Our team

He has more than 20 years of practice  in the areas of banking and finance, insurance law, securities law, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate law.
International independent researchers at Chambers Global and Chambers Europe have acknowledged Hannes as an experienced and well-known attorney who “knows banking and finance throughout and is really helpful in advising clients on issues related to this subject”.
Hannes is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars regarding financial, commercial and IT law, as well as public international, constitutional and human rights law.
He is a member of the NASDAQ Tallinn Listing and Surveillance Committee since 2007. He was a president of the Estonian Bar Association 2016-2019.

• Advising JPMorgan Chase and other arrangers on Hansapank’s (now Swedbank) EUR 2 billion bond programme; it is the biggest bond programme ever arranged in the Baltic States.
• Advising Swedbank on public takeover, squeeze-out and delisting of Hansapank; the EUR 1.7 billion worth deal is the largest single transaction in the Baltic States to date.
• Advising on a EUR 100 million project of an international syndicate led by HypoVereinsbank (member of Unicredit) for financing a development of steel producer Galvex (now known as ArcelorMittal) in the Port of Muuga. It was the largest greenfield project in Estonia at the time.

• From 2016 Associate and Partner, law firm DERLING PRIMUS (former business name DERLING)
• 2016-2019 Managing Partner, law firm DERLING PRIMUS
• 2016-2019 Chairman, Estonian Bar Association
• 2002-2016 Senior Associate and Partner, law firm Tark Grunte Sutkiene
• 1999-2005 Visiting Lecturer, Faculty of Law of the University of Tartu
• 1996-2002 Associate, law firm Tark Grunte Sutkiene
• 1993-1996 Attaché, Legal Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia

• University of Tartu, MA Law (cum laude) (2001)
• University of Tartu, BA Law (1996)
• Academy of European Law, International Criminal Justice Programme (Trier, Germany) (2003-2005)
• Concordia International University in Estonia, European Union Law Programme (1997)
• Birmingham University, Institute of European Law, Human Rights Programme (1994)

• Estonian Bar Association, Legal Ethics and Practice Committee (since 2019)
• Estonian Bar Association, Management Board (2010-2016)
• IBA Banking Committee, Membership Officer (since 2009)
• Tallinn Stock Exchange, Listing & Surveillance Committee (since 2007)
• International Bar Association (IBA) (since 2007)
• Estonian Bar Association (since 1996)

• Leading Individual, Chambers Europe 2020
• Leading Individual, Chambers Global 2020
• Leading Individual, The Legal 500 EMEA 2019
• Leading Lawyer, Financial and Corporate, IFLR1000 2019

• A book, co-authored by DERLING PRIMUS partners
• “Piiriülese ühinemise ühinguõiguslikke aspekte. Baltikumi kogemus reguleeritavate ettevõtjate ühinemisel Euroopa äriühinguks” (Corporate law aspects of cross-border mergers. The Baltic experience of regulated companies merging into a European company), Juridica IV/2007
• “Külgeklammerdatud rahastamine“ (Attached funding), Finantsjuhtimine, 2007
• Co-author of “Rahvusvaheline õigus” (International law), Juura, 2002, 2004, 2007
• “Juhi elu pärast IPOt“ (A manager’s life after IPO), Investor ja ettevõtja, 2006
• Monograph “Välislepingud Eesti õigussüsteemis“ (International agreements in the Estonian legal system), Õiguskirjastus, 2001