OREANDA-NEWS. On December 10, 2008 Sorainen received in London the Baltic Legal Advisor of the Year 2008 award from The Financial Times and Mergermarket, reported the press-centre of Sorainen.

The annual European M&A Awards aim to recognise the leading law firms and financial advisors in the M&A (mergers and acquisitions) field in Europe. This is the first time for The Financial Times and Mergermarket to select and award the best law firm in the Baltics.

The host of the award ceremony, BBC business news presenter Declan Curry said that the award went to the leading Baltic law firm, which advised on the largest number of transactions and for the largest total value in the Baltics.

Aku Sorainen, managing partner of Sorainen law firm, comments: “It is a great honour for us to receive this prestigious award. Many large and complex transactions took place this year in the Baltics and we are happy that this was noticed and recognised internationally”.

During 2007-2008 Sorainen advised on transactions with a total value of over EUR 3 billion, including: Coopernic’s acquisition of Palink (IKI), bailout of Parex Banka by Latvian Government, Nordzucker’s acquisition of Danisco Sugar, Vienna Insurance Group’s acquisition of Seesam Life Insurance, Realia Group’s acquisition of Ober-Haus, Capital International’s acquisition of Lode, Artria Group’s acquisitions of two Estonian meat producers, Gjensidige’s acquisition of Reso Europa, disposal of Kaunas Akropolis etc.

The Financial Times and Mergermarket Awards are unique in utilising both statistical M&A transaction data and independent expert opinion to identify the winners of each award. The selection process involves three stages designed to select the winner in the most objective, comprehensive, and equitable way. The judging panel includes senior representatives from The Financial Times, The Banker, Mergermarket, major private equity funds, and international law firms.

The Financial Times is a premier global publication with an unrivalled editorial reputation in global business and politics. Mergermarket (a part of The Financial Times Group) provides M&A transaction information and intelligence.