The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Attorneys at law Borenius Ltd is a second tier firm,

Attorneys at law Borenius & Kemppinen Ltd boasts quality clients and deals in equal measures, such as acting for Nordea Bank in Talvivaara Mining’s €100m secured multicurrency revolving facility. Former in-house banking lawyer Andrei Aganimov now steers the ‘very responsive’ practice, with Ari Kaarakainen head of transactions.

Within Capital markets, Attorneys at law Borenius Ltd is a second tier firm,

Attorneys at law Borenius & Kemppinen Ltd has a strong track record for securities work under the leadership of experienced Ari-Pekka Saanio. Clients report that the ‘overall level of service is excellent’. A year of aborted transactions due to market conditions was preceded by such headline deals as the €38m rights issue of Finnlines plc.

Within Corporate and M&A, Attorneys at law Borenius Ltd is a second tier firm,

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’.

Within Dispute resolution , Attorneys at law Borenius Ltd is a second tier firm,

Head of dispute resolution and insolvency Markus Kokko is in demand at Attorneys at law Borenius & Kemppinen Ltd, taking the lead in a variety of cases for multinationals and major domestic bodies. They include defending an international retail chain in a class action. Kai Kotiranta left in 2010 to establish his own firm, but a large, ‘professional’ team remains that ‘doesn’t need much guidance’.

Within EU and competition, Attorneys at law Borenius Ltd is a first tier firm,

Attorneys at law Borenius & Kemppinen Ltd has a dedicated team of specialists led by ‘highly skilled’ Ilkka Aalto-Setälä with support from the experienced Asko Lindqvist. Work is typically top draw, such as state aid cases before the European Commission, while clients include Finnair and Nordea Bank, advising the latter on the FCA’s investigation into an alleged abuse of dominant position.

Within Intellectual property, Attorneys at law Borenius Ltd is a first tier firm,

Several experts and an impressive client base place Attorneys at law Borenius & Kemppinen Ltd at the forefront of IP work. It is advising Finland’s leading publishing house WSOY in the Supreme Court concerning the landmark ‘Pocket Book Loisto case’. Clients rate the firm’s depth of knowledge and dispute strategy; head of IP litigation Ben Rapinoja is ‘very thorough’ and ‘takes time over detail’, while the team as a whole, led by Pekka Tarkela is ‘service-minded and open to new ways of working’.

Within Legal market overview,

This stable and conservative legal market witnessed uncharacteristic change during 2010. The first significant merger in years took place when top-ten firm Merilampi united with the former Veikko Palotie & Co creating a 40-lawyer general practice; and a trend that commenced two years before took hold, seeing A-list individuals, particularly litigators, flee the potential client conflicts and managerial burdens of their large firms in order to pursue their own enterprises. Kari Lautjärvi followed Patrik Lindfors in leaving Hannes Snellman Attorneys at Law Ltd to establish his own boutique; likewise, former head of dispute resolution at Attorneys at law Borenius & Kemppinen Ltd, Kai Kotiranta, set up alone, as did former Roschier senior partner Tomas Lindholm the year before. Roschier colleague and former managing partner Lennart Simonsen became CEO at Finnish private equity house CapMan plc; and Merilampi’s leading light, Ari Kantor, was appointed Justice of the Finnish Supreme Court.

Within Maritime and transport, Attorneys at law Borenius Ltd is a first tier firm,

Attorneys at law Borenius & Kemppinen Ltd is prominent in this field due to the widely-acknowledged expertise of Ulla von Weissenberg and Jan Aminoff. ‘Both have excellent knowledge in marine and transportation law’, say clients. Aminoff has 30 years’ experience of high-profile marine and transport insurance disputes, as well as a strong track record in aviation law, while von Weissenberg is particularly skilled in ship finance.

Within Real estate and construction, Attorneys at law Borenius Ltd is a second tier firm,

Attorneys at law Borenius & Kemppinen Ltd has a large, versatile team, where instructions range from litigation on behalf of a Finnish government agency against a multinational construction company, to acting for ICECAPITAL Housing Fund II on the redevelopment of Helsinki’s Myllypro shopping centre. Christian Fogelholm is head of real estate transactions, with senior advisor Veli Leinonen in charge of construction and real estate, including litigation.

Within TMT , Attorneys at law Borenius Ltd is a first tier firm,

An exceptionally strong team at Attorneys at law Borenius & Kemppinen Ltd includes Pekka Tarkela at the helm, as well as Lasse Laarksonen and Samuli Simojoki. Response times, customer service and industry knowledge are all highlighted, as is the firm’s ‘right combination of agility with large enough resources’. It is advising Finnair on the renewal of its IT outsourcing and service agreements with IBM.

Within Tax, Attorneys at law Borenius Ltd is a second tier firm,

Another quality practice is Attorneys at law Borenius & Kemppinen Ltd, where Janne Juusela attracts high praise and ‘is able to present original solutions to problems at very short notice’. Clients include a global investment bank, advising it on complex tax issues.