SORAINEN awarded title of Baltic Law Firm of the Year second year in a row

SORAINEN won the “Baltic Law Firm of the Year” award at the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) European Awards 2010, held in London on 18 March 2010. It is the second year in a row that SORAINEN has been honoured with this international acknowledgement.

“IFLR awards are the Oscars of the legal world. Continuing prestigious international level recognition shows that our strategy to create a truly integrated regional law firm is the right approach, since our clients seem to be happy about it,” comments Aku Sorainen, senior partner of the law firm.

Among the most noteworthy deals advised by SORAINEN in 2009, also considered by IFLR, were Barclays’ investment agreement with the Lithuanian Government, Parex Banka’s syndicated debt restructuring and recapitalisation by EBRD, the successful restructuring the Estonian investment firm LHV into a commercial bank, and the cross-border merger of If P&C Insurance Baltic companies, the first cross border merger in the Baltics under the EU Cross Border Mergers Directive.

IFLR, part of Euromoney Legal Media Group, is the world’s leading publication issued for over 20 years for in-house counsel and practitioners in the financial markets. The annual IFLR European Awards recognise the leading law firms in Europe for advising on the most complex and innovative international transactions in the areas of debt, equity and capital markets, project financing, restructuring, and mergers & acquisitions (M&A). IFLR awards are based on submissions by firms as well as feedback from clients, in-house counsel, and financing specialists at international financial institutions.

With repeated recognition from IFLR, SORAINEN continues to be the most awarded and internationally recognised law firm in the Baltics. In addition to receiving the IFLR award in two consecutive years, SORAINEN was recognised as “Baltic Law Firm of the Year” at the PLC Which lawyer? Law Firm Awards 2009 and as “Baltic Legal Adviser of the Year” at the European M&A Awards 2008 organised by The Financial Times & Mergermarket.

Paul Sestak (from Wolf Theiss, "Czech Law Firm of the Year 2010"), Reimo Hammerberg (SORAINEN, “Baltic Law Firm of the Year 2010”), Irene Welser and Edith Hlawati (CHSH, "Austrian Law Firm of the Year 2010"), François De Bauw (Linklaters, "Belgian Law Firm of the Year 2010" and "European Law Firm of the Year 2010") and Elizabeth Fournier (IFLR) at the International Financial Law Review European Awards 2010. Reimo Hammerberg is partner at SORAINEN, and head of regional Banking & Finance team.