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Finnish firm Hannes Snellman is a new addition to the ranks of the firms of tax advisers and lawyers in Denmark this year. Former Bech-Bruun – Taxand leader Nikolaj Bjørnholm now heads the tax department at the firm's Danish office. Bodil Tolstrup also ... [more]

Finnish firm Hannes Snellman is a new addition to the ranks of the firms of tax advisers and lawyers in Denmark this year. Former Bech-Bruun – Taxand leader Nikolaj Bjørnholm now heads the tax department at the firm's Danish office. Bodil Tolstrup also joined the firm from Bech-Bruun and other notable practitioners have joined from Plesner and Horten. Such additions have strengthened their tax capabilities and with the high-profile Bjørnholm leading the practice, competitors expect them to become more visible in the market over the next year. The practice has secured some well known companies as tax clients, with Thomas Cook Airlines and GE Money Capital relying on the firm for tax advice this year. [hide]

Hannes Snellman has experienced some changes over the past year, with two associates departing and being replaced by lateral hires from Deloitte. The highly respected Ossi Haapaniemi oversees the tax department and has ensured they remain well regarded ... [more]

Hannes Snellman has experienced some changes over the past year, with two associates departing and being replaced by lateral hires from Deloitte. The highly respected Ossi Haapaniemi oversees the tax department and has ensured they remain well regarded by competitors. While the firm handles a full range of tax issues, its contentious practice is particularly distinguished. Haapaniemi was successful in representing a major company in the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) in a matter completed in April 2011 over the treatment of controlled foreign companies in Finland. The case represented the first time the SAC overturned a previous decision from the same court. It did so to conform to the European Court of Justice's decision in the Cadbury Schweppes case on freedom of establishment. The department is also involved in a case being considered for admission to the European Court of Human Rights. It is representing employees who claim that their right to the peaceful enjoyment of property under article 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights has been violated by retroactive taxation of employee stock options. The firm's strength extends beyond litigation with transactional work also a significant source of work for the tax practice. It advised Pohjantähti Mutual Insurance Company on the structure of a proposed merger with Pohjola, obtaining approval from the SAC to use it in the merger. The purchase price was to be paid to a large number of individual owners, who would each receive less than €1,000 ($1,400), the threshold for capital gains tax. This would have made the majority of the amount paid tax exempt. Though the proposed merger was voted down by shareholders, the approval from the SAC means the structure may be used in future transactions by Finnish mutual insurance companies who typically have a similar ownership structure.

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