The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Plesner is a first tier firm,

Plesner’s ‘highly respected’ 20-lawyer team advises on regulatory matters and acquisition, project and asset financing and includes the ‘outstanding’ Søren Thyssen Valerius. Thomas Maaberg Hansen and Birgitte Schøtt Knudsen continue to act on the Danish aspects of the Lehman Brothers insolvency. Jørgen Permin, commended for his ‘business acumen, attention to detail and excellent negotiation skills’ advised China Development Bank on a $1bn facility to A P Moller-Maersk and acted for DONG Energy on its 50% ownership stake in the London Array Project for the construction of the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

Within Capital markets, Plesner is a first tier firm,

Plesner’s ‘hardworking’ team, headed by Jørgen Permin, advised DONG Energy on its two €1bn bond series. Thomas Holst Laursen, ‘a tough negotiator with good business acumen’ and the universally respected Jacob Bier advised Swedbank in connection with its placing of shares. Bier also acted for A P Moller-Maersk in its investment in DFDS. Christian Kjølbye and his team assisted Mid-Europa Partners, and its lead counsel Shearman & Sterling LLP, in the conditional acquisition of TDC’s 65.66% stake in Invitel Holding. Birgitte Schøtt Knudsen leads a dedicated group that advises on derivatives, securitisations and structured capital markets products.

Within Dispute resolution, Plesner is a first tier firm,

Plesner’s ‘particularly good’ 24-lawyer group was instructed by Finansiel Stabilitet to initiate proceedings against EBH Bank. Group head Torben Bondrop has won 11 consecutive Supreme Court cases. Peter Wengler-Jørgensen and Niklas Korsgaard Christensen have ‘great experience and focus’. Certified arbitrator Mikael Rosenmejer is representing a Danish hedge fund in a multi-party class action, while Peter Fogh and Frants Dalgaard-Knudsen handle construction disputes.

Within EU and competition, Plesner is a second tier firm,

Plesner’s ‘accessible, best-in-class’ competition team includes Bo Vesterdorf, former president of the Court of First Instance. Group head Christian Lauridsen is representing DONG Energy in several ongoing cases concerning alleged excessive pricing on the electricity spot market. Gitte Holtsø, who ‘always provides valuable, to-the-point advice’, is assisting a Danish company with a trans-Atlantic competition law investigation within the air freight forwarding sector. The team handled numerous merger filings, notably advising A P Moller-Maersk on the sale of Norfolk Holdings to DFDS and the acquisition of a minority shareholding in DFDS.

Within Employment, Plesner is a second tier firm,

Plesner’s ‘highly qualified, down-to-earth, service-minded, honest, reliable and capable team’ advises on M&A, restructuring, outsourcing, large-scale redundancies and incentive programmes. Group head Tina Reissmann advised Infineon Technologies Denmark following its sale to Intel and Transavia on the closure of its Danish operations. Henriette Stakemann was promoted to partner and Poul Flemming Hansen is a judge in the Danish Labour Court.

Within Energy, Plesner is a first tier firm,

Plesner’s team, which impresses with its ‘good industry knowledge and response time’, recruited Marlene Hannibal from Poul Schmith Law Firm. Multinational clients include Q8, Chevron and Siemens Wind Power. Poul Flemming Hansen, Niels Chr. Ellegaard and Henriette Stakemann assisted WAOO on the acquisition of leading fibre network company Dansk Bredbånd. Jørgen Permin is advising DONG Energy on major wind farm projects. Christian Kjølbye, Søren Stenderup Jensen and Ellen Skodborggaard advise Shell Danmark.

Within Environment, Plesner is a first tier firm,

At Plesner, environmental litigator Søren Stenderup Jensen specialises in carbon capture and storage litigation, chemicals and life sciences regulations, and transactional support. Marlene Hannibal joined from Poul Schmith Law Firm. Highlights included advising Nord Stream on an undersea gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. Clients include municipalities, Novartis Healthcare, Kuwait Petroleum and Shell Danmark. Peter Holm-Larsen handles contentious environmental and planning cases.

Within Information technology, Plesner is a second tier firm,

At Plesner, Per Håkon Schmidt and his team advise the firm’s corporate clients including DSV, Sonofon, ILVA, Q8, LEGO and G4S as well as suppliers Cisco and Eltel. Niels Christian Ellegaard, who also acts for Oracle, is assisting Accenture with the East-West Denmark travelcard project. E-commerce specialist Michael Hopp, who has ‘an extensive knowledge of data protection’, advises CNA Insurance, Siemens and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Jon Balsby is singled out for his ‘in-depth knowledge and practical solutions’.

Within Insolvency, Plesner is a first tier firm,

Plesner’s 22-lawyer team is led by Michael Zeigler and Pernille Bigaard, who are permanent trustees at the Maritime and Commercial Court. Large-scale insolvency instructions include Landic, Atlas Shipping and Griffin. The group successfully restructured Oskar Jensen Group and Biva Furniture. Certified arbitrator Peter Bang assisted Italian based Maflow Group with the reconstruction/sale of its international subsidiaries.

