EXPERIENCE

As the head of our Finnish Public Procurement team, Mika has exceptionally strong experience in all aspects of public procurement. He also specialises in other areas of competition law.

Mika regularly represents clients in court proceedings related to public procurement matters. He has acted as counsel in over 160 legal proceedings at the Finnish Market Court and the Finnish Supreme Administrative Court. Mika also advises undertakings in participating in tender procedures and public entities in the arrangement of tender procedures. In addition, he handles assignments related to various competition restrictions.

Mika has chaired and lectured at more than two hundred seminars on public procurement. He has published books and numerous articles in the fields of public procurement and competition law, including Guide to Tender Procedures on Public Construction Procurement (2007), Guide to Tender Procedures on Public Life Cycle Projects (2006) and Legal Practice Concerning Public Procurement (2002).

RECENT REFERENCES

• Represented the contracting entity at the Finnish Supreme Administrative Court in a public procurement case concerning utilisation of waste as energy, the value of the procurement totalling EUR 282 million.
• Represented the petitioner at the Finnish Market Court in a high-profile case concerning procurement of air transport services for state officials. The value of the procurement totalled EUR 156 million.
• Represented the petitioner at the Finnish Supreme Administrative Court in a public procurement case concerning endoprosthesis operations, the value of the procurement exceeding EUR 100 million.
• Defended the contracting entity in precedential damages proceedings, in which the claim was based on purported breach of public procurement law. The District Court of Helsinki ruled in favour of our client, dismissing the claim and awarding full compensation for our legal costs.
• Represented the contracting entity in a major waste burning plant project, where the invitation to tender has been arranged as a competitive dialogue.

RANKINGS AND PUBLICATIONS

Mika has been regularly listed as an expert in public procurement e.g. in such international legal directories as Chambers Global and Legal 500.

By way of example, he has been referred to as follows:

• ‘Mika Pohjonen is recognised by sources as the team's leading lawyer in public procurement and state aid cases.’, Competition/European Law, Chambers Europe 2013
• "Mika Pohjonen is praised for his ‘great verbal and written communication’, and is highly recommended.", Legal 500, 2013
• '"Finland's Mr Procurement," Mika Pohjonen is the country's leading practitioner in this area. Clients say that he has "been doing a great job helping us avoid mistakes in public procurement, and he never gets stressed.", Chambers Europe 2012
• ’Mika Pohjonen has developed a reputation for his strong focus on public procurement issues, and “is well regarded and extremely visible on that front,”...Pohjonen is further praised for his efficiency and creativeness.’, Chambers Europe 2011
• Leading lawyer in Dispute Resolution as well as in EU and Competition in the Guide to European Legal Experts 2010
• Ranked in Competition/European Law, Chambers Europe 2010
• Endorsed in Competition/anti-trust: public procurement, PLC Which Lawyer? 2010
• Ranked among the best lawyers in the 2012 and 2013 editions (Helsinki: Competition) of Best Lawyers®
• 'Mika Pohjonen, a well-known specialist in the public procurement sector', Chambers Europe 2009
• ‘Sources attest that public procurement specialist Mika Pohjonen has “a deep knowledge” of the competition field and is “extremely brilliant” from an academic angle.’, Chambers Global and Chambers Europe 2008
• “Mika Pohjonen continues to enjoy an especially strong reputation in the area of public procurement.”, Chambers Global 2007
• “Mika Pohjonen is widely considered to be the leading expert in public procurement matters.”, Legal 500, 2006
• “Peers are full of praise for Mika Pohjonen and his work in the public procurement sphere.”, Chambers Global 2006
• “Up-and-coming Mika Pohjonen meanwhile is establishing a name as one of Finland’s leading public procurement lawyers.”, Chamber Global 2005

MEMBERSHIPS AND POSITIONS OF TRUST

• Member of the Finnish Bar Association

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

• Specialist Partner, Hannes Snellman, 2006
• Senior Associate, Hannes Snellman, 2004
• Associate Lawyer, Hannes Snellman, 2002
• Market Court Judge, The Finnish Market Court, 2002
• Legal Secretary, Finnish Competition Council, 1999 – 2002
• Assistant on the Commercial Law, University of Lapland, 1998 – 1999
• Trained on the Bench, 1998
• Master of Economics and Business Administration, University of Vaasa, 1997
• Master of Laws, University of Lapland, 1995