The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Kromann Reumert is a first tier firm,

Kromann Reumert provides ‘prompt advice, great industry knowledge and high standards’. Kim Rasmussen, Ian Tokley and Jens Steen Jensen advise the Ministry of Economics and Business on the Danish bank recapitalisation scheme. Ian Tokley and Kim Rasmussen advised Danske Bank on a €3bn issue under its EMTN programme and the first issues under the new Danish bank guarantee scheme. Christian Hennings, Kim Rasmussen and Thomas Kaas assisted Fionia Bank with an agreement with Finansiel Stabilitet. The group handles asset-related, project finance and regulatory matters for major lenders, notably advising ATP on the financing of EQT and ATP’s DKK2bn acquisition of KMD.

Within Capital markets, Kromann Reumert is a first tier firm,

Kromann Reumert represents several leading Danish banks, as well corporate clients such as Bang & Olufsen, Scandinavian Airlines and Carlsberg. The team assisted the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs and the Ministry of Finance with state-funded capital injections to Danske Bank and Realkredit Danmark, and advised Nordea Markets and Danske Markets on DSV’s DKK1.4bn share offering and Dresdner Bank on Vestas’ DKK6bn public offering. Leading lawyers include the ‘competent and dynamic’ Marianne Philip, whose advice is ‘second to none’; Jørgen Kjergaard Madsen; Henrik Møgelmose, who has an ‘excellent track record advising blue-chip clients’; Christian Lundgren; and Christina Bruun Geertsen.

Within Dispute resolution, Kromann Reumert is a second tier firm,

Kromann Reumert, litigation head Erling Borcher assisted DSB in obtaining a DKK2.25bn settlement from an Italian train supplier in a delivery dispute. Jens Rostock-Jensen represents Sydbank in the class action over ownership rights brought by bankTrelleborg’s minority shareholders following its collapse. Ulrik Jacobsen and ‘outstanding litigator’ Frank Bøggild are also recommended.

Within EU and competition, Kromann Reumert is a first tier firm,

Kromann Reumert’s ‘outstanding’ 25-lawyer team, headed by Jens Munk Plum, provides ‘high accessibility, short response times and good commercial understanding’ and has successfully overturned decisions by the Danish Competition Authority. Erik Bertelsen represents DONG Energy in Denmark’s largest excessive pricing case. The ‘brilliant’ Morten Kofmann represents SAS Cargo in the European Commission’s ongoing investigation into an alleged global airfreight cartel. Other clients of the practice include Arla Foods, Carlsberg and Nordea.

Within Employment, Kromann Reumert is a second tier firm,

Employment boutique Norrbom Vinding maintains its market-leading position, offering ‘high-level specialist service’. The renowned Mariann Norrbom successfully represented the Danish Football Association in the Supreme Court. Industrial relations expert Jørgen Vinding is known for representing employers in Supreme Court cases and advising Denmark’s largest media groups on restructuring. Christian Clasen provides ‘quick, business-oriented advice on collective bargaining’ and represented Scandinavian Airlines System in a high-profile age discrimination case, while Yvonne Frederiksen represented Air Greenland in a complex collective bargaining process. Tax expert Torben Mølgaard Hededal represents public and private sector clients. The defection of rising stars Marianne Granhøj and Jens Lund Mosbek to Kromann Reumert was mitigated somewhat by the arrival of Nicole Offendal from Lett Law Firm.

Within Employment, Kromann Reumert is a second tier firm,

Kromann Reumert’s 14-lawyer practice combines standalone employment advice with transactional support. The firm has been strengthened significantly by the arrival of Marianne Granhøj and Jens Lund Mosbek from Norrbom Vinding, and now represents a serious challenge to the market leader. Practice head Helene Amsinck advised DONG Energy on employment aspects of the acquisition of A2Sea and represented Sterling Airways in negotiations with the unions. Copenhagen team leader Claus Juel Hansen possesses ‘fantastic presentation skills’, and is ‘loyal, service-minded, creative and available 24/7’. He successfully defended VKR Holdings and Cisco Linksys KiSS before the Maritime and Commercial Court, and won a leading case for Encorium Danmark. Tina Brøgger Sørensen is also recommended.

Within Energy, Kromann Reumert is a first tier firm,

Clients commend Anders Stubbe Arndal and his team at Kromann Reumert for ‘excellent response times, industry knowledge and business acumen’. It advised DONG Energy on the purchase of offshore wind turbines from Siemens Windpower; on the acquisition of A2SEA; and on its investment in Better Place Danmark, which aims to create a charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Other clients include SEAS-NVE, Green Wind Energy and Eksport Kredit Fonden. Jens Blomgren Hansen advises on photovoltaic and wind turbine projects.

Within Environment, Kromann Reumert is a second tier firm,

Kromann Reumert’s six-lawyer team advised DONG on several matters including the purchase of shares in Elsam, the sale of Elsam and E2 assets to Vattenfall, and the acquisition of shares in A2SEA. It is representing the Danish Association of Fish Farmers in a substantial dispute and ERP Denmark in a dispute with the Danish EPA regarding the implementation of the WEEE Directive. Group head Kim Trenskov represented private and public parties in three Supreme Court cases.

Within Information technology, Kromann Reumert is a first tier firm,

Søren Skibsted heads the 27-lawyer group at Kromann Reumert, which is the largest in the market. Lau Normann Jørgensen is a leader in the field, while Vagn Thorup and Torben Waage are also recommended for transactional work. The firm represented DSB in negotiating an IT agreement with a new supplier of a train computer management system, and advised eBay on its DKK2.1bn purchase of Den Blå Avis advertising newspaper and car website Bilbasen from newspaper magnate Karsten Ree and others. It also acted for PFA Pension in the outsourcing and partial offshoring of its server-side and WAN operations to Novo Nordisk IT Services. Other clients include Cisco, Microsoft and HP.

