The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance (including shipping finance), BA-HR is a first tier firm,

BA-HR provides a ‘high service level’ to an impressive cadre of banking clients including DnB NOR Bank, ING and Danske Bank. Finn Myhre, who has an excellent reputation, advised Santander Norge on its NOK11bn securitisation of a car loan portfolio, the first ever securitisation under Norwegian law. Richard Sjøqvist, Rolf Johan Ringdal and Terje Sommer are also recommended.

Within Corporate and M&A, BA-HR is a first tier firm,

BA-HR is ‘outstanding in terms of quality, responsiveness, industry knowledge and ability to put together the right team’. The firm has 36 corporate and M&A specialists, and specialises in sophisticated, big-ticket mandates such as Aker Exploration’s €530m merger with Det Norske Oljeselskap. The ‘excellent’ Svein Gerhard Simonnæs has ‘business skills in addition to legal knowledge’, and Lars Norheim is ‘pragmatic and solutions-oriented’.

Within Dispute resolution, BA-HR is a first tier firm,

BA-HR’s comprehensive dispute resolution team was recently bolstered by the arrival of ‘superb litigator’ Jan Jansen from Arntzen de Besche and IP litigator Are Stenvik’s return following his role as Professor of Law at Oslo University. Jan-Fredrik Rafen, regarded as ‘the best marine insurance lawyer in Norway’, and the ‘up-and-coming’ Mats Sæther successfully represented Skuld P&I Club in a coverage dispute following a substantial liability claim against an insured member. Sam Harris heads the team, which also includes employment litigation expert Tarjei Thorkildsen, Gunnar Sørlie and the newly promoted Jon Christian Thaulow.

Within EU and competition, BA-HR is a first tier firm,

Headed by Beret Sundet, BA-HR’s two-partner team is ‘responsive, intelligent and nice to work with’. It is ‘truly superb on merger control issues’ and leverages the firm’s outstanding corporate client base to be involved in approximately half of all in-depth merger inquiries by the Competition Authority. It also handles cartel and abuse of dominant position investigations and recently handled one major leniency case. Former director of legal affairs at the Norwegian Competition Authority Helge Stemshaug is ‘one of the best competition specialists in Norway’.

Within Electricity, nuclear and renewable, BA-HR is a first tier firm,

Led by Rune Svoren, BA-HR’s five-partner team handles contractual, regulatory and litigation work for many of the largest players in the energy industry. Statkraft is a major client, which it is advising on a NOK12bn revolving credit facility. Jon Christian Thaulow, who gives ‘responsive and to-the-point advice’, recently successfully represented Nordkraft in litigation with minority shareholders following the acquisition of Fjellkraft. Helge Olav Bugge is recommended for tax-related matters.

Within Employment, BA-HR is a second tier firm,

BA-HR’s three-partner team has been advising numerous companies on amending schemes to comply with new legislation. Clients include Schibsted, Aker and Nokia. The ‘very good’ Tarjei Thorkildsen heads the team, and senior associate Tord Fondevik shows ‘good commercial understanding and strong professional knowledge’, and is earning a positive reputation for employment issues in the technology industry.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, BA-HR is a first tier firm,

BA-HR’s nine-partner team is a leading option for restructurings and formal insolvencies, and its work for the Norwegian Loan Trustee ensures it has a key role in every significant bond default. Close relationships with several leading banks, such as DnB NOR and Nordea, ensures that the group is also regularly involved on the lender side as creditors. Karstein Espelid is representing Löddeköpinge Handel in long-running insolvency claims worth around NOK100m. Richard Sjøqvist, Terje Sommer, Anders Eckhoff and Arne Tjaum are also recommended.

Within Intellectual property and TMT, BA-HR is a first tier firm,

BA-HR provides ‘superb service’ to pharmaceuticals multinationals including Pfizer Inc, GSK and Merck in patent litigation with generics manufacturers. The ‘excellent’ Gunnar Sørlie is a key patent litigator for the team, and the recent recruitment of Are Stenvik from Oslo University reinforces its depth. Both recently represented Novartis in winning an infringement case brought against Actavis concerning Diovan high blood pressure medicine. Lars Norheim heads the soft IP practice.

Within Legal market overview,

The market is dominated by the full-service firms BA-HR, Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS, Wiersholm and, to a slightly lesser extent, Wikborg Rein. Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS and Selmer provide compelling competition in the majority of practice areas.

Within Maritime law (including insurance), BA-HR is a second tier firm,

BA-HR has a broad maritime and insurance practice for clients including Skuld P&I Club, Grieg Shipping and Norwegian Hull Club. Geir Gustavsson and Rolf Johan Ringdal have an excellent reputation for transactions, and Jan-Fredrik Rafen and Mats Sæther are leading insurance litigators.

Within Offshore construction and shipbuilding, BA-HR is a first tier firm,

BA-HR’s Gunnar Sørlie and Jan Einar Barbo are market-leading lawyers and consequently the team is instructed by some of the most prominent players in the oil services space including Aker Group and Seadrill. Managing partner Morten Smørdal is well regarded for his work within the oil services area and recently represented Sevan Drilling in negotiating two turnkey contracts with Chinese shipyard Cosco.

Within Oil and gas, BA-HR is a first tier firm,

‘Particularly accomplished at transactional and contract work within the sector’, BA-HR is instructed by oil companies and oil services operations including Aker Group, Seadrill, Statoil and Norske Shell. It recently advised Aker Drilling on its NOK3.6bn IPO, together with a high-yield bond issue and bank loan. Team head Jan Jansen is the ‘pre-eminent petroleum tax lawyer’, is ‘excellent at presenting complex matters in an understandable way’, and also has substantial litigation experience in the sector. Ola Mestad has ‘an excellent grasp of the regulatory framework underpinning the industry’, and Rune Svoren is recommended for oil and gas M&A.

Within Real estate and construction, BA-HR is a first tier firm,

BA-HR is ‘very up-to-to date on market trends’, and provides the ‘full spectrum of services in real estate, with high quality, quick response times and high flexibility’. The ‘outstanding’ Stig Bech is ‘the number-one real estate lawyer in Norway’ and heads the team that now also includes Anne Sofie Bjørkholt, ‘a good number two, especially on real estate tax and VAT issues’. The ‘very good’ Erik Langseth is also recommended, and Sam Harris and Jan Einar Barbo are well regarded for construction law.

Within Tax, BA-HR is a first tier firm,

BA-HR’s six-partner team has ‘specialists in several areas of tax’. Jan Jensen is particularly appreciated for his oil and gas tax knowledge and ‘the ability to contribute and look at matters from a new angle’. He is also a leading tax litigator and is representing Statoil in a test case before the Court of Appeal regarding the right to deduct exploration costs incurred outside the Norwegian continental shelf. Frode Talmo, who is also involved in the aforementioned matter, is recommended for ‘no-nonsense, practical and to-the-point advice’. Joachim Bjerke heads the practice.