping lines in the Baltic Sea. Aare-Heino Raig is the key adviser at the firm, attracting mandates from leading UK shipping firms.

Clients at Law Office Eversheds Ots & Co include international tugboat company PKL, which the firm advises on everyday matters, and Volvo Estonia, where instructions include both general corporate and litigious matters. Maivi Ots leads much of the work.

Managing partner Andres Vinkel at Hansa Law Offices has a notable and ‘diligent’ maritime practice, which successfully acted for the ship owner of tanker Probo Koala, blocked from leaving an Estonian harbour by Greenpeace due to its cargo of toxic waste.

Glikman & Partnerid has a significant portfolio of clients in this sector, including Danish-based Andria Shipping Company, advising it on the acquisition of ship m/v OMG Tosno, as well as Tallink, Estonian Railways and Maersk. Senior associates Risto Rüütel and Paul Keres are recommended.

Marko Tiiman at Law Firm Glimstedt acts for major rail bodies, such as Estonian Railways, which it is advising on a range of matters including litigation. The firm has a maritime caseload that includes acting for Open Joint-Stock Company Saint Petersburg concerning the arrest and subsequent sale of vessel m/v OMG Tosno.

MAQS Law Firm acts for AS Ingle, a transporter of hazardous chemicals, in transport insurance as well as other ongoing issues, and represents a multinational transportation company in contentious matters. Kaimo Räppo leads much of the work.

A cross-disciplinary team at VARUL advises a number of significant players in this sector, such as Spacecom, the largest tank-car owner in the Baltics for the transportation of oil products and liquid gas, which the firm is advising in a dispute against Estonian Railways.

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Legal Developments in Estonia

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  • Estonia allows claiming punitive damages

    Normal 0 21 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} Normal 0 21 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} On 31 st December 2010 amendments to the Law Obligations Act (hereinafter LOA) came into force in Estonia, introducing the regulation allowing claiming punitive and preventive damages. Though the new regulation allows exemplary damages to be awarded only in the event of non-proprietary damages, it nevertheless constitutes a general paradigm shift, allowing for a much broader protection of personal rights.
  • Review of reorganisation proceedings in Estonia

    Until the adoption of Reorganisation Act Estonian legislation did not provide efficient regulation for companies which were in temporary financial difficulties, but could be “rescued” via certain turn-around proceedings to overcome the economically difficult period.  
  • New Estonian Advertising Act

    New Advertising Act has entered into force from 1st of November 2008. The main reason for drafting the new Act was the current situation in the advertising market – the legal regulation of the Advertising Act passed in 1997 needed to be modernized. Requirements for advertising goods and services, which are likely to cause controversy in the society, have been specified. Additional restrictions have been provided for advertising of alcohol products and financial services, while exemptions have been added to the advertising regulation of tobacco products and gambling. The efficiency of surveillance has been improved and additional measures have been taken. Consistency with the EU law is important in order to avoid discrimination of foreign manufacturers and service providers. Drafting a new act was expedient, whereas extensive amendments were to be made to the current legal regulation of advertising.
  • Division of the company as the joint property between the spouses

    The Civil Chamber of the Estonian Supreme Court has thoroughly handled the topics of division of joint property, repeated some earlier principles and given the clear instruction in the proceeding of division of the joint property of spouses in the question of assessment of the value of the company.
  • Estonian Supreme Court on the tax avoidance rules in share transfers

    The Estonian Supreme Court handled the taxation of the earnings of the physical persons through the application of the rule of economic interpretation (Taxation Act § 84) in its decision of 6 November 2008. In this case the Supreme Court gave the instructions which circumstances are important for establishing the existence of the objective of tax evasion. This is a significant decision in the cases of transfer of securities, where the tax authority has found that the substance and form of the transaction are not in compliance and in no doubt will have its impact to assessing the tax consequences of corporate restructurings.

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