Within Insurance, Plesner is a second tier firm,

Plesner’s 12-lawyer team, headed by successful litigator and certified arbitrator Torben Bondrop, handles international cases, including reinsurance arbitrations, and advises on product liability, commercial liability, workmen’s compensation, personal injury and professional liability. Bondrop and Mikael Rosenmejer are defending Scandinavian Tobacco Company in the High Court against claims by smokers for alleged smoke-related injuries. Key clients include Codan (RSA), SEB, and ACE Europe.

Within Intellectual property, Plesner is a first tier firm,

Plesner’s seven-partner, 22-lawyer group is recommended for patent, copyright and trade mark litigation. Half of the partners focus on life sciences work, with group head Peter Ulrik-Plesner representing Eli Lilly, Novartis, AstraZeneca and Pfizer. Per Håkon Schmidt assists international and Danish clients, notably Danske Bank, in Community and Danish trade mark prosecutions. Schmidt and Michael Hopp are representing the Nordic Mechanical Rights Society in a test case instigated by DR and TV2, and advising Telenor in a landmark case regarding internet service providers’ responsibility for customers’ participation in a file sharing scheme.

Within Legal market overview,

The Big Four firms – Kromann Reumert, Bech-Bruun, Plesner, and Gorrissen Federspiel – dominate the market. While top banking and finance firms remain busy dealing with the aftermath of the crisis, the financial sector has been relatively quiet. Full-service firms Lett Law Firm and Horten face increased competition for public sector work.

Within Media and entertainment, Plesner is a second tier firm,

Plesner’s team is ‘second to none’ representing film distributors, cinemas and film production companies, as well as computer, music, press and sports clients. Clients appreciate Michael Vilhelm Nielsen’s ‘industry experience and in-depth knowledge’. Nielsen represents the Association of Danish Cinema Owners, and advises on sports contracts, recently advising FC Vestsjælland on bringing two North Korean footballlers to Denmark. Together with Gitte Holtsø, he is representing satellite operator/distributor Canal Digital in negotiations with TV2|DANMARK regarding satellite distribution. Nielsen also advised on the liberalisation of Denmark’s gaming law regulations. Other clients include Black Pelican Music and Warner/Chappell Music Denmark. Michael Hopp advises computer games developer IO Interactive.

Within Mergers and acquisitions, Plesner is a first tier firm,

Plesner’s ‘talented M&A lawyers’ Finn Lernø, Jacob Bier and Christian Kjølbye focus on big-ticket deals. Jacob Bier and Torben Nørskov acted for new client A P Moller-Maersk in the €345m sale of Norfolk Line to DFDS, advised DR and TV2|DANMARK on the sale of Danish broadcasting infrastructure assets to Teracom and represented EQT Expansion Capital II in its investment in windmill manufacturer Skykon. The ‘responsive, sensitive and whip smart’ Thomas Holst Laursen and his team are representing Swedish Match in negotiations with Scandinavian Tobacco Group.

Within Real estate and construction, Plesner is a first tier firm,

At Plesner, lease law specialist Leif Djurhuus was successful in a high-profile rent dispute. Jakob Schou Midtgaard advised Debenhams, and Peer Meisner acted for Pensam, Lægernes Pensionskasse and Nordea. Anders Friis advises SEB Pensionsforsikring. Peter Wengler-Jørgensen and Niklas Korsgaard Christensen are singled out for their ‘great experience and ability to focus on key points’. Key clients include Schaumann Properties and Kirbi Invest, and developers Sjælsø Gruppen and Kuben Byg.

Within Shipping and transport, Plesner is a third tier firm,

Plesner’s team, led by Peter Fogh, advised the Swedish Maritime Administration on a claim in the Copenhagen Commercial and Maritime Court for costs related to an oil spillage in Swedish waters. Jørgen Permin and Micha Fritzen advised Nordic Tankers in its conditional assets-for-shares deal with the Clipper Group, which included the takeover of a substantial part of the Clipper Group’s tanker division and commercial and technical ship management activities. Jørgen Permin advised China Development Bank on Danish law matters in connection with a $1bn facility to A P Moller-Maersk.

Within Tax, Plesner is a first tier firm,

Plesner’s ‘widely recognised’ 16-lawyer tax group is led by Hans Severin Hansen, who has an ‘incredible unbeaten record in landmark cases’. He is the only lawyer on the government Tax Commission and is permanent adviser to the Ministry of Taxation. Hansen, Svend Erik Holm and Tom Kári Kristjánsson specialise in direct and indirct taxation, VAT and customs and excise. Lasse Esbjerg Christensen provides ‘highly skilled, spot on and swift tax advice’, notably assisting A P Moller-Maersk with the €346m sale of Norfolkline to DFDS. Standalone tax clients include Novo Nordisk, GE Capital, France Telecom and DONG Energy.

Within Telecoms, Plesner is a first tier firm,

Plesner’s Niels Christian Ellegaard, who is commended for his ‘well-founded and detailed industry knowledge’, represents Cybercity against TDC. Transactional work included assisting Waoo in its acquisition of Dansk Bredbånd. Jon Balsby is ‘quick and competent’. Michael Hopp and Per Håkon Schmidt assisted TELE2 in the Pirate Bay matter, upholding the injunction initiated by IFPI on behalf of right holders in the music and film industries. Other clients include Brightpoint Europe, Relacom, Telefonica, AT&T and Sprint.