Focus on Dispute Resolution: What’s current in Lieke’s Dispute Resolution Team?

Riidanratkaisu-tiimi

Dispute resolution is one of Lieke’s four focus areas. Let’s ask Lieke’s dispute resolution lawyers what kind of cases they are pursuing at the moment and what it is like to work as part of Lieke’s Dispute Resolution team. The team consists currently of ten lawyers, of whom you can find out more about here, and a varying number of trainees assisting our lawyers in their assignments.

What’s on the Lieke’s Dispute Resolution Team’s radar at the moment?

“Preventing and managing of commercial conflicts proactively and assisting our clients in complex arbitration and litigation proceedings are at the core of what we do best in our team,” says Lieke’s Partner, Attorney-at-Law Marja Norrena, who is the head of Lieke’s Dispute Resolution practice.

“At Lieke, we firmly believe that addressing and resolving conflicts as early as possible is often in the client’s best interests, preventing conflicts from escalating into large-scale disputes that need to be resolved in court,” continues Lieke’s Partner, Attorney-at-Law Rosa Lång. “In such cases, knowledge of the procedural rules alone is not enough. Managing conflict-sensitive situations also requires a comprehensive understanding of the business landscape and excellent negotiating skills.”

“Sometimes, despite all efforts, situations do, however, escalate into full-blown disputes and when this happens, our team provides our clients with extensive and in-depth expertise in both procedural and substantive questions,” says Marja. “We handle a wide range of disputes across various industry sectors and areas of law, both in arbitration and in court proceedings. For example, we are constantly working with cases related to construction, real estate, various types of supply and project agreements, mergers and acquisitions, shareholders’ agreements, and corporate and employment law issues.”

“Of course, the mere fact that there is a dispute that the parties have not been able to resolve themselves, does not mean that the matter should necessarily be litigated or arbitrated. Instead, careful evaluation of different options along the way is crucial for achieving the best possible outcome for the client in each situation,” adds Helena Kalmanlehto, Counsel, Attorney-at-Law in the Dispute Resolution team. “In some cases, a carefully chosen mediation can provide an excellent solution for the client in a fraction of the time and cost compared to a full-scale litigation or arbitration.”

“In cases where a settlement cannot be reached, complex and challenging commercial disputes, are now most often resolved in arbitration. The procedural rules and practices followed in arbitration differ from those used in the court proceedings,” says Maija Ahtiainen, Counsel, Attorney-at-Law in the Dispute Resolution Team. “A significant part of our team’s work involves assisting our clients in various arbitration proceedings. In these assignments, it is also advantageous to have experience from the decision-maker’s perspective. Marja, who heads our Dispute Resolution team, regularly acts as an arbitrator, and I have been fortunate to gain experience from this perspective through my work as a tribunal secretary in several arbitration proceedings,” she continues.

“Currently, one trend we see in the dispute resolution field, due to the general economic situation, is the increase in various insolvency-related disputes,” says Helena. “In these cases, the lawyer handling the dispute must be aware of the special features that are characteristic to insolvency related situations,” Helena continues.

“Also, the changes in the energy market and the shift towards green transition are increasingly influencing the assignments handled by our Dispute Resolution team,” Marja adds and continues: “Lieke has traditionally had strong legal knowledge and expertise in the energy sector. We are pleased that the companies operating in the energy sector also trust our expertise in these unfortunate but almost inevitable situations in business when things do not play out as intended.”

“At the moment, disputes in the energy sector typically concern either the construction of energy infrastructure, the supply of energy in some form or the financing of projects in the energy sector,” Maija continues. “It is greatly valuable to us that we have in-depth knowledge and broad experience of the legal aspects of various energy projects in Lieke’s other teams. It helps us to handle our clients’ cases even more efficiently and with the high quality standards that our team expects of itself.”

What is it like to work in Lieke’s Dispute Resolution Team?

“Our team includes both lawyers with extensive experience in dispute resolution and future stars of the field who are in the early stages of their careers but show great enthusiasm for their work,” says Marja. “We all have slightly different focuses and areas of interest in our work, and we always choose the most suitable people for each assignment, based on their experience and expertise. For example, Anniina has, in addition to dispute resolution, a strong background in employment law.”

“I have appreciated the opportunity to combine my interests in both dispute resolution and employment law at Lieke,” says Anniina Rantasalo, Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution team. “At Lieke, the team boundaries are pleasantly fluid and we often collaborate with colleagues from other teams on different assignments, which is always highly enlightening,” Anniina continues.

“It is important for us that also our more junior colleagues get to see a wide range of assignments handled in our team and work on them under the guidance of our more experienced lawyers,” Marja adds. “Opportunities for development provide purpose to our work, but no one is left alone. It is the responsibility of our more experienced lawyers to ensure the highest possible quality in everything we do.”

“At Lieke, junior lawyers also play an important role in the team and are entrusted with responsibilities. It is rewarding and helps you to develop essential skills as dispute resolution lawyer. It also demonstrates that the team trusts in your competence,” says Valmari Keskimäki, who works in the Dispute Resolution team as Associate. The standard demanded of the team is high, as it should be, and that is what makes the work interesting and rewarding,” continues Roosa Suutari, who also works as Associate in the team. Krista Hautakoski, who also works as one of the team’s Associates, agrees: “Working in Lieke’s Dispute Resolution team offers new and inspiring challenges and opportunities for professional growth every day, which is also why I decided to return to Lieke after my internship with the firm”.

In Lieke’s Dispute Resolution team, there are also law students working and providing a range of assistance. “The strong team spirit, professional colleagues and interesting and challenging assignments make Lieke’s Dispute Resolution team an excellent environment to gain experience of a dispute resolution lawyer’s work,” says Matias Lagerblom, a final-year law student working as Associate Trainee in the team.

Do you want to learn more about Lieke’s Dispute Resolution practice or about working in our team? Contact us: Marja, Helena, and Maija.

 

The post has been edited by Anni Kallio, a fourth-year law student, who works as Associate Trainee in Lieke’s Dispute Resolution team.

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