Sorainen counsel Lise-Lotte Lääne has been shortlisted for the prestigious “Innovative Lawyers in Deals and Financing” award. As a firm, Sorainen has been nominated for the “Most Innovative Law Firm in Europe (HQ outside the UK)” award.

The Financial Times Awards recognise law firms and in-house teams that excel in digital innovation and employ creative strategies to provide outstanding value to both business and society. The awards ceremony is scheduled for 12 September 2024 and will take place in London.

Leading innovation in the healthcare sector

Counsel Lise-Lotte Lääne, regional co-head of the Life Sciences & Healthcare sector group, has been shortlisted as an innovative practitioner.-

“It is a huge honour to receive such a nomination. In everyday work, you do not think that you’re doing something special but apparently sometimes our contributions get noticed and appreciated,” said Lise-Lotte.

Lise-Lotte led our team in drafting the consortium agreement and representing AstraZeneca in negotiations for Estonia’s first public-private partnership which aims to make the Estonian healthcare system more human-centred and efficient for lung-cancer patients.

She also worked with the University of Tartu, Estonia, on the project “Long-term personalised medicine programme for 2024—2034,” analysing Estonian and EU legislation to support the programme. As Lise-Lotte explains, “The aim was to map current concerns and develop solutions for bringing the latest and most innovative personalised medicine solutions to our people.”

In addition, Lise-Lotte contributes to The Tehnopol HealthTech Community (formerly Connected Health Cluster), promoting the development of health tech solutions in Estonia, and is an active member of AmCham Estonia’s Healthcare Committee to support a patient-centred, sustainable healthcare system.

 

Innovative approaches to time management, using AI and more

Innovation holds a significant role in Sorainen’s past, present and future. Having a dedicated Knowledge Management and Innovation (KMI) team led by Irina Seniut underscores this commitment. This dedication is further proven by our fourth consecutive nomination for The Financial Times’ “Most Innovative Law Firm in Europe (HQ outside the UK)” award.

Examples from last year that also caught The Financial Times’ researchers’ eyes include:

  • Preparing and adopting our first-ever technology strategy, something which is still a new development in many law firms across the globe. This was developed in collaboration with our IT and Knowledge Management and Innovation teams.
  • Building and launching an in-house generative AI model. It is based on AzureAI, powered by ChatGPT 3.5 turbo and created in collaboration with Squalio and Microsoft. We consider it our most significant achievement so far in this field, but it is still just the beginning of a long and exciting journey.
  • Integrating TIQ Time with our internally developed practice management system, allowing for better time management and more effective work. Additionally, it enables precise evaluation of time spent on activities, reducing misinterpretation and improving overall efficiency.
  • Launching “Start up smart!” social media reels to provide concise insights for startup founders, employees and investors. These reels raise awareness and help mitigate potential business risks. Additionally, the reels serve as a training tool for our lawyers in presenting complex legal topics in a simple way and in responding naturally on camera, so preparing them for TV or radio appearances, which is especially useful for less experienced lawyers.
  • Taking care of our employees’ wellbeing by organising various office events, social clubs, and investment clubs, covering the costs of sports classes, and continuing to compensate employees for home office equipment.

Innovation for a greener tomorrow

We have paid especially close attention to sustainability at the same time as innovation. Building a regional team of 26 experienced partners and lawyers focusing on ESG-advisory service has helped our clients to succeed in moving their business towards sustainable change. We have also made considerable progress in the field of sustainability in our internal business operations. Some highlights from 2023 include:

  • Sorainen Estonia was certified as a European Green Office.
  • Our continuous work to improve the Environment Management System under ISO 14001. We successfully achieved certification in March 2024.
  • Aligning our sustainability report with GRI Standards to enhance the transparency, comparability and reliability of our reporting efforts.
  • Significantly increased our share of pro bono work and supporting impactful charity, innovative and start-up projects.