Our Competition & Regulatory Team supports our clients in various ESG-related matters. With a focus on competition law compliance, we provide our clients with the tools and best practices to incorporate a robust competition compliance framework throughout their organisation. Our services in this area include, for example, drafting and reviewing compliance policies and guidelines, as well as providing competition compliance training to personnel. We also assist our clients in ensuring that their sustainability initiatives in their business operations comply with competition laws and specific regulations regarding green claims, by e.g. advising with their marketing habits and assessing standardisation agreements and other sustainability agreements between competitors. We follow the relevant EU case law closely and are happy to share the latest developments with our clients. With our extensive experience in merger control and state aid matters, we assist our clients in identifying and arguing potential sustainability factors in merger control procedures and advise with state aid issues relating to e.g. climate, environmental protection and energy.

Hannes Snellman’s team of cross-practice compliance experts can guide you in all kinds of compliance issues, such as reporting channels, internal investigations, antitrust, privacy, corruption and bribery, sanctions and expert control, market abuse, and corporate governance. We provide insight into best practices, common challenges, legislative changes, and new developments and trends. 

Our Dispute Resolution Team supports our clients in various ESG-related matters. With a focus on dispute prevention and dispute resolution, we advise our clients in relation to dispute resolution clauses in new types of contracts and assist them in investigating any ESG-related issues, whether related to internal governance, environmental, or social norms. In doing so, we work closely with other practice groups at Hannes Snellman. Should any ESG-related questions result in litigation before administrative or civil courts, our team will be there to assist our clients in setting a strategy for the case that takes into account both the legal and reputational risks, as well as litigating the case. We follow international case law closely and are happy to discuss developments with you.

Our Employment Team assists clients in complying with legislation and fulfilling requirements regarding equality and diversity at the workplace, physical and psychological health and safety, and various employment conditions (for instance, work environment, working hours, and remuneration). This includes providing concrete solutions for formulating clients’ values, setting sustainability targets, implementing practices, and drafting policies.

Valuing sustainable employment conditions does not only prevent negative legal consequences, but it also facilitates attracting and maintaining talent.

Our market-leading Finance team advises sponsors, investors, corporates and financial institutions on all aspects of sustainable lending, including green loans, green bonds, sustainability-linked loans and sustainability-linked bonds as well as investments related to climate change. Our finance lawyers are supported by ESG-experts from the firm’s ESG cross practice team providing the clients with a full-service offering.

The Funds & Financial Services Regulation team monitors and provides advice related to legal and regulatory ESG trends and developments in Finland and the EU. The team can advise clients on sustainable finance related legislation and ESG disclosures (including the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and the Taxonomy Regulation) in connection with, for example, fund formation, fund investments as well as ongoing reporting requirements applicable to financial market participants.

Our IP & Tech Team supports our clients in various ESG-related assignments in the area of technology law. From IT and outsourcing transactions to data regulation and artificial intelligence (AI), we cover it all. We help ensure that ESG requirements are incorporated into our clients’ contractual chains on IT and technology law related assignments. Our services in this area include, for example, drafting and reviewing agreements with our clients’ suppliers and subcontractors, as well as providing tailored training to our clients. We work closely with our other practice groups in assignments having ESG dimensions by assisting our clients with questions regarding e.g. processing of employees’ diversity, equity and inclusion data and use of green claims in marketing.

Our M&A Team supports our clients in various ESG-related matters and advises boards of directors and senior management of both listed and non-listed companies in all matters having legal and strategic importance to the company. Our services include advising on corporate governance issues, securities market compliance, disclosure requirements and risk management, drafting of corporate governance policies and guidelines, and communication on legislative developments, such as the new EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). We advise in questions related to the responsibilities and due care of the board of directors and senior management, conduct transactional due diligence reviews, and assist in IPO and fund formation due diligence.

Our public procurement specialists assist in compliance analysis and legal assessments regarding the requirements, scoring criteria, and exclusion grounds. If needed, we also assist in drafting ways to mitigate existing exclusion criteria. This involves concrete solutions for the so-called self-cleaning and improvement of functions thereby avoiding exclusion from tendering competitions in the future.

Our Real Assets Team assists in various ESG and compliance related assignments in the areas of environment, projects and construction, energy, and real estate matters. We support our clients in ESG matters related to industrial, energy and green investment projects, including in particular questions concerning environmental liabilities, permitting and certifications, questions related to EU taxonomy, and management of ESG within supply chains and contractual networks. With regard to real estate and construction matters we assist in questions related to e.g. energy efficiency and carbon footprint of buildings, different certification matters (such as EPC, BREEAM). Our assignments typically involve regulatory investigations, advisory, commenting on technical ESG/EDD reports from a legal perspective, overall assessment of managing and flowing down ESG responsibilities across the supply chain, and providing concrete solutions relating to ESG within our field of expertise.

