Weckström Attorneys

We assist our clients in tax investigations and audits, tax litigation including international tax matters, transfer pricing, and VAT and Customs disputes. We act as counsels also in other types of administrative disputes as well as in tax and other criminal investigations and court trials, and in civil law litigation. One of our focus points is strategic advisory where we provide for a holistic approach in conflict management, aiming at preventing litigation and/or minimizing the overall burden therein.

We offer legal services also in tax and legal structuring, cross-border and domestically, and in mergers and acquisitions including full implementation of related tax and legal requirements and results.

Our core business is litigation and conflict management. Leveraging long-standing and vast experience with hundreds of tax controversies covering national and international direct and indirect taxation, our firm specializes in tax disputes, tax audits, risk assessments, and strategic advisory. In our practice we assist our clients also in criminal investigations and court hearings, specifically in tax fraud related cases.

Litigation

We assist our clients, both corporate and individual, in various enquiries by tax authorities and in tax audits, both with direct and indirect taxes (e.g. VAT as well as customs), in national, international and EU Law related tax matters. In our practice we also participate in dialogue and negotiations with tax administrations, domestic and foreign. We are acting as attorneys also in cases where the legality of the behaviour of the tax authorities is challenged through appeals processes. We represent our clients, and appeal on their behalf, through all appellate bodies.

We assist our clients in criminal investigations and court hearings, specifically in tax fraud related cases where our long-standing, broad and proven abilities in tax matters is of utmost importance and gives us really the edge in the Finnish legal market.

To really build up our competence and the ability to provide best possible defence to our clients in various types of controversies, we continuously participate also in civil law litigation with its specific procedural features when compared to e.g. tax litigation in administrative proceedings.

Tax and other legal advisory

Because of our well-established involvement in M&A and real estate related tax matters, specifically tax and legal structuring, both in national and cross-border transactions, we regularly advise on various cross-border acquisitions and investment structures. This regularly involves drafting and reviewing necessary documents in implementing various undertakings e.g. in connection with M&A transactions, within groups of companies, amongst individuals, and even in family law related matters.

In our practice we, therefore, advise also on specific and general corporate tax issues and on individual tax matters, like tax residence status related matters and incentive schemes. Also gift and inheritance taxation involves often complex tax and legal issues, in for example generational changes, with which we are regularly engaged in advising our clients.

An inherent part of this practice is to assist in preliminary ruling proceedings in confirming in advance the tax treatment of e.g. certain transactions and other taxable events, where need be. Our tax advisory services include also strategic tax advisory and legal opinions for complex tax issues, as well as second opinions in intricate tax matters where the advice of two or more counsels is found appropriate under the circumstances.