Dr Kadri Härginen

Professional highlights

Dispute resolution experience. Although public procurement-related issues are my passion, I have also successfully represented clients in public and civil law cases ‒ for example, involving state liability, waste management, environmental law, land reform and consumer protection. My secondary field of expertise is employment law disputes, including representing employers in cases where an employee has been diagnosed with an occupational disease.

Knowing both sides. Before joining Sorainen, I worked in the public sector as a public procurement specialist and policymaker. Having the desire to fully understand both the contracting authority’s and the tenderer’s side of the process, and to get a grasp of many different cases, I chose to work as a lawyer. This allows me to see the daily joys and concerns of many different tenderers and also still advise several contracting authorities. My experience in public procurement law dates back to 2007.

Trainer and mentor. I have trained judges, state authorities and local authorities as well as businesses focusing on public procurement. In addition, for many years I have taught public procurement law at the Law Faculty of the University of Tartu. I deeply appreciate the firm’s mentoring programme and place high value on the fact that every colleague feels a real member of the team because team-work and cooperation are key components of quality work.

Academic work in public procurement law. I have written all my academic theses in the field of public procurement law (framework agreements and grounds for exclusion in Estonian and EU public procurement law). My PhD thesis elaborates on the contracting authority’s due diligence obligation.

Educated in public and municipal law. In earlier studies at the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences I specialised in public law. In addition, I was awarded a certificate for acting as a rural or city municipality secretary.