Finland was living its last decade under Russian rule, when Hannes Snellman founded the firm in 1909. Before the century with Russia, Finland had formed the eastern part of the Swedish realm for more than 600 years. The legal system developed as part of the Nordic legal tradition with early Swedish legislation at its base, and some parts of it are still in force today.

In the year following Finland's proclamation of independence in December 1917, the civil war started. To make the appointment of General C.G.E Mannerheim as Commander-in-Chief official, the senate turned to Hannes Snellman, who drafted the historic event's official documents.
After the Second World War the firm started to grow. Hannes Snellman’s son, Hans G. Snellman, took over and the firm attracted many family-owned and international, especially Nordic, companies as its clients. Many of these relationships have continued through the generations to this day.

The economic downturn of the early 1990s was exceptionally hard on Finland who also lost its biggest trading partner, the Soviet Union. Back then, Hannes Snellman was very much involved in the restructuring and insolvency matters and in getting Finland back on its feet.
In 1995 Finland joined the EU, as a result of which companies were given more international opportunities. Hannes Snellman laid the foundation for its international expansion.

And that leads us to today, when Hannes Snellman continues its expansion and is becoming the first real Pan-Nordic law firm with a strong Russian capacity.