Within Insolvency, Kromann Reumert is a first tier firm,

Søren Aamann Jensen and Lisa Bo Larsen head the department at Kromann Reumert. was promoted to partner. The group advises banks such as Danske Bank, Nordea Bank and Jyske Bank on risk management. The firm is appointed trustee in real estate bankruptcies, notably for Stones Invest, Centerplan and Griffin and in shipping and aviation bankruptcies such as Atlas Shipping and Sterling Airlines. Aarhus-based Christian Jul Madsen.

Within Insurance, Kromann Reumert is a second tier firm,

Kromann Reumert’s 20-lawyer team advises on insurance company mergers, regulations and compliance and advises international insurers entering Denmark. Jens Rostock-Jensen successfully represented General Motors in a high-profile product liability case. Christina Neugebauer specialises in personal injury cases.

Within Intellectual property, Kromann Reumert is a first tier firm,

Kromann Reumert’s 30-lawyer team has a leading reputation for patent and trade mark litigation. Nicolai Lindgreen sits on the Danish Patent Office’s advisory boards and is Assistant Reporter General of AIPPI. Dorte Wahl handles complex patent law matters, while clients appreciate Frank Bøggild’s ‘good grasp of commercial realities and his expertise, which is second to none’. Erling Borcher specialises in product imitation, design protection, marketing practices and trade mark cases. Pia Voldmester assisted a major Danish furniture manufacturer in proceedings concerning online sale of counterfeits. Martin Dahl Pedersen is representing the Danish Association of Newspapers (DDF) in a Supreme Court case against Infopaq concerning scanning of newspaper articles.

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,

Kromann Reumert is significantly bigger than its competitors and maintains an excellent reputation across all practice areas. Bruun & Hjejle’s business has benefited from its increased size and bandwidth. Horten is expanding rapidly through lateral hiring.

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.

Within Media and entertainment, Kromann Reumert is a second tier firm,

Kromann Reumert is particularly strong in sports law and represents the Danish Handball Players Association, the Danish Athlete’s Association and football’s Danish Players Association. Martin Dahl Pedersen is representing boxer Mikkel Kessler in a dispute with his former promoter, and the Danish Association of Newspapers (DDF) in a case against Infopaq concerning scanning of newspaper articles; he also sits on the board of the Danish Film Institute. Clients appreciate his ‘insights into the publishing industry and expert copyright knowledge’.

Within Mergers and acquisitions, Kromann Reumert is a first tier firm,

Kromann Reumert’s highly respected group includes Copenhagen-based Marianne Philip, Jørgen Kjergaard Madsen, Henrik Møgelmose, Anders Lavesen, Peter Ketelsen, Caroline Pontoppidan, Christian Lundgren and the Aarhus-based Poul Viggo Bartels Petersen. The group advised the Danish Ministry of Transport in connection with the merger of Post Danmark and Posten and on the state acquisition of a 22% shareholding in Post Danmark from funds managed by CVC Capital Partners. It assisted DONG Energy in the largest-ever purchase of off-shore wind turbines (from Siemens Windpower), and advised eBay on its €280m purchase of media group Den Blå Avis and affiliated companies in Denmark, Sweden and the UK.

Within Real estate and construction, Kromann Reumert is a first tier firm,

Kromann Reumert’s department, headed by Flemming Horn Andersen, is marked by ‘good communication and a positive atmosphere’. The group represented the Engineering College of Aarhus, Aarhus Maskinmesterskole and Incuba Science Park in the acquisition of Navitas Park from the Municipality of Aarhus, and assisted Essex Invest with complex real estate deals with Sjælsø Gruppen. Holger Schöer is recommended, while Søren Andreasen was recently appointed partner.

Within Shipping and transport, Kromann Reumert is a first tier firm,

At Kromann Reumert group head Henrik Thal Jantzen, Lars Rosenberg Overby and Jakob Rosing have a ‘hands-on approach and good shipping industry knowledge and are fun to work with’. The group assisted the buyers of the Danish Shipowning Company Get2Sea, negotiated charter parties in respect of specialised vessels and rigs for the construction of a large wind farm in the Irish Sea, and acted as liquidators of Danish shipping companies Britannia Bulk Shipping and Atlas Shipping. It also represented cargo underwriters in Supreme Court proceedings regarding the ‘salmon roe’ multimodal transport case.

Within Tax, Kromann Reumert is a first tier firm,

Kromann Reumert’s 12-lawyer practice led by Arne Møllin Ottosen is ‘excellent, effective and second to none’ and has a strong international network. Key mandates have related to bank takeovers, restructurings and recapitalisations following the financial crisis. The group is representing a US multinational in Denmark’s second-largest transfer-pricing matter. Mette Porskær Winther heads the private client practice, while Lene Juel undertakes employee tax work. Michael Nørremark and Henriks Stig Lauritsen are also recommended.

Within Telecoms, Kromann Reumert is a first tier firm,

At Kromann Reumert, Torben Waage and his team advise telecoms giant TDC on transactional and regulatory matters. They represented Altibox Danmark and Lyse in connection with the acquisition of part of Midtvest Bredbånd and advised Broadcast Service Danmark regarding the Early Start project allowing broadcasting gatekeeper Boxer TV to commence its services on the DTT network before the withdrawal of analog services. Søren Skibsted is ‘responsive, flexible and commercially oriented’.