Our Tax Team supports our clients in ESG and compliance related assignments in the area of direct and indirect taxation. We help our clients to navigate and understand the emerging changes to the tax transparency, risk management, and governance landscape. Our assignments typically involve regulatory investigations and advisory for identifying responsible tax principles, tax incentives and risks relating to our clients’ businesses. We work closely with other practise groups in assignments having ESG dimensions, such as industrial, energy, and green investment projects, by offering tax advisory, structuring, and due diligence services. Our tax structuring and due diligence services are performed by taking into account good tax governance and other ESG aspects. In addition, we regularly assist our clients to seek for advance confirmations on the tax treatment of new business models from the Finnish Tax Administration. With our extensive experience, we also help our clients to align their tax strategy with broader corporate and risk management strategy. We would be happy to assist you in designing a tax strategy and preparing a transparent tax policy for your firm.

• “The team works in close cooperation with other specialists in other teams when needed to gain best results for clients. The knowledge of each individual in various fields of law is also astonishing.”
• “The lawyers are extremely supportive and responsive. They answer our questions in a timely manner and always follow up and go above and beyond.”

• Hannes Snellman is recommended in Legal500’s Global Green Guide 2024 edition as one of the key firms in the EMEA region advising on issues around climate change and sustainability.

Project development

• "Professional."
• "Availability, adaptability and proactiveness in proposing solutions to negotiation deadlocks."
• "Hannes Snellman has great expertise in environmental law and administrative processes and they have an ability to think outside the box and find unusual solutions for us where needed."
• "Excellent understanding of our line of business. Practical and solution-orientated approach which is still based on very high level legal expertise."
• "Large team with wide expertise in various legal aspects."

Project finance

• "Professional."

• Hannes Snellman is recommended in Legal500’s Global Green Guide 2023 edition as one of the key firms in the EMEA region advising on issues around climate change and sustainability.

• "Hannes Snellman has a broad range of competencies on their team and is able to cover a wide breadth of topics."
• "The quality of their work is consistently high."
• "Hannes Snellman demonstrates strong expertise and is able to provide solutions on complex issues."

Ranked #1 for legal competence in the Energy & Infrastructure category by Prospera Law Firm Review 2023 in Finland. 

ranked #2 for legal competence in the Environment & Natural Resources category by Prospera Law Firm Review 2023 in Finland.

Project development : Mining

• "Broad and deep skills. Devoted, loyal. Good network. Highly qualified partners and associates."

Project development : Energy

• "Professional and positive attitude."

• "They have good market insight, clear arguments and they hold the contract structure together well."

• "The firm has an outstanding, full-service energy and infrastructure practice with a professional, knowledgeable and very solution-focused team."

• "Proactive, practical and take a business view in helping to conclude negotiations looking at what can be conceded and what protections should be retained."

• "The firm has provided us with excellent advice on a very wide range of topics, from land lease agreements and permitting processes to financing and construction. The responses we get to our inquiries are accurate, understandable and based on solid experience."

Project development: Infrastructure 

• "Quick response time, high-quality work, wide areas of expertise, listens to the client's needs."

• "Excellent knowledge of the construction law field, hands-on approach to managing contract content and negotiations with both excellent tracking of open issues and ability to make proposals to reach a balanced solution."

• Hannes Snellman is recommended in Legal500’s inaugural Global Green Guide as one of the key firms in the EMEA region advising on issues around climate change and sustainability.

• 'The firm is highly recommended by one client for its "in-depth knowledge of commercial and contractual practices as well as the legal framework in the field of energy." The same client further highlights the firm for being "highly solution-oriented and providing excellent, practical advice."'
• 'Another describes the practice as "an excellent team with industry knowledge."'

• 'One client praises the firm for being "very resourceful."'

• 'One client is "exceptionally pleased with the services they have provided," praising the team's "in-depth knowledge of Finnish legislation" and ability to "keep an ear to the ground for the local variations."'

• 'Clients appreciate the team's "wide area" of specialisms and add: "In all significant areas for us they have been a very supportive and skilful resource."'
• 'Another interviewee praises the "impact of the lawyers on the project as well as their expertise in energy market issues."'

• 'Rabbe Sittnikow at Hannes Snellman Attorneys receives international recognition for his experience handling major infrastructure and energy deals, having advised on numerous electricity distribution network deals and nuclear power plant projects.'

• ‘Hannes Snellman is able to offer its Finnish clients a truly regional service. As a full service firm the team is also able to deliver a breadth of services across the full spectrum of energy and infrastructure projects.'

• 'The energy and infrastructure team at Hannes Snellman is led by partner Rabbe Sittnikow. The firm welcomed two new faces to its practice recently who have been able to settle into the team this year. Partner Tapio Teräkivi arrived from Castrén & Snellman in November 2013 while counsel Klaus Metsä-Simola was brought in during December of that year.