Merilampi Attorneys Ltd > Helsinki, Finland > Firm Profile

Merilampi Attorneys Ltd > Firm Profile

The firm: Merilampi is one of the leading Finnish business law firms. Many of its clients are major international corporations and listed Finnish companies. The firm is regularly involved in high-profile M&A, real estate, competition law and dispute resolution cases.

Main areas of practice
Transactions and finance: In M&A, the firm represented, among others (1) Pihlajalinna Plc in a Mehiläinen Yhtiöt Oy public cash tender offer for all shares in Pihlajalinna Plc (transaction value approximately MEUR 362), (2) Sweco Finland Oy in its acquisition of Optiplan Oy from NCC Group, (3) Posti Group Corporation in its sale of Posti Kotipalvelut Oy to Stella Care Oy and (4) Total Specific Solutions in its acquisition of Futunio Oy.

A great deal of the banking and finance work undertaken by the firm was made in relation to real estate market, including both property acquisition financing and refinancing transactions. Clients in that sector included, among others, Mercada and Aberdeen Standard Real Estate Funds. During the year, the firm also experienced increase in demand for regulatory advice especially by foreign financial institutions operating in the Finnish market.

During the past year, Merilampi completed a substantial number of real estate transactions. Among others, the firm advised the following clients in their major transactions: Union Investment Real Estate, Aberdeen Standard Investments, Schroder Nordic Real Estate Fund, Lindström Invest Oy, Terrieri Kiinteistöt, A. Ahlström Kiinteistöt and Savills Investment Management.

Dispute resolution: In the field of dispute resolution, Merilampi has top assignments from all relevant areas: commercial litigation, arbitration (both domestic and international), ADR, white-collar defence and insolvency related advice. The firm’s lawyers are constantly active in a number of arbitration and mediation cases, both as counsel and arbitrators/mediators.

Merilampi continues to represent clients in a wide variety of industries and areas of substantive law. Lately, there has been a notable increase especially in the firm’s caseload in complex construction and engineering disputes. The firm’s lawyers have recently been very active also in different types of liability cases (such as product liability, environmental liability, board of directors’ or auditor’s liability).

During the past year, the DR team has advised, among others, Fujitsu Finland Oy in its complex contract dispute with the City of Espoo. The team also regularly represents Lassila & Tikanoja plc in controversial matters with their subcontractors, employees and other stakeholders. They also represent one of the big-four auditing companies in many of its high-profile liability cases.

Competition and EU: The firm’s competition experts have recently been busy with merger proceedings before the competition authorities. For example, Merilampi represented Pihlajalinna Plc in the merger control proceedings before the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority and the Market Court in Mehiläinen Yhtiöt Oy/Pihlajalinna Plc case. Merilampi has also continuously advised Sweco AB and its subsidiaries in various competition matters relating to Sweco’s acquisitions taking place in markets for sustainable development and design.

In addition, the firm regularly represents high profile companies in public procurement cases as well as cases related to abuse of dominant position as well as distribution systems and e-commerce. Another example of Merilampi’s versatile competition expertise is the successful representation of telecom company Elisa Corporation in yet another access pricing case against the Finnish telecom regulator Traficom in the Supreme Administrative Court.

Real estate and construction: Merilampi’s real estate and construction practice is one of the advisors in the forefront of advising in the most prominent real estate developments and construction endeavours in the market. The expertise of the team is utilised by private and public sector property owners, developers, contractors, financiers and consultants in a variety of assignments, both contentious and non-contentious, in the construction and real estate field.

The team has a steady flow of mandates particularly concerning complex infrastructure and engineering projects, and a strong specialisation in design and build and construction management contracts. During the past year, some of the most notable references include advising YIT Finland and Meridiam SAS in their successful bid for the first social infrastructure PPP in Finland, assisting several hospital districts and social and health care authorities in the largest hospital build projects in Finland, and several litigation and arbitration proceedings relating to construction and engineering endeavours.

Employment and labour law: Merilampi’s employment team is one of the most experienced in the industry. They are involved in building new and restructuring old organisations, creating and amending working rules and contracts of employment as well as supporting company management with employment related questions and challenging situations. They represent clients in civil and criminal cases relating to employment and assist in cooperation negotiations.

During the past year, the team has advised, among others, Microsoft on a regular basis in both national and global HR-issues, University of Helsinki on several significant court cases and Posti Ltd in the Supreme Administrative Court related to decisions of the Administrative Court and the Regional State Administrative Agency.

