The Legal 500

Bech-Bruun

LANGELINIE ALLÉ 35, 2100 COPENHAGEN
Tel:
Work +45 72 27 00 00
Fax:
Fax +45 72 27 00 27
Web:
www.bechbruun.com
Email:
Copenhagen, Aarhus

What we say about the firm's legal practice in Denmark

Banking and finance

Within Banking and finance, Bech-Bruun is a first tier firm,

At Bech-Bruun, banking work is undertaken by the capital markets group, which provides ‘fine service’. The team was strengthened by the arrival of senior legal adviser Anne Kaas Hammer from Danske Markets, while Tue Ravnholt Frandsen was elected partner. Chairman Steen Halmind and Morten Krogsgaard recently handled acquisition finance transactions for Altor Equity Partners, Barclays Private Equity, and Goldman Sachs International. Other clients include Nordea Bank Danmark, Citigroup, Barclays Capital and RBS. Additionally, Steen Jensen advises Amagerbanken and Mezzanin Kapital, and Christian Kruse-Madsen represents The Bank of Copenhagen. The team was involved in negotiations with Finansiel Stabilitet – the state-owned company handling distressed banks.

Capital markets

Within Capital markets, Bech-Bruun is a first tier firm,

Bech-Bruun advises clients on secondary rights issues and listed share transactions. Notably, Regina Andersen represented Bang & Olufsen in its rights issue on OMX, and Steen Jensen advised its Norwegian client Affitech during a reverse takeover and merger with Pharmexa, a listed Danish biotech company. Jørgen Reimer Jensen advised on numerous corporate capital-raisings, including bond issues and derivatives work. The capital markets group represented several banks in connection with the Treasury’s ‘bank package 2’ providing subordinated loan capital.

Dispute resolution

Within Dispute resolution, Bech-Bruun is a second tier firm,

Bech-Bruun’s litigation department includes Jes Andersen-Møller, Morten Ulrich, Jes Anker Mikkelsen and former High Court judge Lars Lindencrone Petersen. The group takes plaintiff and defence cases, and its clients include insurers and reinsurers – notably Zurich, AXA, If, and Codan – and corporates such as A.P. Møller-Mærsk, Energinet.dk, Nordea, Novo Nordisk, TDC and Vestas. Lars Svenning Andersen represents 1,100 plaintiffs claiming approximately DKK4bn against DONG.

EU and competition

Within EU and competition, Bech-Bruun is a second tier firm,

Bech-Bruun has ‘good response times, industry knowledge and appropriate advice’ for state aid, anti-competitive practices, merger control and public procurement. Simon Evers Hjelmborg is handling three Court of First Instance cases concerning national broadcaster TV 2’s public service obligations. He also represented Viasat UK Broadcasting regarding TV 2’s alleged abuse of dominance, and Cheminova in a claim against Akzo Nobel. Peter Stig Jakobsen focuses on competition and public procurement, and successfully represented privately owned distributor Forbruger-Kontakt against Post Danmark.

Employment

Within Employment, Bech-Bruun is a second tier firm,

Bech-Bruun’s practice head Bjarke Vejby is representing Amagerbanken in a Supreme Court case concerning claims by retired bank employees, while Morten Ulrich successfully represented TDC in a Supreme Court case. Jette Ronøe specialises in stock options cases, while discrimination lawyer Mads Krarup was appointed partner in 2009, and Lars Svenning Andersen is also recommended. Mette Klingsten and her team joined from Abel & Skovgård Larsen Advokatfirma.

Energy

Within Energy, Bech-Bruun is a second tier firm,

Bech-Bruun provides specialist advice on oil and gas regulation, E&P transactions, licences, joint operating agreements, guarantees and offshore construction projects in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Group head Per Hemmer advises transmission system operator Energinet.dk. The team represents E.ON Vind Sverige on the establishment of Rødsand II offshore wind farm and the waste-to-energy plants DONG Energy Generation, Amagerforbrænding and Vesterforbrænding. Wind turbine expert Jakob Østervang joined from Abel & Skovgård Larsen Advokatfirma.

Environment

Within Environment, Bech-Bruun is a first tier firm,

At Bech-Bruun, group leader Jens Auken is advising Copenhagen Metro on the 2007-2018 extension programme. Svend Paludan-Müller has experience handling mergers between municipal waste management companies, and also won a major High Court case relating to an Environmental Impact Assessment on the territorial sea. Hanne Mølbeck acts for municipalities on major urban developments, while Mads Kobberø advises some 50 municipalities on soil contamination, environmental permits and environmental law enforcement.

Information technology

Within Information technology, Bech-Bruun is a first tier firm,

Bech-Bruun’s eight-strong team is ‘outstanding and attentive, and always provides inspiring input’ on IT matters, including transactional support, outsourcing and licensing agreements, system integration, compliance, e-commerce and data protection. High-profile clients include Microsoft and Business Software Alliance. Group head Niels Andersen advises on complex IT contracts including agreements regulating IT services provided by KMD to the Danish municipalities following the sale of KMD, and system integration agreements between Accenture and its customers Carlsberg, Novo and TopDanmark. Anne Becker-Christensen displays ‘impressive attention to detail and thoroughness, and delivers results’.

