Avance Attorneys

Chairman: Carl-Henrik Wallin

Managing Partner: Ilkka Perheentupa

Number of partners: 23

Number of lawyers: 70

Languages: English, Finnish, French, German, Swedish 

Firm Overview:

Avance is a business law firm managed by a team of experienced attorneys that share an enthusiasm for providing legal services of the highest quality. The firm handles some of the most demanding transactions, large projects and disputes involving its market, with a focus on matters that call for the skills and sophistication of the Avance team. The firm’s high partner-associate ratio reflects the core strategy of providing a senior-oriented service that ensures concrete value-add to clients and distinguishes the firm from its key competition. Avance combines high-end advisory work with a unique breadth of international experience, focusing on regulated industries that are relevant for Finland, such as energy and infrastructure, financial services, healthcare, life sciences, media and telecommunications, and real estate and construction. Evidencing the success of its strategy, the firm can showcase a broad selection of transactional advisory in key industrial arrangements in Finland. The work has in most cases also included advice on complex regulatory, competition law and financing issues. Please visit www.avance.com for further details.

Main Areas of Practice:

Capital Markets and Financial Regulatory: 

Our capital markets team advises both bidders and target companies in public takeover situations, including governance, board advisory matters, and defense strategies. We act for public companies, issuers, investors, investment banks, and other market participants in connection with various capital market transactions, such as private placements, bond offerings, rights issues, IPOs and other public offerings of equity securities and buy-back programs. Our financial regulatory team advises clients in corporate governance, disclosure, and insider matters and provides regulatory advice to securities and financial institutions, as well as investment funds in their financial regulatory and compliance matters.

Main contacts: Rasmus Sundström, Partner, rasmus.sundstrom@avance.com, Robin Nordblad, Partner, robin.nordblad@avance.com; Elisa Heinonen, Partner, elisa.heinonen@avance.com; Ulf-Henrik Kull, Senior Partner, ulf-henrik.kull@avance.com; Ilkka Perheentupa, Managing Partner, ilkka.perheentupa@avance.com

Competition and State Aid:

We advise clients on matters relating to competition law, state aid and market regulation. As part of this regulatory advisory practice, our attorneys also manage merger control filings in connection with our transactional practice. Members of our team have broad experience in effectively managing diverse regulatory proceedings and matters at the EU and domestic levels and in interacting with the various EU and domestic institutions.

Main contacts: Katja Jaakkola, Partner, katja.jaakkola@avance.com; Asko Lindqvist, Partner, asko.lindqvist@avance.com

Compliance and Investigations:

Our team assists clients with designing, developing and implementing compliance policies and programs as well as with audits and investigations related to compliance practices. Our compliance team provides the first line of defense in various corporate crisis management situations and internal or external investigations.

Main contacts: Ulla Vuokila, Partner, ulla.vuokila@avance.com; Minna Katajoki, Partner, minna.katajoki@avance.com; Elisa Heinonen, Partner, elisa.heinonen@avance.com; Salla Suominen, Partner, salla.suominen@avance.com; Asko Lindqvist, Partner, asko.lindqvist@avance.com

Data Protection and Cybersecurity:

We advise clients on a broad range of matters related to data protection and privacy. We also advise clients on how to prepare and respond to cybersecurity incidents. We assist clients e.g., with internal and criminal investigations relating to cyber attacks and with notifications to and proceedings with relevant authorities, data subjects and business partners.

Main contacts: Salla Suominen, Partner, salla.suominen@avance.com; Minna Katajoki, Partner, minna.katajoki@avance.com; Sonja Heiskala, Senior Associate, sonja.heiskala@avance.com

Dispute Resolution:

We offer domestic and international clients across various industry sectors a full spectrum of conflict avoidance and dispute management services. We assist clients with corporate, commercial and regulatory disputes, in negotiations, litigation, arbitration, administrative proceedings and mediation. We also act as arbitrators in institutional and ad hoc arbitrations and squeeze-outs, and as mediators. Further, we advise clients in compliance, investigations and corporate crime cases, and with insolvency and restructuring related matters. We work closely with our colleagues from across the firm to resolve disputes in specialist areas, such as M&A, construction, real estate, data privacy, cybersecurity, IP, and tax.

Main contacts: Ulla Vuokila, Partner, ulla.vuokila@avance.com; Salla Suominen, Partner, salla.suominen@avance.com; Minna Katajoki, Partner, minna.katajoki@avance.com

Employment and Incentives:

Avance’s team provides strategic advisory across various employment issues. Our practice covers both contentious and non-contentious employment matters including corporate restructurings and business transfers, cooperation procedures, collective bargaining agreements, service and executive employment contract issues, termination of employment, as well questions related to equity incentive programs, management compensation and pension issues. We advise clients in a wide variety of employment-related disputes and criminal matters, ranging from dispute avoidance and conflict management to litigation and arbitration. Our services also include supporting clients with whistleblowing matters, internal investigations and workplace-related non-compliance, including complex questions related to occupational health and safety matters. In addition, we advise clients on employment privacy matters and employment related intellectual property matters, including employee invention and trade secret disputes, as well as strategic management of intellectual property and trade secrets in the employment context.

Main contacts: Mari Mohsen, Partner, mari.mohsen@avance.com; Erkki-Antti Sadinmaa, Partner, erkki-antti.sadinmaa@avance.com

Environment:

We help clients assess the current and developing environmental issues that impact their operations across several industry sectors, including Energy, Oil & Gas, Chemicals and Food. We work with clients on environmental, health, and safety matters in a broad array of settings and regularly coordinate our efforts with technical experts.