Technology, IT and data privacy: Merilampi’s technology and IT law specialised practice is experienced in handling technology and IT law related contentious and non-contentious assignments with high quality. The team routinely assists clients in a variety of contractual arrangement related to the exploitation and distribution of technology, such as licensing and distribution agreements. In addition, the team routinely advises clients in matters of software and IT service development, sales, licensing, distribution and maintenance. Their expertise also covers data privacy questions.

Intellectual property and media: Merilampi’s intellectual property and media practice manages assignments from protection and commercialisation of IP to regulatory questions and dispute resolution in complex IP matters. The IP team assists among others the Nordic luxury brand Daniel Wellington and the iconic Burberry brand in the defence of their valuable copyright and trademark portfolios. Furthermore, they represented a major German automotive company in Finland’s largest anti-counterfeiting litigation as well as the packaging giant DS Smith, medical equipment company Steris Finn-Aqua, the Finnish National Rescue Association and the Swedish Tourist Association.

In 2020, the IP practice’s caseload consisted of eg complex marketing and unfair business practice cases, trade secret infringement cases, patent, utility model, trademark and design enforcement as well as drafting employee invention strategies. The IP practice works in close co-operation with outside patent attorneys to bring added technical insight into patent and utility model enforcement and in creating insightful employee invention processes. Merilampi’s team also has extensive experience in the field of media and entertainment law.

Product compliance and product liability: Merilampi’s product compliance and product liability practice advises companies manufacturing, importing and distributing products in a wide variety of issues and obligations stemming from EU’s and national legislation. Recently the team has been particularly busy with appeal proceedings before the relevant authorities as well as court proceedings in product safety matters, in which Merilampi team represented, for example, known international luxury accessory manufacturers as well as vehicle manufacturers. The team also regularly assist clients in product recalls.

Lawyer Profiles

Photo	Name	Position	Profile
	Sakari Aalto	Sakari Aalto advises domestic and international clients in technology and IPR-transactions. He…	View Profile
	Mr Tommi Elo	Tommi Elo focuses on banking and finance, real estate and securities transactions…	View Profile
	Ms Heidi Hiltunen	Heidi Hiltunen specialises in employment law. She counsels domestic and multinational corporations…	View Profile
	Mr Jussi Ikonen	Jussi Ikonen has vast experience in the legal field. Jussi specialises in…	View Profile
	Tiina Järvinen	Tiina Järvinen primarily counsels clients in commercial litigations and domestic and international…	View Profile
	Mr Antti Kahri	Antti Kahri specialises in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions and private…	View Profile
	Mr Antti Karanko	Antti Karanko specialises in commercial litigation and arbitration. Antti has successfully acted…	View Profile
	Mrs Satu-Anneli Kauranen	Satu-Anneli Kauranen specialises in Competition and EU Law. She has extensive experience…	View Profile
	Mr Ari Keinänen	Ari Keinänen is one of our most experienced attorneys specialised in corporate…	View Profile
	Jussi Koivu	Jussi Koivu is an expert in employment and labour law. He has…	View Profile
	Liina Kokko	Liina Kokko specialises in dispute resolution. She has extensive experience in various…	View Profile
	Mr Jukka Laitasalo	Jukka Laitasalo is one of the founding partners of our 1992 establised…	View Profile
	Mikko Laitinen	Mikko Laitinen specialises in extensive assignments that require cross-border expertise in multiple…	View Profile
	Heidi Merikalla-Teir	Heidi is the Managing Partner of Merilampi. Heidi has extensive experience in…	View Profile
	Emma Niemistö	Emma Niemistö specialises in construction and real estate matters. Her practice is…	View Profile
	Olli Nikitin	Olli Nikitin assists our clients in corporate law and M&A and real…	View Profile
	Mr Mika Pakarinen	Mika Pakarinen specialises in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions and in…	View Profile
	Mr Erkko Ruohoniemi	Erkko Ruohoniemi specialises in competition law related cases, such as merger control…	View Profile
	Veli Siitonen	Veli Siitonen is specialised in company and securities law as well as…	View Profile
	William Sjöberg	William Sjöberg advises clients in the area of domestic and international mergers…	View Profile
	Teemu Taxell	Teemu Taxell specialises in commercial litigation and arbitration. He has represented clients…	View Profile
	Sara Walden	Sara Walden assists our clients with company and contract law as well…	View Profile
	Mr Jani Ylä-Autio	Jani Ylä-Autio has extensive experience in various corporate and real estate assignments.…	View Profile
	Henrik af Ursin	Henrik specialises in the identification, acquisition, enforcement and commercialisation of intellectual property.…	View Profile