JURISDICTION ·  CONTINENTAL EUROPE

Since 2011
boutique international counsel

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35+
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Finland features in VLO's European work as an EU member with a Nordic legal tradition and a long history of trade with its eastern neighbour, which gives some Finnish matters a CIS-adjacent dimension relevant to our practice. We handle enforcement against Finnish-domiciled debtors, commercial disputes, and the Finnish component of cross-border matters.
Finnish entities appear in cross-border structures, including some connecting the EU with eastern markets, and we coordinate the Finnish element with the wider matter under one partner.

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VLO IN FINLAND

Send a Finland brief

How we work in Finland

LEGAL SYSTEM

What foreign parties need to know about Finland

Finland is a civil-law jurisdiction with a Nordic legal tradition, with disputes decided by professional judges across district courts, courts of appeal, and the Supreme Court. As an EU member, EU instruments including Brussels Ia apply directly.
For foreign parties, Finnish procedure is document-driven and judge-decided in the Nordic tradition, and the country's EU membership provides the standard EU recognition framework. Finland's historical trade ties eastward can give certain disputes a CIS-adjacent character.

ENFORCEMENT & RECOGNITION

Enforcing judgments and awards in Finland

For civil and commercial judgments from other EU member states, recognition and enforcement in Finland run through the Brussels Ia Regulation (Recast), without separate exequatur, with the debtor bearing the burden of any limited refusal grounds such as a public-policy conflict or defective service.
For arbitral awards, Finland applies the New York Convention, and its courts recognise and enforce foreign awards under the Convention's narrow refusal grounds. For judgments from outside the EU and outside applicable treaties, Finland applies its domestic recognition rules, examining jurisdiction, service, and public policy.
The real work is locating enforceable assets in Finland, sequencing the application to prevent dissipation, and anticipating the debtor's defences. We coordinate the Finland enforcement with any parallel action elsewhere.
Finnish enforcement runs through the standard EU recognition framework and the New York Convention. Finland's historical eastern-trade ties occasionally give a matter a CIS-adjacent dimension, in which case we coordinate the Finnish element through our combined Continental Europe and CIS Region capacity rather than treating it as a purely Nordic matter.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION FORUMS

Where Finland disputes are resolved

Finland has an arbitration framework, with the Finland Arbitration Institute as a principal institution, and applies the New York Convention to foreign awards. Finnish courts handle commercial litigation within the tiered structure.
For cross-border contracts, Finnish-seated arbitration or a neutral seat such as Stockholm are options, the latter common for East-connected disputes given Stockholm's standing.

WHEN CLIENTS COME TO US

Common Finland scenarios

ILLUSTRATIVE MATTER

What a Finland engagement looks like

OUR APPROACH

How a Finland matter is run

Finland rewards standard EU enforcement handling with awareness of its eastern-trade dimension. We scope the Finnish issues alongside every other jurisdiction in play, deliver a strategy memo within five business days, and report to you in English.

Elena Moretti

Matters in Finland are coordinated through the Continental Europe desk. For a matter routed to Elena, use the main contact form — enquiries are routed by jurisdiction and practice area.

PARTNER · CONTINENTAL EUROPE

EM

FINLAND DESK LEAD

WHY VLO FOR FINLAND

What we bring to a Finland matter

Finland combines a Nordic civil-law system, full EU membership, and a history of eastern trade that occasionally gives its matters a CIS-adjacent dimension aligned with VLO's practice. Our Continental Europe desk handles the Finnish element and coordinates it with the wider cross-border matter.
For clients, this means the Finnish component is handled within the EU framework, with awareness of any eastern dimension, under one partner, with transparent fees and discretion.
Finland combines a straightforward EU enforcement framework with an occasional eastern dimension that aligns with our CIS practice. Where a Finnish matter has that eastern character, handling it through a desk that understands both contexts ensures the strategy is coherent across the EU-CIS boundary.

PARTNER OWNERSHIP

Finland is handled as part of the wider strategy, not as an isolated engagement.

CROSS-BORDER COORDINATION

TRANSPARENT FEES

Confidential by default. No press without explicit consent.

DISCRETION

FREQUENTLY ASKED · FINLAND

Common questions about Finland matters

Can you enforce a foreign judgment or award in Finland?

Some do, given Finland's history of eastern trade. Where relevant, we coordinate the Finnish element with the CIS-related aspects of a matter through our combined Continental Europe and CIS Region capacity.

Do Finnish matters have a CIS dimension?

Do you handle Finnish proceedings directly?

Finnish-seated arbitration through the Finland Arbitration Institute, or a neutral seat such as Stockholm — common for east-connected disputes. We advise on the right choice.

What arbitration options exist for Finnish contracts?

RELEVANT PRACTICES IN FINLAND

How we help in Finland

RELATED JURISDICTIONS

Matters in Finland often connect with