Corporate/M&A: Finland

Traditionally one of the corporate powerhouses in Finland, Hannes Snellman continues to play a huge role within the M&A sector. Despite recent departures, its Helsinki office remains strong, and is expanding into Stockholm as well, with great success. Equity capital markets specialist Klaus Ilmonen is a key member of this team, while peers recommend Mikko Heinonen as "very knowledgeable in a large range of corporate matters." The vastly experienced Johan Aalto is appreciated by peers and clients alike. The team is praised for its superb work both in public and private M&A, which is highlighted by its representation of Shell in the sale of most of its refining and marketing business, worth USD640 million.

Consistently seen as a "very high-quality firm with hugely impressive lawyers," this team has kept up its great work in this field, in spite of the recent departure of Ulf-Henrik Kull. Its reputation and resources allow it to handle massive cases, as is demonstrated by its successful performance on cases involving Nokia and 3i. Its close links with its Swedish office have generated a great deal of cross-border M&A work. Paula Linna is a superb lawyer, whose knowledge of capital markets and public M&A makes her an integral part of the team. Jan-Anders Wik is praised for his corporate advisory and public M&A work, and is revered for his "all-round professionalism, sharpness and responsiveness." Jouni Salmi is highly sought after by industrial clients, and his experience in the telecoms industry makes him a hot commodity in that sector. Antti Kahri specialises in private equity and M&A. Jon Unnérus provides further depth to the team and is praised for his leading role on the USD200 million sale of Nokia's wireless modem business.

This firm is particularly strong in M&A and private equity, and remains a leading player in this area. The team is seen as "not the biggest, but definitely one of the best." It is led by the brilliant Jyrki Tähtinen, and managing partner Jari Vikiö also brings great experience and know-how to the operation. Strength in depth is added by Ari-Pekka Saanio and Ari Kaarakainen. The latter is described as "very hungry and determined to be a top lawyer in the field." Youthful energy is provided by Andrei Aganimov and Andreas Doepel, who are both seen as extremely talented lawyers with great futures.

One of the largest firms in the market, this outfit prides itself on its full-service approach. Its links with Sweden and Russia have served to boost its international profile and resource pool. Specialising in M&A, and in particular private equity, it has secured major clients such as CapMan, Teracom and Lemminkainen Corporation. Jan Kuhlefelt is a very strong M&A lawyer. "Clever and solution-minded," Jari Sonninen is also highly recommended. Restructuring and insolvency specialist Pekka Jaatinen remains a well-respected figure in the field of corporate law. Jan Örndahl provides further experience and knowledge. The work of Heidi Paalanen-Koev is also boosting the team's profile internationally, particularly in Russia.

Led by Mika Ståhlberg, "a very successful and extremely talented M&A lawyer," this team is making rapid growth in this area. With clients including Neste Oil and the Havator Group, it has seen a very strong workflow of late. It is particularly strong in real estate, but has been successful throughout a range of sectors. This is highlighted by the work of Samuli Palin, who acted for Verdane Capital Advisors on a large-scale secondary transaction.  

This firm excels in corporate/M&A matters. It has worked on multimillion-euro deals in the last year, acting for clients such as HgCapital on its sale of 76.9% of the Visma Group to KKR, and Syntagma Capital on its acquisition of Tyco International’s fire and safety entities. With the excellent Jan Waselius as the team's leading figure, dubbed "an outstanding lawyer who knows the Finnish legal system inside out," it is performing extremely well in this area. Sources say that it is "one of the best firms for banking, finance and high-end M&A," areas which Lauri Peltola specialises in. Mikko Eerola also provides great experience and is praised for his responsiveness and clear advice.

With its key strength lying in international public M&A and capital markets, White & Case continues to enjoy success in Finland. Petri Haussila is perhaps the best-known lawyer within the group. Though a capital markets specialist, he is involved in all of the team's important cases and is renowned for his client service as well as his legal ability and stature. Risto Ojantakanen is the team's M&A specialist and is described as "excellent: a pragmatic, experienced and very knowledgeable practitioner." Timo Airisto is seen as "an excellent transactional lawyer who really stands out." Janko Lindros is a promising up-and-comer who plays an active part in private M&A arrangements.

This corporate and transactional outfit was established in October 2011 and, with two of the biggest names in Finnish M&A driving the practice, looks set for a bright future. Ulf-Henrik Kull left Roschier, where he was managing partner, to set up the new firm. He continues to be seen as an expert in cross-border M&A transactions, especially private equity deals in the Nordic region. Co-founder and managing partner Carl-Henrik Wallin, formerly with Hannes Snellman, has over two decades' experience in advising clients on corporate governance issues as well as domestic and cross-border transactions. Mathias Lindqvist, also previously at Hannes Snellman, focuses on M&A, real estate and projects and is recommended as "very pragmatic for someone so young."

This firm's international network makes it well placed to be an active player in this area. The team is heavily involved in cross-border M&A and transactional work, and acted for the ST1 Group on its purchase of Shell's business in Finland. Matti Ylä-Mononen is praised for his pragmatic and thorough approach, and brings a great deal of experience to the team. Managing partner Jori Taipale is described as "a great negotiator who could handle a whole transaction single-handedly." Harri Hynninen is deemed to be a very talented lawyer, particularly in an advisory context, and is seen as someone who "steps out of the legal framework and thinks about how to get the best result."

This team is seen to be "very creative, pragmatic and constructive" in its work, and is particularly strong in M&A. Under the leadership of Anders Carlberg, "a very skilled and successful M&A lawyer," it has facilitated many high-profile and complex acquisitions in the past year. It now possesses a client list which includes leading companies such as IKEA, GlaxoSmithKline and Motorola. Jan Ollila is known to be "a creative thinker when it comes to finding solutions." Well-respected partner Antti Kuusimäki has long experience in the corporate/M&A field. Youthful talent is provided by Wilhelm Eklund, who has been described by some parties as "one of the best up-and-coming lawyers around."

This team maintains a strong practice, particularly as regards company law and corporate governance. Pekka Merilampi is a highly experienced lawyer who not only handles all forms of corporate work, but also serves as a chairman in general meetings of several listed companies. Jani Ylä-Autio is a managing partner who specialises in real estate transactions both domestically and internationally. Ari Keinänen is a very skilled M&A and private equity transactional lawyer, and is highly respected by both peers and clients.

Particularly strong in this area, this team frequently acts on major deals, including the acquisition of Shell and a purchase by Pontus Group. Sources praise the group's focus on customers' specific business needs. Corporate law specialist Petri Morelius leads the team, and is widely revered for his long-standing presence in the field. His telecoms expertise means its ICT department is flourishing, along with other specialist areas of banking and finance and EU competition law. Its cross-border M&A work is increasing, involving countries as far afield as Canada as well as Central European nations. Heikki Koponen is a promising name, with experience of a range of sectors, including telecoms and banking.

Since publication, Heikki Koponen has left this practice.