Main contacts: Christoffer Charpentier, Partner, christoffer.charpentier@avance.com; Sampsa Suominen, Partner, sampsa.suominen@avance.com

Finance:

Our team advises clients in banking and finance transactions, including syndicated and bilateral loans, acquisition, real estate, structured and project financing arrangements, as well as securitizations and restructurings. We act on behalf of lenders and borrowers at the senior, mezzanine, and subordinated levels. Our team also provides counsel relating to banking and financial regulatory matters.

Main contacts: Sari Wallgren, Partner, sari.wallgren@avance.com; Tytti Laajanen, Partner, tytti.laajanen@avance.com

Governance:

Our team advises boards of directors and senior management on high-level corporate governance matters, including securities market matters, and legal and strategic issues that are of critical importance to the interests of the company and its shareholders. We also handle shareholders’ meetings of publicly and privately held companies, and members of our team regularly chair such meetings.

Main contacts: Carl-Henrik Wallin, Partner, Chairman, carl-henrik.wallin@avance.com; Ulf-Henrik Kull, Senior Partner, ulf-henrik.kull@avance.com; Rasmus Sundström, Partner, rasmus.sundstrom@avance.com

Intellectual Property: 

We advise clients on a broad range of intellectual property matters, including the development, protection, licensing, acquisition, and assignment of intellectual property rights and technologies as well as related dispute resolution. Members of our team also provide counselling on trade secret and data law, regulatory matters related to information and communications technology, e-commerce, and consumer and advertising law.In addition, we advise clients on employment related intellectual property matters, including employee invention and trade secret disputes, as well as strategic management of intellectual property and trade secrets in the employment context.

Main contact: Sonja Heiskala, Senior Associate, sonja.heiskala@avance.com

Mergers and Acquisitions:

Transactions are at the core of what we do. Our team advises clients in their most demanding mergers and acquisitions, joint venture structures, and related arrangements. We believe in the value of bringing the right team and senior attention to each project and understand the importance of effective project management. Our firm has the capability and resources to execute high-end transaction projects from commencement to completion, including strategic planning, corporate structuring, due diligence, negotiation and documentation. We leverage the firm’s shared expertise to achieve the results that our clients are after.

Main contacts: Erkki-Antti Sadinmaa, Partner, erkki-antti.sadinmaa@avance.com; Ilkka Perheentupa, Managing Partner, ilkka.perheentupa@avance.com; Ulf-Henrik Kull, Senior Partner, ulf-henrik.kull@avance.com; Mathias Lindqvist, Partner, mathias.lindqvist@avance.com

Private Equity:

Our team has first-hand experience in industry practices and fund structures. We bring the full range of our expertise, including banking and leveraged finance, taxation, management incentive arrangements and management compensation to our sponsor clients.

Main contacts: Ulf-Henrik Kull, Senior Partner, ulf-henrik.kull@avance.com; Ilkka Perheentupa, Managing Partner, ilkka.perheentupa@avance.com; Erkki-Antti Sadinmaa, Partner, erkki-antti.sadinmaa@avance.com, Robin Nordblad, Partner, robin.nordblad@avance.com

Venture Capital and Growth Equity:

Our team has in-depth experience advising VC-backed Nordic companies from a broad range of industries, as well as leading global venture capital, growth equity investors and strategic corporate venture investors. We provide tailored, practical, solutions-oriented counsel in all matters throughout the venture capital investment lifecycle, including advisory on equity and debt financing, transactional assignments, governance, intellectual property, data privacy, corporate and securities law, commercial agreements and strategic alliances.

Main contacts: Ilkka Perheentupa, Managing Partner, ilkka.perheentupa@avance.com; Anders Floman, Partner, anders.floman@avance.com

Real Estate:

Our team represents domestic and international clients in connection with real estate transactions and projects, including purchase and sale of both individual properties and real estate portfolios, real estate investments and development projects. We have the resources and capability to coordinate projects from commencement to completion, covering, as applicable, structuring, due diligence, corporate and contractual matters, negotiation and documentation, financing and registration, and completion and post-completion matters. Members of our team have advised real estate companies, funds and other financial owners, property developers, construction companies, and state and municipal actors in a broad range of the largest real estate transactions and projects.

Main contacts: Henrikki Tahkokallio, Partner, henrikki.tahkokallio@avance.com; Christoffer Charpentier, Partner, christoffer.charpentier@avance.com; Mathias Lindqvist, Partner, mathias.lindqvist@avance.com; Björn Söderblom, Partner, bjorn.soderblom@avance.com

Restructuring and Insolvency:

We provide practical assistance in matters related to economic distress. Our team regularly advises debtor companies, their boards of directors, shareholders or creditors in out-of-court refinancing or voluntary restructuring negotiations and pre-pack discussions, but also in in-court insolvency proceedings. We act as court appointed administrator in corporate restructuring proceedings. In addition, we assist clients in insolvency related disputes and other court proceedings, such as claw-back claims and board liability matters.

Main contact: Salla Suominen, Partner, salla.suominen@avance.com

Tax and Structuring:

We provide a broad range of tax advisory services with focus on tax litigations, transaction and financing structuring services, due diligence, financial services tax and tax compliance and audit assistance. Our tax services complement our ability to execute high-end transactions, equity and debt structures, and litigations processes.

Main contacts: Sebastian Kellas, Partner, sebastian.kellas@avance.com; Antti Leppänen, Senior Advisor, antti.leppanen@avance.com