Norway > Oil and gas
Oil and gas
Arntzen de Besche’s oil and gas group is ‘highly qualified and quick to respond’. The firm acts for numerous oil companies, and has advised the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy on Gassnova carbon capture and storage projects, as well as governments including Mozambique and Tanzania on the legal framework for oil exploitation. Dag Erlend Henriksen is known to be extremely knowledgeable on the legal framework for carbon emission quotas. Christian Michelet has ‘very good knowledge of the oil and gas sector’, and Erlend Bakken is ‘excellent for oil service industry, business and securities law’.
Kluge Advokatfirma DA has ‘impressive, up-to-date knowledge and hands-on experience of the oil and gas industry’. Stavanger-based Preben Falck has been assisting with major development projects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, and several lawyers have assisted Dong Energy in a series of complex projects including a gas power plant. Thomas Abrahamsen and Per Arvid Schøyen in Stavanger, and Jane Wesenberg in Oslo are recommended. Clients include Nordic LNG and Lyse Energy.
Kvale Advokatfirma Da has ‘strengthened its oil and gas team over the last two years, and it is now one of Norway’s most skilled’. Jens Brede and Amund Bjøranger Tørum ‘are particularly good’. The firm has a framework agreement with the Norwegian Oil Industry Association to advise on legal matters relevant to the oil industry. Other clients include Rocksource and Talisman Energy. Yngve Bustnesli is recommended for litigation in the oil sector.
Advokatfirmaet Schjødt DA’s Ingvald Falch and Trond Sollund are ‘excellent in all respects, co-operative, always on time, and business-oriented’. The firm offers a full service to the Stavanger oil and gas industry, with Dag Sigvart Kaada is recommended. Recent instructions include licence advice to Petoro, and the practice has assisted oil service sector operators such as Schlumberger and Seawell Norge. Clients also commend Nils Ludvig Dahl and Lars Ragnar Mysen.
BA-HR is skilled in corporate and finance sector instructions, and is an excellent choice for arbitration and litigation. Key client Aker Group provides a stream of challenging service sector work. The team has proved equally adept at handling licence negotiations in developing countries. Geir Gustavsson is ‘a first-class, highly skilled lawyer’. Rolf Johan Ringdal, Mats Saether and Anders Gullåsen recently acted in several complex rig sale and leaseback transactions.
Kyllingstad Kleveland Advokatfirma DA, in Oslo and Stavanger, has quickly established an impressive client base, including Kongsberg Group, Subsea 7 and Stena Group. Eirik Høiby, Per Kyllingstad and Erik Brannsten tend to specialise in complex, high-value service contracts and disputes. Dagfinn Nygaard is an expert in the interpretation of the sector standard Norwegian Joint Operating Agreement.
Selmer’s Sverre Tysland and Per Harg are experts in framework regulations for petroleum activities. The team acted in one of 2008’s major licence transactions when Det Norske Oljeselskap sold its interest in the Goliat oil field to Statoil. With the benefit of a Moscow office, Thomas Michelet has established a near dominant share of the growing Russian market. Clients include Saga Oil and Vega Resources.
Simonsen Advokatfirma DA has represented a dozen significant Norwegian Continental Shelf operators and attracts prestige instructions, including acting for the UN special representative to West Africa, and providing policy advice to sovereign governments. Per Seime is vastly experienced and ‘accessible, very responsive and insightful’. Bjørn-Erik Leerberg has ‘extensive experience in oil and gas matters, as well as being a very likeable person’. Clients include Premier Oil and OMV Norge.
Wiersholm has established a position as principal external legal advisor to oil-giant Statoil following its 2006 merger, a tribute to the skills of Thomas Svensen and his group’s ability to provide the additional expertise required by the impressive Statoil legal department. However, that success means that the practice has become tailored rather specifically to the needs of Norway’s largest company for support in high-value arbitration and litigation, and major transactions in the sector. As a consequence the firm is frequently conflicted out of the wider market. Other active clients include Total and Gasnor. Stephan Jervell is an ‘expert in the interpretation of long-term gas sales contracts’, while Harald Willumsen is noted for his petroleum taxation advice.
Wikborg Rein ‘is smaller, but has expertise in the oil and gas sector comparable to the big international law firms’. Jarle Erik Sandvik is ‘an excellent energy lawyer with good knowledge of the gas business’, Dag Mjaaland is ‘a very strong lead counsel in arbitration’ and associate Aadne Haga, who handles the group’s Russian instructions, is ‘very talented, and also strong in arbitration’. Clients include Dana Petroleum and Aker Floating Production.
Advokatfirmaet Haavind AS’s Rune Omdahl is ‘an experienced, pragmatic lawyer who has helpful in-house experience with Total’. Omdahl has led in advising PGNIG Norge in connection with the gas pipeline being laid between Norway and Denmark. Ian Anders Tobiassen is also recommended.
Advokatfirmaet Steenstrup Stordrange DA’s Morten Tidemann, in Stavanger, and Erik Myhr Nilsen, in Bergen, provide good support to mid-tier operators and service providers in the sector. Clients include Scan Tech and Barents Naturgas.
Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS acted as counsel to Deep Sea Drilling in a two step arbitration case with Marathon Petroleum Company over the scope of a drilling contract. In addition to dispute resolution, the practice’s involvement in the oil and gas sector is weighted towards M&A transactions handled in conjunction with the corporate department. Stephen Knudtzon and Ivar Alvik are recommended.