Insolvency

Within Insolvency, Bech-Bruun is a first tier firm,

Bech-Bruun group head Ole Borch, Michael Serring and Lars Lindencrone Petersen ‘are among the best in Denmark’ and are instructed by major Danish and foreign banks. The lawyers act as trustees in bankruptcies, supervisors in suspensions of payments, members of creditors’ committees and creditor representatives and have handled numerous out-of-court arrangements. The group received major mandates from Roskilde Bank, Sterling Airlines, Correll Ejendomme and Landic/Keops. Jørgen Hauschildt and three other fee-earners joined from Abel & Skovgård Larsen Advokatfirma.

Insurance

Within Insurance, Bech-Bruun is a second tier firm,

Bech-Bruun’s ‘professional and skillful’ 15-lawyer team undertakes regulatory work regarding life insurance and pension schemes, represents international insurance brokers and advises on construction law, professional liability, product liability and industrial and personal injury. Group leader Henrik Valdorf-Hansen acted in a Supreme Court case concerning distributor agreements. Clients include international and Danish insurers Zurich, AIG, TrygVesta and If and commercial clients Energinet.dk, Hewlett-Packard, Nordea, TDC and Vestas. Jesper Windahl and Carsten Pedersen are recommended.

Intellectual property

Within Intellectual property, Bech-Bruun is a second tier firm,

Bech-Bruun’s 14-lawyer team is particularly strong in trade mark and design, patent and copyright law, handling more cases than any other Danish law firm before the Maritime and Commercial Court. Claus Barrett Christiansen is ‘second to none with very good industry knowledge’. High-profile clients include Business Software Alliance (BSA), Crocs, Dell, Mars and Microsoft. Lisbet Andersen is an ‘excellent trade marks lawyer’ with a successful record in domain name disputes.

Legal market overview

Within Legal market overview,

The Big Four firms – Kromann Reumert, Bech-Bruun, Plesner, and Gorrissen Federspiel – dominate the market. Meanwhile, the financial crisis has provided steady work for top banking and finance practices, notably Gorrissen Federspiel and Kromann Reumert. Although many lawyers switched from M&A to insolvency activity, transaction-focused firms such as Accura Advokataktieselskab and Rønne & Lundgren have kept busy on a steady diet of smaller deals. Full-service firms Lett Law Firm and Horten have benefited from their strength in regional and public sector work.

Within Legal market overview,

2009 saw high-profile individuals moving to larger firms, reversing the trend of recent years. The most talked about defection in 2009 was Claus Bennetsen, former head of banking at Accura Advokataktieselskab who joined Horten. Well-reputed employment lawyer Mette Klingsten – who joined Bech-Bruun – was among several departures from Abel & Skovgård Larsen Advokatfirma. Elsewhere, departures from employment boutique Norrbom Vinding included Marianne Granhøj and Jens Lund Mosbek, who moved to Kromann Reumert.

Media and entertainment

Within Media and entertainment, Bech-Bruun is a first tier firm,

Bech-Bruun’s broad practice represents high-profile clients including Bonnier Publications, Capella Music, Electronic Arts and Universal. Ole Borch focuses on sports law and sponsorship, while group head Niels Andersen ‘provides well-qualified advice based on strong industry knowledge’ and acted for The Music Business Organisation (MBO) in selling a division of Copenhagen Records to Sony Music. Anders Rubinstein is an ‘up-and-coming talent’. Strange Beck retired and was replaced as media department head by technology expert Arly Carlquist, who advises the Danish Game Producers’ Association.

Mergers and acquisitions

Within Mergers and acquisitions, Bech-Bruun is a first tier firm,

Jacob Hjortshøj and his team at Bech-Bruun represented Kommunernes Landsforening in its €269m disposal of KMD to EQT, and Altor in its €142m acquisition of MedTech. Monica Reib advised the majority shareholder on Fullrate’s sale to TDC, and represented Wayport during its €195m sale to AT&T. Niels Kornerup is ‘extremely helpful during sales negotiations’, while Niels Erik Nielsen, Søren Meisling, Jacob Hjortshøj and Mikkel Baaring Lerche are also recommended.

Real estate and construction

Within Real estate and construction, Bech-Bruun is a first tier firm,

Bech-Bruun’s practice ‘combines law expertise and business mindedness’, and its areas of expertise include property sales for bankruptcy estates for which it has a dedicated internet site to support this work. Practice head Torben Schön assisted Danica Pension Livsforsikringsselskab with the DKK1.1bn purchase of an office building. Andreas Antoniades is commended for his ‘fast response and positive demeanour’ – he and Torben Schøn and Lars Kjær assisted Swedish company Allokton with a SEK1.2bn cross-border restructuring. The group was strengthened by the recruitment of Jesper Bøge Pedersen from Abel & Skovgård Larsen Advokatfirma.

