The family of Henrik Wilhelm Borenius Sr. roots were originally in the municipality of Kisko in Karelia, in the eastern part of Finland. The Borenius family created its name in the 1800’s from the Hebrew word “boren” meaning a fountain and adding the Latin ending “ius” to the name.

The father of Heikki Borenius Sr., also named Henrik Borenius, was a priest in Karelia and his grandfather, Aleksander Ferdinand Borenius, a gifted attorney who was appointed as the President of the Court of Appeal in Vaasa and made also a career in politics by becoming a senator. Heikki Borenius Sr. inherited the musicality of his grandfather who was a renowned composer in the field of choir music.

Heikki Borenius Sr. graduated from secondary school in spring 1902, became Master of Science in 1907 and received his law degree in 1911. In addition, he trained on the bench in 1913. Heikki Borenius Sr. was a close friend of both Ilmari Palmén and Cajus Holma and had been working at Attorneys at law Palmén & Holma already during his studies. In 1915, he became a partner with great commitment and ambition and the firm adopted the name Attorneys at law Holma & Borenius.

Heikki Borenius Sr. was very thorough and responsible in his work. His reputation grew steadily not only among clients but also in all court instances.

In 1930, Cajus Holma left the firm into the capable hands of Heikki Borenius Sr. who changed the firm name into Attorney at law Heikki Borenius. Heikki Borenius Sr. further established the indisputable reputation of the firm in civil law, the majority of cases dealing with family and inheritance law, as well as in contract and corporate law.

From the very beginning, Heikki Borenius Sr. worked actively at the Finnish Bar Association as a member of the board and as the chairman. He contributed significantly in getting the Act on Advocates passed in 1958 and was invited as an honorary member to the current bar association.

The Borenius family had great interest in music, arts and literature and the firm had numerous clients among the foremost artists and authors of the time. Furthermore, the interest of Heikki Borenius Sr. in politics resulted in the firm handling several criminal cases relating to politics, which were keenly followed by the media.

After the wars, the quantity of work grew rapidly. Heikki Borenius Sr. had reliable help in handling the ever-growing clientele among others from Eero Walentin von Boehm, Lauri Borenius and Eero Rönkä, and Henrik Castrén. In 1947, Heikki Antero Borenius, also referred to as Heikki Borenius Jr., started working at the office and became partner in 1957.

The firm name was again changed, this time to Attorneys at law Borenius & Borenius. It was also time for the firm to move, having stayed at the same address in the centre of Helsinki for over 45 years. The new facilities belonged to a major insurance company, called Salama, and were located across the street from the old premises. The reputation of both father and son Borenius grew and the clientele of the firm came to include large businesses and industrial corporations.

In 1961, Heikki Borenius Sr. reached the age of 75 and decided to retire. Less than a year from his retirement he unexpectedly passed away, while on a business trip in Sweden. The Secretary General of the Finnish Bar Association, Professor Bruno A. Salmiala, wrote an obituary for Heikki Borenius Sr.

Kullervo Kemppinen joined the firm as a new partner and continued the excellent work of Heikki Borenius Sr.