Strengthening Client Services with Five New Partners in Key Areas
"It is my pleasure to share news of the promotion of five exceptional individuals to the position of partner at our firm. Their selection reflects their outstanding qualities and significant achievements,” comments Eva Berlaus, managing partner at Sorainen. "The addition of these new partners aims to enhance the development of core areas while improving the personal touch in client service within these fields. It also strengthens our ability to serve clients by bringing a strong sectoral focus, marking a strategic shift from the traditional practice area emphasis. This commitment to sectoral expertise allows us to deepen our understanding of our clients’ business needs and deliver more tailored and insightful services.”
Moreover, with 40% of partners now being female at Sorainen, the firm is making substantial progress in supporting and promoting talented female colleagues.
"Our approach is not just about setting diversity and inclusion goals but taking concrete action to support female career advancement and ensure our firm’s culture fosters an environment where talented women aspire to become partners,” added Eva.
Estonia
Lise-Lotte Lääne (Life Sciences & Healthcare sector, Competition & Regulatory practice)
Lise-Lotte Lääne specialises in healthcare regulations, intellectual property, and data protection. Her notable work includes advising Finnish company Silmäasema Optiikka Oy on acquiring the Eagle Vision optician chain in Estonia and supporting AstraZeneca in a pioneering public-private partnership aimed at advancing lung cancer patient care. For the latter project, Lise-Lotte earned a nomination in the Financial Times’ 2024 list of the most innovative lawyers.
She has also contributed to developing Estonia’s national personalised medicine programme and collaborated with AstraZeneca and AmCham to explore ways to enhance Estonian healthcare (www.tulevikutervishoid.ee). Lise-Lotte frequently represents pharmaceutical companies in patent disputes.
"The legal challenges in this field are so inspiring that calling it ‘work’ feels inaccurate.,” Lise-Lotte remarks with a smile. "This growing sector, both in the Baltics and beyond, carries significant societal responsibilities, directly impacting people’s health and well-being. Legal advice here plays a crucial role, whether supporting businesses in planning and conducting research and development activities or contributing to legislative processes locally and at the EU level. This, in turn, fosters the growth of knowledge-intensive industries in the Baltics and Europe. Today, our regional team is well-equipped to guide clients through all aspects of healthcare law, from regulatory compliance to international transactions”, she adds.
Mirell Prosa (Startup sector, Intellectual Property practice)
Mirell’s expertise includes corporate law, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital transactions, with a true passion for the startup sector. As the leader of Sorainen’s startup practice in Estonia and the Baltics, she has built one of the firm’s largest and most diverse sector-focused teams.
She has advised on landmark funding and M&A deals in Estonia for clients such as Sunly, Bolt, Veriff, Montonio, Nanordica Medical, Äio, Practica Capital, and BaltCap, helping Estonian companies raise approximately €2 billion in capital.
"The startup sector has been part of my journey since university, where I helped organise the sTARTUp Day business festival. Given my preference for practical solutions and results-oriented approaches, advising startups and venture capital firms was a natural path for me,” Mirell shared. "I enjoy finding the most commercially and legally sound solutions to problems. In 2023, nearly 40% of venture capital investments in the Central and Eastern Europe region were directed to the Baltics, demonstrating the strong growth potential of Baltic startups. I have always supported this growth and will continue to do so by advising, training, or contributing to legislative initiatives.”
Mirell sees her role in leading Sorainen’s startup practice as a way to make life in Estonia better:
"I believe innovation from startups helps us defend our country more effectively, provide higher-quality healthcare, adopt healthier and more sustainable lifestyles, and make daily tasks easier and more logical. It’s a privilege to contribute to such meaningful developments.”
Latvia
Linda Sarāne-Reneslāce (Technology, Media & Telecommunications sector, Competition & Regulatory practice, Intellectual property practice)
Linda started her career at Sorainen 13 years ago, and for the past few years has been focusing on assisting clients with information, communication, technology (ICT) law and intellectual property issues. She helps clients develop and implement intellectual property protection strategies, prepare and negotiate complex technology contracts, and resolve trademark and patent disputes.
In her new role, Linda will co-lead the Competition & Regulatory practice in Latvia, focusing on intellectual property, ICT law, and data protection. Additionally, she will co-lead the Technology, Media & Telecommunications sector group, providing various legal services to clients in this sector.
"I am very grateful to Sorainen’s partners for their growth and trust, and to my colleagues for their support. Although we’ve been hearing this for years, there’s no doubt that technology continues to evolve. With that development, the need for protection increases, as does regulation by the legislature. Several regulations have already emerged under the Digital Europe programme, such as the Artificial Intelligence Act and the Digital Services Act. Additionally, the implementation of the NIS2 cybersecurity directive is currently relevant. We have already formed an excellent and very knowledgeable team for these matters, and I believe that together we will be able to help even more clients and address even more complex issues,” said Linda.
In addition to her client work, Linda is deeply committed to nurturing the growth of aspiring lawyers. She regularly lectures at the Sorainen Student Academy, where she shares her knowledge and experience, fostering the next generation’s understanding of the legal profession and its broader impact on the business community and society as a whole.
Lithuania
Indrė Pelėdaitė (Finance & Insurance sector)
Indrė is an expert in finance and insurance law, with profound knowledge of the insurance sector. She advises insurance market participants on regulatory issues, business model structuring, product development, transactions, ESG regulations, and significant insurance claims and disputes. Indrė has also earned international recognition as an insurance and finance law expert from The International Financial Law Review (IFLR).
Indre notes that the Lithuanian insurance market is growing, both in terms of premiums and claims. However, it still lags behind Western European countries in terms of insurance market penetration.
"The insurance market in Lithuania is still developing, which creates preconditions for new players to enter the market and expand the variety of services. International insurance companies trust us to help them successfully enter the Lithuanian market, while we advise local players on innovative service development processes,” says Indrė.
Jurgita Karvelė (Private Client sector, Dispute Resolution practice)
Jurgita leads the Private Client sector group in Lithuania and has extensive experience in family law, recently focusing on family business succession planning. She is a recognised expert in dispute resolution and labour law, acknowledged as such by international legal directories such as The Legal 500 and Chambers.
"Business succession traditions and practices are still emerging in Lithuania. We notice that the founders — the first generation — tend to withdraw from active management and hand over the business to the second generation, but in the process, they are faced with many issues and challenges, which we help them resolve, such as: how to choose the most effective management structure that ensures the preservation and continuity of the business, how to deal with issues of inheritance and regulation of family property relations, and how to integrate philanthropic activities into the strategies of the family businesses,” says Jurgita.