Shipping and transport

Within Shipping and transport, Bech-Bruun is a first tier firm,

Bech-Bruun’s ‘professional, good and friendly team’ advises P&I clubs, shipowners, operators and carriers and frequently appears before the Maritime and Commercial Court. Clients include Maersk, Stena Line and Thomas Cook, and insurers TrygVesta and If P&C Insurance. The group has handled matters caused by the financial crisis, including termination of charter party arrangements and detention disputes. Group head Jes Anker Mikkelsen represented Transurance/Codan in a high-profile case before the Maritime and Commercial Court regarding the interpretation of institute cargo clauses, and is representing SAS in disputes regarding handling charges at Copenhagen Airport. Jesper Windahl is ‘one of the best lawyers for marine cargo law’ and handles multijurisdictional disputes, while Henrik Valdorf-Hansen offers ‘particular expertise in marine insurance’, including Supreme Court cases and arbitrations.

Tax

Within Tax, Bech-Bruun is a first tier firm,

Bech-Bruun’s 18-lawyer group has broad expertise and represents a genuine alternative to the big accountancy firms for certain services. Nikolaj Bjørnholm and Carsten Pals provide structured finance expertise to Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Santander and Nordea. Anders Oreby Hansen specialises in M&A-related tax planning, group restructuring and transfer pricing. Aarhus-based Christian Bachmann is a key player locally and Michael Serup specialises in changes in business ownership and company structure. Tax controversy is another important part of the practice. Nikolaj Bjørnholm, who also handles National Tax Tribunal cases, won a significant Supreme Court case concerning employee travel allowances.

Telecoms

Within Telecoms, Bech-Bruun is a first tier firm,

Bech-Bruun’s Niels Andersen and Arly Carlquist head a team that ‘offers legal advice in a brief and business-oriented way, excellent drafting and value for money’. Recent activities include having negotiated agreements for the purchase of telecom services from TDC, advising clients on regulatory matters and handling a data protection project for Wayport. Key clients include ACN, Comitel, Microsoft and payment processor PBS.


Legal Developments in Denmark

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to
  • Lifting of water Law 54

    Nærværende faglige nyhed omhandler ophævelse af vandforsyningslovens § 54. Ændringen er indført for at sikre større hensyn til forsyningssikkerheden og naturen, men får stor betydning for vandforsyningsselskaber, der med lovændringen har mistet deres fortrinsstilling til betaling i forbindelse med tvangsauktioner og konkurs.
    - DELACOUR
  • Employers’ age discrimination of under-18s legal

    On 30 June 2010, the Danish Eastern High Court established that the provisions and the practice on a number of areas covered by collective agreements, supporting a lower pay for employees under 18 years and termination of the employees when they turn 18, cannot be deemed to constitute a violation of the Employment Equality Directive (Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000).
    - Norrbom Vinding Law Firm, member of ius laboris
  • Danish Holiday Act amended

    The Danish Ministry of Employment wants to stop employees speculating in having their holiday pay paid out. This has resulted in an amendment of the Danish Holiday Act.
    - Norrbom Vinding Law Firm, member of ius laboris
  • ”Honey” was not sexual harassment

    Close physical contact and calling an employee “honey" was not enough to prove that a manager had sexually harassed an employee.
    - Norrbom Vinding Law Firm, member of ius laboris
  • Doubt about how to interpret part-time leave agreement

    The Danish Board of Equal Treatment was not satisfied that an employer’s interpretation of an agreement about part-time leave was in breach of the Danish Act on Equal Treatment of Men and Women.
    - Norrbom Vinding Law Firm, member of ius laboris
  • Part-time and fixed-term employment in the EU

    Three provisions of Austrian law about part-time and fixed-term employment met with opposition at the European Court of Justice – they were held to be at odds with EU law.
    - Norrbom Vinding Law Firm, member of ius laboris
  • Public-sector managers, too, are entitled to freedom of speech

    The Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman has established once again that public-sector employees enjoy a high degree of freedom of speech.
    - Norrbom Vinding Law Firm, member of ius laboris
  • The Danish Posting of Workers Act amended

    Stricter duty to notify when posting employees to Denmark – new Act adopted.
    - Norrbom Vinding Law Firm, member of ius laboris
  • Retention of football players

    It is not a barrier to the free movement of labour for sports clubs to require players they have trained to sign their first professional contract with the club.
    - Norrbom Vinding Law Firm, member of ius laboris
  • Maximum compensation under the Danish Statement of Employment Particulars Act

    The Copenhagen City Court recently awarded a woman 20 weeks’ pay: her employer never issued a statement of particulars although she had asked for one.
    - Norrbom Vinding Law Firm, member of ius laboris