The Legal 500

Among several leading individuals at Hannes Snellman Attorneys at Law Ltd is senior partner Johan Aalto and Mikko Heinonen, head of public M&A; together they steer an ‘excellent’, ‘knowledgable’ and ‘client-orientated’ practice that advised Renesas Electronics on its $200m acquisition of Nokia’s wireless modem business. Sten Olsson and Mathias Lindqvist are equally worthy of mention.

Across the table of the Renesas/Nokia deal was Roschier, which also advised Metsäliito on the sale of the Uruguay operations of its joint venture with UPM-Kymmene, a deal valued in excess of €1.4bn. Despite the departures of Lennart Simonsen and then Ulf-Henrik Kull, who was managing partner and head of M&A, good talent remains with Jon Unnérus, Toni Siimes and Jouni Salmi all recommended. Advice is ‘top-notch’ and ‘on the level of leading international firms’.

Attorneys at law Borenius & Kemppinen Ltd attracts major domestic and international companies, such as acting for 3i in its sale of shares in DNA. The team, led by Ari Kaarakainen, has ‘excellent industry knowledge’. Managing partner Jari Vikiö receives much praise from clients, described as ‘very dedicated’ and ‘knows how to present complex issues to our company’s top management’.

Continuing to close the gap is Castrén & Snellman, where head of M&A Jan Örndahl and Pauliina Tenhunen (corporate governance) lead an ‘excellent team’ whose advice is ‘always appropriate and thorough.’ First class deals included acting as Finnish counsel to 3i on the €1.35bn sale of its stake in Ambea, a leading provider of health and social services in the Nordic region, to Triton.

With its emphasis of quality over volume, Dittmar & Indrenius is the firm of choice for a number of multinationals seeking Finnish advice, and is regularly consulted by top UK and US firms. A large team of specialists include: Johan Åkermarck who ‘stands out’ and is ‘very strong at the negotiation table’; managing partner Jan Ollila, who is a ‘good strategist’; while associate Wilhelm Eklund is ‘truly exceptional’. Recent deals include advice to Beckman Coulter on the Finnish aspects of its acquisition of a division of Olympus.

According to clients, Krogerus ‘is growing all the time and will be a top office in the future’. Corporate work is a key strength, with prolific advisers Mika Ståhlberg and Samuli Palin leading in M&A and private equity respectively. Top deals included acting for DNA on its €200m acquisition of Welho from Sanoma Corporation, one of the largest deals of 2010, and representing Neste Oil on the divestment of its Portuguese subsidiary to Spanish oil company Repsol.

Waselius & Wist continues to attract top-draw clients to its corporate practice, such as E.ON, BASF and Olympus. Lauri Peltola led advice to the senior lenders in the restructuring of Paroc Group, involving acquisition by the lenders of an 87.5% stake in the company. Peltola also advised Mediq on its €85m acquisition of Oriola-KD’s healthcare trade business, one of the largest deals of early 2010. Clients describe the team as ‘comprehensive’ and ‘helpful’.

Corporate clients of White & Case have the benefit of excellent capital markets and competition capability, including access to a Brussels office. The much-praised Petri Hausilla leads the team of ‘experts’ that includes Risto Ojantakanen and Timo Airisto. Highlights included representing Altor Equity Partners in the sale of PaloDEx Holding to US public company Danaher Corporation, the first significant private equity exit in Finland following the global financial crisis.

Bird & Bird Attorneys Ltd demonstrated the appeal of its international office network by leading the advice to Finnish energy company Keele Group/St1 on its $640m acquisition of Royal Dutch Shell’s Finnish and Swedish operations. An impressive deal list also included acting for Evli Bank on its acquisition of Swedish-based Carnegie Investment Bank’s asset management operations in Finland. Matti Ylä-Mononen ‘has a straight-forward attitude with clear and appropriate advice’.

Mid-sized Hammarström Puhakka Partners, Attorneys Ltd attracts a stream of good quality deals, mostly led by experienced transaction lawyers Jörgen Hammerström and managing partner Vesa Silaskivi. Deals included acting for Finavia plc on the sale of its airport energy business to Vantaa Energia.

Attorneys-At-Law Juridia Ltd fields a large, experienced team in Peter Salovaara, Mika Taberman and Tero Routamo among others. A credible deal list in a depressed market included acting for a subsidiary of Ruukki Group on the €14.6m sale of a sawmill business to various Finnish sawmill companies.

The ‘very reactive’ and ‘professional’ team at LMR Attorneys Ltd advises on mid-market deals for local and international companies, such as acting for Sweden’s Ahlsell Oy on the acquisition of the business and assets of Solar Oy. Petri Morelius heads up the practice with assistance from partners across the firm.

Merilampi presents an augmented team following the merger with Veikko Palotie & Co, uniting Tauno Palotie and Mika Pakarinen with other strong individuals such as managing partner Jani Ylä-Autio and Merja Blankenstein, who are ‘both realistic problem solvers and always solution-minded’. The firm acted for leading Finnish company Tamfelt in a public exchange offer with Metso Corporation.

HH Partners, Attorneys-at-Law, Ltd advises some major international companies on smaller-scale corporate matters, such as service and distribution agreements. Markku Korvenmaa also led advice to a global mining company on dissolving its subsidiary.

With seven offices across the country, Law Firm Lindblad Ltd is well-placed to advise local businesses on day-to-day commercial matters, including transactions; ‘they understand the local features’ say clients. Markku Lindblad, Jukka-Pekka Niemelä and Onni Hietalahti all ‘respond quickly, with good knowledge in their fields’. The firm acted for Cytomed, a domestic company with Russian connections, in establishing a pharmaceutical factory in Finland.

Raising its profile is Mäkitalo Rantanen & Co Ltd, a mid-market firm which has ‘extraordinary in-depth knowledge of the energy industry in Finland’. In particular, Juha Mäkitalo has ‘profound knowledge’, while Jani Rantanen has impressive drafting and interpersonal skills when negotiating. General corporate work includes acting for the operative management of Sisu Auto in a MBO of the entire share capital.

Peltonen, Ruokonen & Itäinen Attorneys At Law Ltd complements its quality finance work with a successful corporate practice, advising both domestic and international companies on a broad range of matters, including acquisitions. Clients praise Mika Oksanen for his ‘ability to simplify complex issues’ while Hans Sundblad is ‘particularly good’ and ‘can give new perspectives to problems’.

The decision of Procopé & Hornborg to spin-off its Tampere and Jyväskylä offices will impact on the corporate practice, losing clients based in these cities. However, the ‘customer orientated’ Helsinki team includes several capable practitioners, such as Lotta Uusitalo and Kalevi Tervanen. Clients include AVA Clinics and a well-known vehicle manufacturer.