As an Associate Trainee in the M&A Team

What kinds of matters does M&A handle?
The M&A team’s matters are versatile, interesting, and challenging. The assignments are often project-like in nature, which somewhat shapes the nature of the work. The team handles both private and public M&A matters. In the field of private M&A matters, the work includes the different share and business transactions of the companies. In the field of public M&A, the work includes transactions of different kinds with listed companies, such as listing processes and share issues. In addition, different projects including mergers and demergers are part of the practice. The M&A team also provides counsel to clients regarding limited company, securities market, and contract law matters. In M&A projects, the client can be, for example, a public limited company, private company, significant shareholder, or equity investor, which brings different scope and emphasis to each matter.

What are a trainee’s tasks in the M&A team?
We have two M&A teams that both have two or three trainees at a time. Trainees participate in a wide variety of different projects, and the tasks include things like drafting corporate and contract law-related documents, doing legal research, contacting authorities, conducting due diligence audits related to acquisitions and data room coordination related thereto, and doing corporate and contract translations for clients. In addition, in the public M&A practice, trainees may participate in drafting and reviewing prospectus documents. From the beginning, trainees are an equal part of project teams, and they participate in team meetings and other team activities like the rest of the team. The goal for the trainee period is to acquire a wide understanding about working in the M&A team and details related thereto. The main working languages are Finnish and English.

What qualities does your team value in a trainee and when recruiting a trainee?
The M&A team appreciates initiative, analytic working, meticulousness, creativity, resilience, and most of all, excitement and interest towards the field and economics in general. Usually, when applying to this team, great grades in relevant subjects and general experience in the legal field are considered an advantage. Ability to adapt fast and good communication and team working skills are important qualities for a trainee, since the working environment is dynamic and the team is big. Although work in the M&A team is sometimes intensive, the team has a great and supporting atmosphere and the threshold of asking for help is low. This makes trainees’ integration effortless and fast.

Want to know more about working at Hannes Snellman? Please pay a visit to our Careers section.