The properties in bankruptcy include various valuable properties at the most central locations in Helsinki which were sold in the beginning of 2007 to their present owner, Bronda Properties B.V., declared bankrupt on 10.4.2012. The value of the sale exceeded 300 MEUR.

The merger between NCC Roads and Destia was the first prohibition proposal which was handled in the Market Court. The basis of the FCA´s prohibition proposal was the creation of a joint dominance between NCC Roads and Lemminkäinen Infra as a result of the merger.

The Market Court approved the merger in November 2011 subject to certain commitments. These commitments  were, however, such that NCC did not consider them feasible. In consequence NCC and Destia decided to cancel the proposed acquisition. NCC and Destia concluded thereafter a new acquisition in which the structure of the acquisition was altered from that proposed in the previous sale process. The new acquisition structure was cleared by the FCA in November 2011.

The Market Court took the same stand concerning the establishment of  joint dominance as the FCA, even though, amongst other issues, neither cross ownerships nor far-reaching contractual arrangements existed between NCC and Lemminkäinen.

Tuomas Saraste, Anu Aaltonen, Kiti Karvinen, and Laura Olkkonen at HPP’s competition law team assisted NCC Roads in the merger control proceedings at the FCA and the Market Court.

Vaahto Group Plc Oyj is a globally operating high technology company serving process industry in the fields of paper-making technology and process technology. Vaahto Group’s shares are listed on Nasdaq OMX Helsinki (WAT1V).

HPP acted as legal counsel to Vaahto Group in relation to the private placement arrangement, including drafting the prospectus for the listing of the new shares, and also rendered legal advice in connection with the acquisition of AP-Tela Oy’s minority stake.

Vaahto Group’s stock exchange bulletins can be accessed here.

Stock exhange release

Mr. Gahmberg specializes in maritime and transport law, insurance law and dispute resolution. He handles assignments for domestic and international insurance companies, shipping companies and operators, forwarding agencies, traffic contractors and national maritime authorities.

Lawyers of the Year are selected based on peer-review assessments conducted with thousands of leading lawyers. The designation says that a lawyer commands great respect among other leading lawyers for his or her abilities, professionalism and integrity.

Partner at Hammarström Puhakka Partners Attorneys Ltd, attorney-at-law Klaus Nyblin was awarded for the second time in a row with International Law Office’s (ILO) award, Client Choice Awards 2012, as the winner of the category Healthcare & Life Sciences in Finland.  Klaus Nyblin has market-leading experience and understanding of the pharmaceuticals and life sciences industry; he regularly advises several companies in the pharmaceutical and health care industry.

What clients have said according to clients’ comments to ILO:

”Klaus Nyblin is one of the leading experts in pharmaceutical law in Finland and has market-leading experience in the life science industry.”

“His outstanding expertise in the law and long experience within the industry make him a great legal partner for a multi-divisional company.”

“Klaus Nyblin is dedicated to providing excellent client service. He is always available with fast and focused responses and high-quality input.”

Mäkinen has significant experience of large-scale technology implementation and delivery projects and technology development in an international environment. He has lead several legal teams including the Nokia China and Nokia North America legal teams as well as been responsible for the legal support to Nokia Research Center and Nokia Ventures Organization and head of legal for Nokia’s global marketing, retail, online sales, logistics and care functions. Prior to his career in Nokia he was a partner of a Helsinki based law firm.

“I am really excited about this opportunity. The last 12 years at Nokia in different roles in Europe, China and the US give an excellent basis to add value for the clients of Hammarström Puhakka Partners. Customer focus and providing solutions to our clients’ needs will be at the core of the expanding activities of HPP’s TMT group”, says Mäkinen.

According to HPP’s Managing Director, Markus Einiö, Mäkinen’s long international career in one of the world’s leading technology companies will further strengthen HPP’s TMT practice and offer a valuable commercial and legal perspective on taking Finnish clients into the international market as well as attracting further multinational technology and telecoms companies with Finnish business activities and legal needs.

For more information on how the UK Bribery Act can affect your business, please contact Andrew Cotton on +358 456 575758 or Andrew.cotton@hpplaw.com

Gahmberg joins from her role as in-house counsel at Norwegian company Teekay Petrojarl Productions AS, which is a subsidiary to Canadian Teekay Corporation, the global leader in oil and gas shipping, and offshore oil production, storage and transport. Teekay Petrojarl Productions AS is the largest operator of floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels in the North Sea, giving her significant oil and gas industry experience. During her time at Teekay she advised on a range of corporate and commercial matters relating to the oil and gas industry and will complement HPP’s market-leading maritime-, transport-, energy- and natural resources teams.

”HPP is rightly regarded as the leading firm in Finland in transport and energy and with my background in those areas it was a natural choice for me to develop a client base throughout the key jurisdictions in those industries. I look forward to continuing to work with those Nordic and European law firms I got to know during my time in-house and to continuing to grow HPP’s excellent reputation in these sectors”, Gahmberg commented.

Managing Director, Markus Einiö, explained that the hire reflect the increasing focus of the firm on leveraging its core sector strengths internationally: “Nora brings a wealth of specific sector experience gained in an international environment and her international network and relationships will be invaluable as HPP continues to develop its international offering for clients, law firm partners and the firm’s lawyers”.

Markus Einiö, HPP’s Managing Director commented: “In a time of increasing change in the Finnish legal market, HPP has grown through hard work and a focus on continuing to serve our Finnish clients to the highest standard and increasing our brand recognition internationally. Andrew’s partnership reflects not only the high quality of his work for HPP’s clients but also our increased focus on developing our international client and law firm relationships.”