The Legal 500

Norway > Insolvency and corporate recovery

Editorial sections

Other

All countries

Other countries

BA-HR is ‘very good in all aspects – its lawyers strike a very good balance between business and law’. Bjørn Gabriel Reed, Finn Myhre and Jon Christian Thaulow were instructed by the Norwegian subsidiary of an insolvent Icelandic bank, Glitnir, in connection with its divestiture and sale. Anders Echoff and Richard Sjøqvist are, ‘excellent – they get results’.

DLA Piper ‘delivers on time to a high quality’. Johan Ratvik heads the group and is ‘strong on the HR side of winding-up’. Siv Sandvik ‘has expertise in the national and EU law regarding winding up’. Egil Hatling is advising Seut Industrier through a complex restructuring.

Ro Sommernes Advokatfirma DA is an insolvency boutique, widely acknowledged as a centre of excellence. Knut Ro and Ståle Sommernes, both Supreme Court attorneys, are highly recommended.

Selmer, ‘in the top league of all legal firms in Norway’ provides ‘excellent overall service’. Jon Skjørshammer is leading in the administration of the Terra Securities bankruptcy. Einar Grette and Anne Kjølseth are recommended, as is associate Jon Fredrik Johansen.

Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS’s Kim Dobrowen worked with Kjersti Ringdal on a complex restructuring for Oslo Børs listed Hurtigruten Group. Ervin Auren worked with Dobrowen on a similar restructuring for Norwegian Property. Jo Rodin receives consistent plaudits.

Wiersholm’s team, led by Ståle Gjengset and Leif Moltke-Hansen, offers ‘short response times and almost full-time availability’. Jo Faafeng is ‘proactive, and very helpful’. Erik Ramm recently assisted Eksportfinans.

Kvale Advokatfirma Da was appointed to numerous trusteeships by Oslo Probate Court during 2009, including Scan Geophysical and Tandberg. Tom Hugo Ottesen is an acknowledged leader in the field.

Advokatfirmaet Schjødt DA has particular depth in finance and banking. Clients include Swedbank, Norsk Tillitsmann and BNbank. Torbjørn Gjelsvik ‘effectively combines corporate law, land law and insolvency issues’.

Advokatfirmaet Steenstrup Stordrange DA is ‘fast, gives a top level of service and provides a value-for-money service’. Frode Finnøy is ‘very good with corporate conflict and bankruptcies’, and associate Audun Kleppestø ‘is a strong, upcoming, bright, all-round lawyer’. Recent probate court assignments include Colleseum Bygg.

Wikborg Rein’s Leif Petter Madsen is ‘highly experienced, calm and understands both his law and business – but can be too busy’: he was appointed trustee to the Zarepta Chemical bankruptcy. Bergen-based Haakon Blaauw and Marius Gisvold in Oslo are recommended.

Brækhus Dege Advokatfirma ANS has been instructed in numerous probate court bankruptcies; Christian Solemslie is dealing with Auto Huset, and Bjørn Køhler Thommessen with the John Bauer school.

Deloitte Advokatfirma AS’ lead partner Anne Helsingeng recently assisted in setting aside the insolvency of Informa Heathcare; Helsingeng is regularly appointed as trustee in the estates of bankrupt or suspended lawyers.

Advokatfirmaet Haavind AS has appointed Inger Marit Borch, who joined from Advokatfirma Ræder DA, as group leader and recruited Trond Kildal, previously with Svenska Handelsbanken. Hans Otto Meyer led on the liquidation of Tonsberg Magnesium Group.

Simonsen Advokatfirma DA’s Sindre Walderhaug is advising Nordea Bank in connection with several syndicates in the Golden Ocean refinancing. Claus Flinder is recommended for private equity restructuring.

Føyen Advokatfirma DA’ Hans-Jørgen Arvesen has handled numerous bankrupt estates and, in 2009, provided assistance to Axxcess Industries in its acquisition of the bankrupt Nordisk Mobiltelefon.

Advokatfirmaet Grette DA’s Anne Cathrine Røed is counsel to the Finance Credit bankrupt estate and succeeded in a Court of Appeal action against a former board member; the case has been appealed to the Supreme Court.

