The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance (including shipping finance), Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS is a first tier firm,

Wilhelm Damm heads Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS’ six-partner team, which has deeply entrenched relationships with numerous banks, corporates and private equity firms, and has handled a raft of new money financings as well as restructurings. Jo Stokke recently advised on the financing of BC Partners’ acquisition of Nille Group. Other clients include Nordea, Swedbank, DnB NOR and Deutsche Bank. Viggo Bang-Hansen has ‘good legal and commercial skills’, and is particularly accomplished at capital markets matters.

Within Corporate and M&A, Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS is a first tier firm,

Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS’ 40-strong team provides expert advice on a broad array of M&A, demergers and day-to-day corporate and commercial work. The firm is ‘very good within the private equity and venture capital space’, and has earned roles on some of the most significant deals in the market, including advising on Hg Capital’s €1.4bn sale of Visma to KKR, and Herkules Capital’s sale of Handicare to Nordic Capital. Knut Smith-Erichsen and Viggo Bang-Hansen head the team, in which Erling Christiansen and Einar Caspersen are recommended.

Within Dispute resolution, Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS is a first tier firm,

Trond Sollund heads Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS’ ‘excellent’ 11-partner team, which handles complex litigation and arbitration across the gamut of substantive law. Sollund regularly acts in oil and gas disputes, and along with Vidar Strømme continues to represent various oil companies including ExxonMobil in arbitration with Statoil and ConocoPhillips regarding pension costs. Cato Schiøtz has vast civil and criminal law expertise, and recently successfully represented Norconsult, Norway’s largest engineering consultancy firm, in a corruption case. Clients recommend Nils-Henrik Pettersson for construction disputes, and Halvor Manshaus for IP and TMT issues.

Within EU and competition, Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS is a first tier firm,

Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS has an excellent reputation for EU and procurement matters, where it is increasingly attracting referrals from foreign law firms. The team is also ‘very strong on concerted practices’, and is defending Finn.no against abuse of dominant position claims. The firm also handles a steady flow of notifications as a result of its robust M&A practice. Christian Bendiksen and Jan Magne Juuhl-Langseth are recommended.

Within Electricity, nuclear and renewable, Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS is a third tier firm,

Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS’ Ingvald Falch heads a dedicated ‘green’ practice group with clients such as Citigroup Global Markets, Eurus Energy and ABB.

Within Employment, Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS is a second tier firm,

Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS acts for public and private sector employers, advising on issues including workforce relations, restructuring and pensions. Practice head Trond Stang is particularly accomplished at representing energy and media sector clients.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS is a second tier firm,

Oslo-based Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS’ 14-member team predominantly represents creditors. While it does not act as administrator in insolvencies, it is regularly instructed by major banks in their position as creditors or lenders on significant restructurings, and also acts on distressed M&A. Wilhelm Damm is advising Nordea regarding Eitzen Group’s restructuring, and Erling Ueland is advising real estate investor Oitium on restructuring. New team head Harald Sætermo is also recommended.

Within Intellectual property and TMT, Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS is a second tier firm,

Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS’ broad IP practice has particular strength in litigation. Halvor Manshaus and Kaare Risung co-head the team. Manshaus and Sigurd Holter Torp are defending IOR Technology against a patent invalidity claim by StatoilHydro. The team is well regarded in the TMT sector, where it has attracted new international clients such as IBM and British Telecom, and continues to represent Finn.no, Telio and NTV.

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 Oil and gas, Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS is a first tier firm,

Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS is ‘one of the leading law firms with practical impact for international oil companies in Norway’. It advised Reelwell on Lime Rock’s investment and HitecVision on its divestment of Poseidon and Bennex to Siemens. Vidar Strømme is a strong litigator and recently represented ExxonMobil in a NOK100m dispute regarding paint failure on an oil platform. Peter Hiorth, Trond Sollund and Johs Faugstad are recommended.

Within Real estate and construction, Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS is a first tier firm,

Headed by the ‘exceptional’ Geir Sand on the real estate side and Pål Grønnæss for construction matters, Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS’ 30-strong team has the scope and depth to handle a range of transactions, development and litigation issues. Recent transactional highlights include advising Aberdeen Eindom Holding III on the NOK170m purchase of Bassengbakken in Trondheim, while, on the contentious side, the team regularly handles work for several of Norway’s largest contractors including Skanska and PEAB.

Within Tax, Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS is a third tier firm,

Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS’ tax team works closely with the corporate and litigation practices on large, complex matters including M&A-related tax structuring. It successfully represented SAS Norge AS in a tax dispute regarding the classification of NOK500m of goodwill following an internal restructuring involving several companies. Practice head Cecilie Amdahl and Johan Engelschiøn advised on BC Partners’ NOK2bn acquisition of retailer Nille. Trond Larsen leads the VAT team, and the group added to its capability in Bergen when it hired Hugo Matre, formerly associate professor at the University of Bergen, School of Law, at the start of 2011.