The international independent legal market assessor Legal 500 has published its 2026 rankings, which continues to highly recognize NOVE’s attorneys and the firm in the following practice areas: Dispute Resolution; Real Estate and Construction; Commercial, Corporate and M&A; EU and Competition; and IP, IT and Telecoms.
The following attorneys received individual recognition:
- Partner Veikko Puolakainen as a „Leading Partner“ in Dispute Resolution
- Partner Arsi Pavelts as a „Leading Partner“ in IP, IT and Telecoms
- Partner Mari Past as a „Leading Partner“ in EU and Competition
- Attorney-at-law Laura Raadik as a „Leading Associate“ in Commercial, Corporate and M&A
Based on interviews with clients and colleagues from other law firms, Legal 500 highlights the following as the strengths of NOVE’s practice areas and attorneys:
- Dispute resolution
At NOVE, the team is well-known for assisting with a broad range of disputes in the public and private sector, as well as advising on civil proceedings. Public procurement disputes form the backbone of Mart Parind‘s practice, and Arsi Pavelts stands out for his experience in advising on judicial and extrajudicial proceedings. Pavelts co-heads the practice with civil and administrative litigation expert Veikko Puolakainen.
Clients’ feedback:
“What made this practice stand out to us was the very high level of specialist expertise in public procurement disputes. For a client, the most important factor is the combination of deep knowledge of procurement law and procedure, and excellent preparation.”
“Mart Parind is punctual, highly skilled in legal writing, and exceptionally knowledgeable in this field, making him one of the top attorneys in this area of expertise.”
- Commercial, Corporate and M&A
NOVE’s team continues to handle a high volume of corporate and commercial work, including restructurings, transactional matters and shareholder issues. Laura Raadik heads up the practice.
Clients’ feedback:
“Arsi Pavelts is one of the key attorneys in Estonia. Especially strong in corporate law, M&A, contract law, and the financial ecosystem. He has been invaluable for us in the challenges we have had against the banks, Tallinn city, etc. He has a very high client focus and personal involvement. He has surrounded himself with very experienced teammates (not post-graduates). Indrek Niklus has long experience in law drafting. His ability to go beyond the law text and explain the intentions of certain paragraphs, backing them up with EU directives and implementation letters, has been of very high value to us. As he is one of the co-authors of the Estonian legislative framework, he possesses enormous knowledge in corporate law, reorganization, bankruptcy law, etc.”
“Laura Raadik is very well versed in corporate law, and has guided us through several complex transactions with exceptionally well-kept deadlines, delivery, quality, and depth.”
- Real Estate And Construction
NOVE’s team is sought after by developers, designers, construction companies and infrastructure entities in the public sector for its expertise in real estate development matters, contractual issues, procurement-related cases and litigation. Kristjan Tamm, Marika Mugur and Heili Püümann co-head the practice. Tamm has extensive experience in construction law, and Mugur is well-versed in advising on real estate-related design issues.
- EU and Competition
Public sector contracting matters form the pillar of NOVE‘s practice, with the team routinely acting as counsel to governmental institutions on mandates. The group is equally strong in assisting with the competition law aspects of large-scale public procurement projects, often for Estonian companies in the IT, healthcare, retail, energy and construction industries. Other key areas of instruction include advising on non-compete obligations in shareholder agreements and competition law aspects relating to share purchase and commercial agreements. EU law expert Mari Past is very experienced in handling merger control cases, and co-heads the team with public law expert Mart Parind. Veikko Puolakainen is a name to note for contentious cases.
Clients’ feedback:
“Mart Parind is articulate and demonstrates a collaborative spirit, consistently creating an environment of mutual respect.”
“NOVE and its attorneys possess outstanding expertise and experience in EU and competition law. Communication and collaboration with the group is seamless and timely.”
- IP, IT and Telecoms
NOVE’s team ‘stands out because of its combination of deep legal expertise and a client-first approach‘. The practice draws together the collective strength of the data protection, IT and cybersecurity groups to advise prominent Estonian cybersecurity companies on a wide range of matters, including privacy issues and compliance cases. Practice head Sten Tikerpe is ‘a seasoned IP and IT law expert‘. Arsi Pavelts is very experienced in advising on a wide spectrum of IP and IT disputes, and Mari Past is adept at handling GDPR compliance mandates.
Clients’ feedback:
“NOVE has an exceptionally strong and professional team, delivering reliable and effective solutions that stand out.”
“NOVE is very well positioned to advise clients on IP, IT and telecoms.”
The Legal 500 review provides an in-depth analysis of the legal markets in more than 150 jurisdictions, independently identifying the leading law firms and attorneys. The research is based on feedback from customers and colleagues, and the practice area teams providing the most cutting edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel are highlighted. More information can be found here.