Tirronen & Nousiainen Attorneys Ltd

General Terms

Handling of Engagements
These General Terms of Engagement apply to all engagements between Asianajotoimisto Tirronen & Nousiainen Oy and its clients, unless otherwise agreed with the client in writing in respect of an individual engagement.
We appoint a responsible attorney for each engagement. The responsible attorney may use other members of our staff to assist in handling the engagement. We are entitled, for a special reason, to change the responsible attorney by notifying the client in advance.
Our attorneys are members of the Finnish Bar Association. We handle all engagements professionally and with due care in compliance with the Code of Conduct for Attorneys-at-Law. The rules of professional conduct are available on the Finnish Bar Association’s website (www.asianajajat.fi).www.asianajajat.fi).

Fees and Expenses
Our fees are based on the engagement agreement and the General Terms of Engagement in force. In determining our fees, we comply with the Finnish Bar Association’s guidelines on fees and the Code of Conduct for Attorneys-at-Law.
Our fees are primarily time-based, and our hourly rates are EUR 250–350 plus VAT at 25.5%, unless otherwise agreed in writing in respect of an individual engagement. The minimum charge per measure is 0.25 hours, i.e. 15 minutes.
The fee for an individual engagement may, however, also be affected by the complexity and urgency of the engagement, the special expertise required, the amount at stake, the risks associated with the engagement and the result achieved.
A general office expense surcharge of 2% is added to our fees to cover customary office expenses such as copying, postage, telephone and other similar expenses. The surcharge also covers the software and artificial intelligence services we use in handling engagements. This surcharge cannot be claimed from the opposing party in court or arbitration proceedings.
Other direct expenses necessary for handling the engagement, such as courier fees, official and registration fees, travel expenses and other fees and expenses charged by external service providers, are charged separately at actual cost. For significant expenses, we may request an advance from the client or require the service provider to invoice the client directly.
For any travel, we charge 100% of the hourly rate for travel time, plus travel expenses and daily allowances in accordance with the Finnish Tax Administration’s decision on tax-exempt travel allowances in force from time to time.
We are entitled to charge 50% of the normal rate for work performed by support staff that is necessary for handling the engagement.
We invoice accrued fees and expenses directly to the client monthly in arrears. We may, however, at our discretion also invoice by stage of work or for longer periods. The payment term is 14 days from the date of the invoice. Interest on late payment is charged at 10.5%, provided that consumer clients are charged no more than the late payment interest under the Finnish Interest Act.
We are entitled to terminate the handling of the engagement if the client fails to pay an invoice despite a reminder.
In certain situations, we may request an advance fee before commencing the engagement. Unless otherwise agreed or the advance fee is waived, an advance fee is required from every new client. The advance fee is applied towards future invoices. Our total fees may be higher or lower than the advance fee. Once paid, the advance fee is deducted from the final invoice of the engagement.
We are entitled to increase the agreed hourly rates each calendar year in line with the general increase in costs. Price increases take effect from the first day of each year.
Legal Expenses Insurance and Legal Aid
The client pays our invoices monthly directly to us in accordance with the terms set out above, also where the client has legal expenses insurance. Insurance companies pay compensation to the client in accordance with their own legal expenses insurance terms and sums insured, usually only after the engagement has ended.
The client is responsible for notifying the insurance company of the claim and for applying for any compensation. If separately agreed, we can assist the client in applying for legal expenses insurance cover. We charge our normal hourly rate for measures relating to such applications.
We are entitled to invoice the client for fees and expenses also to the extent that the insurance company does not cover them. If the insurance company reduces the amount of fees covered by the insurance, or a court reduces the amount payable by the opposing party, we are nevertheless entitled to invoice the client for the full fee.
As a rule, we do not handle legal aid matters. We are entitled to decline or withdraw from an engagement if the client wishes the engagement to be funded wholly or partly by legal aid.

Client Due Diligence
Under the Act on Preventing Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (444/2017), we are obliged in certain engagements to identify our clients and their representatives and beneficial owners. In certain situations, we are obliged to request further information on the origin of the client’s funds. The client must provide us with the necessary information without delay.
We check for all our clients and, where necessary, for other parties to the engagement that they are not subject to international sanctions or national asset freezing decisions. We use an external service provider for these checks, which monitors sanctions lists throughout the engagement.
Client due diligence information and other personal data may be used to prevent, detect and investigate money laundering and terrorist financing and to refer for investigation money laundering, terrorist financing and the offence through which the property or proceeds of crime subject to money laundering or terrorist financing were obtained.
If the client does not provide the requested information, we cannot commence or continue the engagement. The statutory reporting obligation to the authorities may override an attorney’s duty of confidentiality.
We accept client funds into our client account only where separately agreed. Before receiving or disbursing funds, we check that neither the payer nor the recipient is subject to sanctions or asset freezing decisions.

Data Protection
In electronic communications, we comply with the guidelines and regulations of the Finnish Bar Association. We encrypt outgoing e-mail whenever the content of a message is particularly sensitive, and otherwise at the client’s specific request. We may send e-mails relating to the engagement to the e-mail address stated in the engagement agreement or to the address most recently used or provided by the client.
In handling engagements, we also use third-party software services in which data is stored on the service providers’ servers. We are not liable for any damage caused to the client by a data breach affecting the service providers’ services or by loss of data resulting from an error by a service provider.
We process personal data as a controller in accordance with data protection legislation and regulations. We process the data necessary for handling the engagement concerning the client, its representatives and other parties to the engagement. In accordance with the guidelines of the Finnish Bar Association, we retain the files relating to an engagement as a rule for ten years after the end of the engagement, and information collected under the Anti-Money Laundering Act for five years after the end of the client relationship. Further information on the processing of personal data is available in the privacy notice on our website.

Limitation of Liability and Liability Insurance
We hold liability insurance against financial loss in accordance with the Finnish Bar Association’s guidelines on liability insurance, with a maximum sum insured of EUR 500,000. The liability insurance has been issued by Keskinäinen Vakuutusyhtiö Fennia, Business ID 0196826-7.
Our aggregate liability and that of our staff for any damage caused in connection with handling the engagement is in all cases limited to damage resulting from a professional error and to no more than the maximum sum insured under the liability insurance in force from time to time. We are not liable for indirect or consequential damage or loss, nor for claims by third parties.

Complaints and Supervision
Any complaints concerning our services must be made within one month of receiving the service and in any event no later than six months after the measure that is the subject of the complaint.
The client may, where necessary, file a complaint concerning an attorney’s conduct with the Disciplinary Board operating in connection with the Finnish Bar Association (www.valvontalautakunta.fi).www.valvontalautakunta.fi).
The client is entitled to refer a dispute concerning an attorney’s fee to the Disciplinary Board (www.valvontalautakunta.fi).www.valvontalautakunta.fi).
Consumer clients may also refer a dispute to the Consumer Disputes Board (www.kuluttajariita.fi). Before referring the matter to the Consumer Disputes Board, the consumer must contact the consumer advisory services (www.kkv.fi).www.kuluttajariita.fi). Ennen asian viemistä kuluttajariitalautakunnan käsittelyyn kuluttajan tulee olla yhteydessä kuluttajaneuvontaan (www.kkv.fi).

Term and Termination
The client may terminate the engagement agreement with immediate effect at any time by notifying us in writing. We may withdraw from an engagement only in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Attorneys-at-Law.

Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
The engagement and these terms are governed by Finnish law. Disputes arising from the engagement shall be resolved by the Helsinki District Court. A consumer client may also bring an action in the district court of their home municipality.