Sorainen

Sorainen

Our story

  • 1991

    • Inspired by the newly regained independence of the Baltic nations, Aku Sorainen begins to write his master’s thesis at the University of Lapland about business and foreign investment-related legislation in the Baltic states.
    • He takes a ferry to Tallinn followed by a 12-hour night bus trip from Tallinn to Vilnius to attend the first ELSA (European Law Students' Association) seminar in Vilnius.

  • 1993

    • Aku Sorainen graduates and his master’s thesis "A Foreign Investor in the Baltics" is published. Many of the corporations who sponsored his thesis start seeking his advice on their business ventures in the Baltics and Aku decides to move to Estonia and start practising law.

  • 1995

    • On 6 September, Aku establishes the law firm Sorainen in Tallinn with the help of newly hired secretary Kristiina Agur (later Härms, who in 2019 becomes the firm’s regional HR head). The beginning is modest, with a single rented room and the first client, AGA gas company, lending a computer and printer. As the cash flow improves, these are followed by a second-hand fax machine, a filing cabinet and a new mobile phone. Aku dreams about setting up a pan-Baltic law firm.

  • 1997

    • The Estonian office now employs eight lawyers: an American, a Swede, two Finns and four Estonians.
    • In August, Sorainen Latvian office opens in Riga.

  • 1999

    • In January, Sorainen opens a Lithuanian office in Vilnius, fulfilling the dream of a pan-Baltic law firm, the first law firm to do so.

  • 2001

    • We are the first law firm to launch international practice groups that operate as a single Baltic team.

  • 2002

    • Realising that a successful pan-Baltic law firm requires close cooperation at all levels ‒ work processes, IT, HR, BDM, training, knowledge management, quality management and finances – we are the first law firm in the region to start a thorough integration process across all offices.
    • Aku Sorainen is the first foreign lawyer to be admitted to the Estonian Bar Association, finally permitting conversion of the Estonian office into a law firm.

  • 2004

    • Now with 50 lawyers on board, Sorainen advises its 300th M&A transaction, having altogether brought more than USD 2 billion in investments to the Baltic states.

  • 2005

    • Sorainen is the first among the leading law firms in Estonia to promote a woman to partnership when Karin Madisson – who began with the firm as a trainee nearly ten years earlier – becomes the firm’s 8th partner.
    • As our first world-class mega transaction, we advise eBay together with Clifford Chance in acquiring Skype for EUR 2.6 billion, making many millionaires in Estonia.
    • By the end of the year, we have served over 3,000 corporate clients and established over 1,000 subsidiaries for foreign investors, bringing prosperity to our region.

  • 2006

    • Sorainen becomes the first law firm in the Baltics to implement a Quality Management System based on the ISO 9001 standard.
    • After 11 years of organic growth, we reach the magic number of 100 employees.

  • 2007

    • For the first time, we prepare a budget. This had made no sense earlier, with growth so rapid that we were never able to figure out what the next year would be like. Revenue and profit have grown every year since 1999, when the Russian crisis affected business.

  • 2008

    • Sorainen Belarus office opens in Minsk, first in Maksim Salahub's kitchen, then in a room rented from a local bank. We are the first foreign law firm to expand to Belarus with a real local team.
    • Eva Berlaus becomes the first female managing partner among the leading law firms in the Baltics, taking charge of our Latvian office.
    • During the firm’s Summer Days in Nida, Lithuania, we celebrate growth to 100 lawyers and 150 people in all. Sorainen also now sets up a knowledge management team ‒ the first law firm in the region to do so.

  • 2009

    • Sorainen Estonia is awarded as the country’s most employee- and family-friendly company.

  • 2010

    • We are the first law firm in the region to launch its own international training programme for its employees: the Sorainen Academy.
    • By the end of the year we have served more than 6,000 corporate clients in the Baltics and Belarus.
    • The number of partners increases to 21.

  • 2012

    • We are the first law firm in the region to start its own Student Academy with leading universities in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus. Over the years, the academy has offered courses to hundreds of students.

  • 2014

    • We are the first law firm in the region to launch international sector groups where lawyers from all Sorainen offices join forces to serve specific industries.
    • For the first time all main international legal awards in the Baltics go to the same law firm, as Sorainen receives “Baltic Law Firm of the Year” awards from The Lawyer, IFLR and Mergermarket as well as the Chambers Europe Award for Excellence. To this are once again added the title of “Best Provider of Legal Services in Belarus” by the Belarusian Ministry of Justice and the “Baltic States Tax Firm of the Year” award from the International Tax Review.

