Opinio Juris Ltd - Sustainability Lawyers
We are a pioneering Finnish legal consulting firm specializing in corporate responsibility and sustainable development. Our team assists clients in realizing and applying the extensive benefits of responsibility regulation, tailoring it to their specific business needs, and capitalizing on sustainability compliance.
- Our expert services are rooted in thorough research and a deep understanding of corporate responsibility and sustainability regulations.
- Opinio Juris stands as Finland's first law firm dedicated to sustainability and corporate responsibility law.
- Our professionals are among Finland's foremost authorities in comprehending the comprehensive landscape of corporate responsibility, including its regulatory aspects, social and financial responsibilities, and principles of good governance.
- Through our expansive network of experts, we offer top-notch guidance in all aspects of responsibility. We provide our clients with agile, customized, and cost-efficient expert services.
Our Experts
Merja Pentikäinen
merja [dot] pentikainen [at] opiniojuris [dot] fi (merja.pentikainen(a)opiniojuris.fi), +358 40 566 6695
- Merja Pentikäinen, LL.D., DES (Graduate Institute of International Studies, Univ. de Genève), is a lawyer and a leading expert in corporate responsibility. She founded Opinio Juris Oy and is an accomplished entrepreneur. Merja is a trailblazer in the fields of social responsibility and human rights in Finland. Commissioned by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she authored Finland's first study on the significance of human rights in business (University of Helsinki, 2009). During her tenure as an international law professor at the University of Turku (2009-2012), she introduced Finland's first law course on business and human rights.
- Apart from her focus on social responsibility, Merja possesses expertise in other corporate responsibility areas, particularly financial responsibility and good governance. Her rich background as a researcher and educator in international law, including professorship roles, underpins her deep, research-based knowledge. Merja has produced several publications on human rights and corporate responsibility.
- Beyond her regulatory and content expertise in corporate responsibility, Merja excels at bridging high-level responsibility concepts with practical business applications. With over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience in various ventures, she has been a full-time entrepreneur since 2015 and established Opinio Juris Oy in 2021. Merja has advised numerous companies on responsibility and sustainability issues and has served as an expert for organizations promoting corporate responsibility (e.g., Global Compact Network Finland, FIBS, Keskuskauppakamari) and for public administration entities (e.g., Business Finland).
- Merja has provided expertise in international law, human rights, and national legislation to the Finnish Parliament, ministries, the President of the Republic, the Human Rights Center, and international organizations (e.g., UN, OECD). She has contributed to corporate responsibility regulation development projects and participated as an invited expert in parliamentary committee hearings on the subject.
- Since 2020, she has been on the board of the Finnish Corporate Responsibility Association, planning and organizing several of its events.
- Check out a selection of Merja's publications here.
Juho Saloranta
juho [dot] saloranta [at] opiniojuris [dot] fi (juho.saloranta(a)opiniojuris.fi), +358 41 548 5769
- Juho, holding an LL.M. and being a LL.D. Candidate at the University of Eastern Finland, is a researcher and lawyer specializing in corporate sustainability. As a partner at Opinio Juris Oy and an entrepreneur, his research primarily focuses on the legislative development of corporate responsibility. Juho has authored articles on human rights due diligence, remediation, and responsible contracting for businesses.
- During his dissertation, Juho was a visiting researcher at several esteemed institutions, including the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg, the China-EU School of Law in Beijing, and the University of California, Berkeley. He completed the Corporate Responsibility Module at Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, a program that interweaves courses from various disciplines through different stakeholders' perspectives. Additionally, Juho holds a certificate from the Asser Institute in The Hague for completing the course 'Doing Business Right - The UNGP on Business and Human Rights: From Theory to Practice'.
- Juho has extensively followed the evolution of corporate responsibility legislation, having worked as an assistant to a Member of the European Parliament in the Human Rights Subcommittee and as a legislative secretary in the Finnish Parliament. These roles have provided him with a broad range of experience in human rights matters.
- At the University of Eastern Finland, Juho teaches a course on Corporate Responsibility. This course delves into the private, public, and international legal frameworks of corporate liability, applies various norms to legal challenges in corporate liability, and critically analyzes legal issues pertaining to corporate responsibility.
- He has conducted training for companies, organized workshops, and spoken at various events about corporate responsibility. Juho is the chairman and a founding member of the Finnish Corporate Responsibility Association, established in 2020. Through the association, he has organized numerous events focusing on various themes related to corporate responsibility law.
- Explore Juho's Publications here.
Our Partners
Eeva-Sofia Anttonen, Lawyers Designing Equality Oy
Eeva-Sofia is a lawyer and legal designer with a specialization in equality and non-discrimination issues. Her diverse legal career includes roles such as an occupational health and safety inspector, a trade union lawyer, an attorney in legal and advocacy firms, a public legal assistant, a special expert at the Digital and Population Information Agency, and as the executive director of the Women in Film and Television Finland Association (Wift ry). She brings legal principles to life in practical applications through service and legal design, leveraging digital tools.
Miia Hapuoja, Bethics Oy
Miia possesses extensive practical experience in corporate responsibility from a business perspective. Since 2006, she has held international expert and managerial roles focusing on social responsibility, human rights requirements, and HR in companies like Nokia, Microsoft, and Huhtamäki. Her work has encompassed strategic planning, social risk assessments, social audits (SA8000), and conducting trainings. Additionally, Miia has hands-on experience with responsibility initiatives, both at the factory level and within procurement organizations. Currently, she is applying her considerable skills as an entrepreneur. (See www.bethics.fi)
Luontoa Consulting Oy
Luontoa Consulting is a dynamic and skilled partner for organizations of all sizes, helping to integrate environmental responsibility goals with business objectives. The company specializes in environmental responsibility, biodiversity, and stakeholder engagement. Its three founders, Johanna Haapala, Lauri Moisander, and Inka Musta, bring a wealth of experience from a variety of demanding roles in international corporations, startups, NGOs, government agencies, and advocacy groups. Luontoa undertakes a wide range of corporate responsibility projects, including the development of responsibility strategies, assistance with responsibility reporting, evaluating and measuring companies' environmental impacts, and enhancing stakeholder engagement. (see www.luontoaconsulting.fi)
Mika Kuisma
Mika Kuisma, holding a Doctorate in Economics, is among Finland's most experienced professionals in responsible business conduct. For approximately 30 years, he has engaged in research related to company management and business ethics, and has taught corporate responsibility at various universities and research institutes. Mika has been involved in numerous national and international research projects, focusing on evaluating the broader impacts of technologies and business activities through the lens of corporate responsibility. Additionally, he possesses expertise in the measurement and reporting of corporate responsibility. Mika's experience spans collaborations with a diverse range of industries and companies of various sizes.
Hanna Silvola
Hanna Silvola, a Doctor of Economics, serves as an Assistant Professor of Accounting at Hanken School of Economics. Her expertise encompasses areas such as ESG measurement, corporate responsibility reporting, responsible investing, and sustainable financing. Alongside maintaining active international research networks, Hanna has led the research project 'Corporate Responsibility and Economic Value Creation: Measuring and Analyzing Responsible Business Using ESG Information', funded by the Foundation for Economic Education (Liikesivistysrahasto). She has provided her expertise to the Finnish Parliament and served on the jury for Finland's corporate responsibility reporting competition. Hanna is a co-author of 'Sustainable Investing: Beating the Market with ESG' and also offers her services as a business management consultant.
Sustainability at Opinio Juris
Our mission is to support companies in conducting responsible and sustainable business with our expertise in sustainability law. We practice what we preach, as we base our own operations on sustainability principles.