Search News and Articles

Press releases

The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to

Legal Developments in Norway

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to

  • Corporate Governance - 2010

    Sources of corporate governance rules and practices
    - Kluge Advokatfirma DA

  • Earn money by renting out the cabin

    Å ha hytte kan være dyrt. Å leie ut hytten kan derfor være lurt og lønnsomt. Det gjelder imidlertid å vite hvilke skatte- og avgiftsregler som gjelder.
    - Advokatfirmaet Grette DA

  • Åsne Seirstad offered to pay compensation to the bookseller's wife

    Åsne Seierstad’s international bestseller, The Bookseller of Kabul, portrays an Afghan bookseller and his family, and tells the story of a patriarch society were men are considered superior to women. In 2002 Seierstad was invited to live with the bookseller and his family. During a family dinner Seierstad said to herself “This is Afghanistan. How interesting it would be to write a book about this family”. This dinner and the emerging idea are described in the book’s opening. From a legal point of view it is of course relevant that Seierstad claimed to be portraying an actual family. The book was based on Seierstad’s many conversations and discussions with the bookseller and his family during her stay.
    - Advokatfirmaet Grette DA

  • Principal new judgement of The Supreme Court regarding pension

    On 7 April this year, the Supreme Court pronounced judgement in a case between Fokus Bank and a group of employees in the bank. The case concerned the matter of whether an employer may unilaterally change (“convert”) the employees’ pension scheme from performance-based to contribution-based. The Supreme Court concluded that Fokus Bank had the right to unilaterally convert the pension scheme to a contribution scheme. The Supreme Court’s reasons are principal and presumptive in the sense that employers have such a right, even when the new contribution scheme clearly is less beneficial for the employees than the old performance scheme.
    - Wiersholm

  • Wikborg Rein newsletter: Paying for pirates

    Background: Attacks by Somali pirates are still commonplace and the fall-out from kidnappings of individuals and seizures of ships by pirates are still being dealt with by insurance companies, P&I clubs, arbitration tribunals, courts of law and national governments.
    - Wikborg Rein

  • Gas Regulation 2010

    Description of domestic sector: Describe the domestic natural gas sector, including the natural gas production, liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage, pipeline transportation, distribution, commodity sales and trading segments and retail sales and usage.
    - Kluge Advokatfirma DA

  • Security and Insolvency - Does contract cancellation provide you with a guaranteed solution?

    It has been a tempestuous few years in world markets and whilst the Scandinavian model economies have survived the worst of the downturn, bankruptcies have been prevalent and the international nature of trading patterns has exposed Norwegian companies and local authorities to disputes in courts around the globe. The banking crisis has been compounded by the financial implosion of countries such as Iceland and Greece, leaving recession-hit economies already affected by increased regulatory constraints, environmental protection measures  and enhanced solvency requirements, still struggling to sustain growth.
    - Vogt & Wiig AS

  • Norway: MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS 2010

    Norway is not a member of the European Union (“EU”), but it is a member of the European Free Trade Association (“EFTA”) and the European Economic Area (“EEA”). This means that most EU regulations concerning M&A transactions has been and will be implemented in Norwegian law, including MIFID and the Transparency Directive.
    - Advokatfirmaet Steenstrup Stordrange DA

  • Norway Transactions (Q&A)

    What different types of private equity transactions occur in your jurisdiction? Over the past 10 years private equity activity has increased substantially in Norway. The increase in deals did not extend into 2009, which became a consolidation year for most private equity players in Norway, in line with the global trend.
    - Advokatfirmaet Steenstrup Stordrange DA

  • Enforcement of security interests in banking transactions

    Norwegian law requires a statutory basis for establishing a security interest. The pledge act of 8 February 1980 no 2 (the 'Pledge Act') is the legal basis for most types of security which can be established pursuant to Norwegian law. It is a general condition for establishing a security interest that the assets to be pledged are transferable, and to the extent transferability is conditional the same condition will apply to the security.
    - Advokatfirmaet Steenstrup Stordrange DA

Press releases

The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to
© 2009 legal500.com