  • 2015

    • Sorainen Estonia celebrates its 20th birthday with a visionary conference, ‘Sorainen 2020’. The keynote speaker is the former Icelandic minister of foreign affairs, Jon Hannibalsson, representing the first country to recognise the independence of the three Baltic states in August 1991. In the evening, the Sorainen Band entertains the guests, as it will at many events to come.

  • 2016

    • In March, Sorainen becomes the first law firm from the Baltic and Nordic region to win the prestigious "European Law Firm of the Year" award at The Lawyer European Awards ceremony in London.

  • 2017

    • Partner Allar Jõks runs for President of Estonia and reaches the final round.
    • Euromoney honours Sorainen as ‘Best in the Baltics’ at the “European Women in Business Law” Awards.

  • 2018

    • With a record number of new generation partners joining the partnership, the number of partners increases to 34. The total number of lawyers approaches 200 and the total headcount to 300 people.
    • Now that the administration of the organisation including many internal processes require more attention than ever, Sorainen is the first law firm in the Baltics and Belarus to appoint a chief operating officer (COO).
    • Sorainen launches co-operation with Avokaado, an Estonian based IT start-up specialising in automating legal documentation, and also begins to use Luminance, software utilising AI for document analysis.

  • 2019

    • At the beginning of 2019, Sorainen refreshes its visual identity to let the world know that our firm works as one team across the region.
    • In September, Lithuanian office celebrates its 20th birthday, having grown from a three-person office in 1999 to a team of 120. By way of giving back, the firm sponsors the opening of a new student coworking and leisure space – Sorainen Space – at Vilnius University law faculty, which has done so much for great talents on our team. The Lithuanian team is relocated to a new address at Gedimino avenue 44A.

  • 2020

    • Sorainen receives the highest ranking among top Baltic law firms, the coveted Gold medal of the Prospera client survey. In clients’ eyes, we have the overall best legal competence and the best known brand in the Baltic market.
    • As pandemic hits the world, Sorainen launches the COVID-19 Task Force and the Shared Mission pro bono programme, to help the region recover faster.
    • In September, Sorainen celebrates its 25th anniversary. With live events cancelled, the team gathers together with clients and partners from around the world online, to speak about people, collaboration, client service and innovation. The four keywords are not chosen randomly: they show what we value and what keeps inspiring us.

  • 2021

    • Despite the pandemic still being with us, Sorainen has a record year in terms of both financial results and attracting new talent. Financial Times ranks us among the 30 most innovative law firms in Europe.
    • The firm launches many new initiatives that seek to give back to the society and our people - sustainability programmes, a diversity taskforce, summer Fridays off for employees, and many more.
    • Sorainen Student Academy celebrates a 10-year anniversary.

  • 2022

    • As Russia launches a war on Ukraine, we unite to uphold democracy through firm and personal donations, pro bono work, and other support means.
    • Sorainen promotes 11 new partners. We now consciously ensure that everyone has equal opportunities to succeed.
    • Legal practice management system Crespect, a spin-off of Sorainen, is launched.
    • In the Prospera client survey, our team once again receives the highest ranking among top-tier Baltic law firms. We receive the best evaluation in no less than 14 legal areas of the 15 clients are asked to evaluate.

  • 2023

    • Eva Berlaus has taken over as managing partner, making Sorainen a mostly women-led firm. She was the first woman to assume leadership of a Baltic law firm when she became the country managing partner of Sorainen Latvia in 2010, and she is now our firm’s first female managing partner.
    • According to the 2023 rankings of four major international legal directories (Legal 500, Chambers, IFLR and ITR), Sorainen stands out as the strongest pan-Baltic law firm, with most Tier 1 rankings. Sorainen also continues to lead the Baltic legal M&A market, taking the top spot by deal value.
    • Sorainen is recognised by the Legal 500 Green Guide as the only pan-Baltic law firm with a focus on ESG. The Sorainen Tallinn office receives the European Green Office certificate, while Sorainen Lithuania joins the UN Global Compact initiative.
    • In response to global innovations in artificial intelligence, Sorainen creates an AI implementation strategy to find use cases for AI in legal practice.