EXPERIENCE

Kimmo specialises in commercial litigation and arbitration.

After graduating and joining Hannes Snellman, Kimmo has assisted our clients in various demanding cross-border disputes pending before the Finnish state courts and arbitral tribunals seated in Finland and abroad. Kimmo has experience in arbitrating disputes under the Finnish Arbitration Act, Arbitration Rules of the Central Chamber of Commerce of Finland, SCC Arbitration Rules, as well as the ICC Arbitration Rules. His special areas of expertise include construction and engineering disputes, and various interim and precautionary measures.

RECENT REFERENCES

• Represented a major Finnish listed company as the end user of a large and highly complex industrial plant in an ad hoc construction & engineering arbitration under the Finnish Arbitration Act, the value of the dispute exceeding MEUR 100.
• Acted as co-counsel in an ad hoc arbitration under the Finnish Arbitration Act in a major dispute concerning the validity of a shareholders' agreement after the distribution of the company's assets. All claims against our client were dismissed.
• Assisted in successfully opposing a MEUR 70 freezing order rendered against our client in connection with a highly complex litigation involving several foreign parties, issues of jurisdiction and applicable law. The case was eventually settled in favour of our client.
• Represented clients in several interim measures proceedings obtaining the freezing of the counterparties’ receivables from Finnish banks based on first demand guarantees issued by the banks.
• Assisted in representing a Russian subsidiary of a Finnish construction company against a Russian subsidiary of a major multinational retail company in a Stockholm-based SCC arbitration concerning a major construction project in Russia, with complex issues regarding related precautionary measures before the Supreme Court of Finland. After the tribunal had issued a partial award in the case, the dispute ended in a settlement favourable to our client.
• Assisted in representing a Finnish public company as the building owner against a contractor in a complex construction dispute in a Finnish District Court. The dispute concerned the termination of a construction contract, various claims for damages, claims for reduction in the contract price, claims for additional payments on the basis of alleged plan modifications and several other topical issues regarding the application of the General Conditions for Building Contracts (YSE 1998). The proceedings included a six week hearing with over 50 witnesses and extensive presentations of highly technical evidence concerning e.g. the structural and architectural plans of the project.
• Represented successfully a foreign bank as a guarantor against a Finnish company as a beneficiary in a dispute concerning first demand guarantee. All claims against our client were dismissed and the opposite party was ordered to pay our client's litigation costs in full.
• Represented successfully a Finnish listed company against a labour union in obtaining an ex parte injunction order, which permitted our client to collect its containers from a port blocked by the labour union on strike.
• Represented a company as a building owner against a contractor and a construction manager in a dispute regarding a construction contract and a construction management contract. The dispute involved claims for additional payments on the basis of alleged plan modifications and various claims for damages and delays.
• Represented a Lithuanian real estate developer in an arbitration against a Lithuanian contractor regarding construction contract of a major shopping centre.
• Represented a German real estate investment company in a pending arbitration governed by the Rules of the Arbitration Institute of the Central Chamber of Commerce of Finland. The dispute concerns, inter alia, application of a put option under a share sale and purchase agreement of shares of a Finnish real estate company. The value of the dispute is approximately MEUR 20.
• Continuously advises developers, contractors, construction managers and other construction consultants in drafting of contracts as well as preparing of claims and settling of disputes in various construction projects.

MEMBERSHIPS AND POSITIONS OF TRUST

• Member of the Finnish Bar Association
• Member of the Finnish Arbitration Association

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

• Senior Associate, Hannes Snellman, 2010
• Associate Lawyer, Hannes Snellman, 2005
• Trainee Lawyer, Hannes Snellman, 2005
• Master of Laws, University of Helsinki, 2005