We welcome two seasoned professionals to our partnership – Asta Augutytė-Rapkevičienė, well-known adviser to the largest players on the Lithuanian real estate market, and Norman Aas, a prominent former civil servant now focusing on corporate crime cases and anti-corruption strategies.
Asta Augutytė-Rapkevičienė specialises in real estate, construction and environmental matters, advising major real estate market players on all development-related issues. “My aim is to focus on creating the strongest real estate practice group in the market, with an eye on new areas such as renewable energy development projects and growing interest in the logistics, warehousing and industrial sector,” Asta Augutytė-Rapkevičienė comments. She adds that there is room for improvement at all the big law firms when it comes to ensuring that each client feels like a VIP who is working with a top law firm.
According to Lithuanian Country Managing Partner Tomas Kontautas, Asta is one of the nation’s leading experts in her fields, and has in recent years worked on the largest transactions carried out in Lithuania, such as the sale of SBA Group logistic centre to EfTEN, the IPO of Ignitis and the acquisition of Quadrum offices by Deka Immobilien. Asta has also assisted clients with major energy and infrastructure development projects in Lithuania, varying from nuclear facilities to railway development.
Asta also leads Sorainen’s environmental practice in Lithuania. She is known for being reliable, cooperative and genuine. Asta joined Sorainen in 2013.
Norman Aas has helped numerous large international companies conduct internal investigations, identify crimes involving dishonest management, and help restore normal business. “My main goal is to help businesses become transparent and fraud-free, and I can do that by helping clients address these topics as well as by personally keeping them in the spotlight,” Norman Aas says.
Cooperating effectively with law enforcement agencies, Norman is instrumental in protecting the rights of companies that have suffered fraud and corruption, and he has helped implement anti-corruption strategies for businesses and public authorities. “Norman did not take long to prove that dedicated work in the public sector is a great foundation to build on in a law firm, to take our corporate crime investigations and defence practice to the top of the country,” notes Toomas Prangli, Estonian Country Managing Partner.
During the 17 years he worked as a prosecutor, Norman was involved in hundreds of criminal cases. As Prosecutor General from 2005 to 2014, he was responsible for organising the prosecuting of the most high-profile crimes in Estonia, including cases of political corruption. As Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice from 2014 to 2017, he was responsible for implementing national anti-corruption policies.
Norman is known for being incorruptible, candid and constructive. He joined Sorainen in 2017.
Sorainen, a fully integrated regional business law firm with offices in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus, now has 33 partners, eight of them women.
