Wikborg Rein > Oslo, Norway > Firm Profile

‘WR provides a highly competent and efficient banking and finance team with in-depth knowledge in all fields relevant for us as a client.’

‘Johan Rasmussen, Alexander Owesen and Andreas Kjensli Lund gathered in one firm makes this the most able provider of law services to financing transactions in Norway. Stian Mortensen is one of the top debt capital markets lawyers, and this team is highly qualified to deliver high quality work on short notice.’

‘You get a lot of partner attention.’

‘Stine H. Barstad is very talented. Johan Rasmussen is always available and is very hands on on the matters of which he is partner in charge.’

‘Johan Rasmussen is always a pleasure to work with. He is a very experienced lawyer who is “hands-on” in the cases he takes on. His experience within drafting of agreements and knowledge of the banking market is outstanding. He knows what we as a client need and makes sure that the transaction works as smoothly as possible.’

‘Lars-Erik Østerbø is a good communicator with excellent skills in shipping and fisheries.’

‘Andreas Kjensli Lund remains in good control even in complex syndicated deals and handles the documentation and any legal issues with a steady hand.’

‘Madeleine Finstad gives a solid impression in her field and is handling and organising the documentation process in large financings in a very competent manner.’

‘Wikborg Rein has a very strong financing team that covers all aspects of our business needs, from regulatory issues to transaction work.’

‘Dag Erik Rasmussen has extensive experience and is highly pragmatic and hands on.’

‘Stian Mortensen. Market leader and very much used in the Norwegian debt capital market. The ability to combine the bond work with bank lending makes WR a natural choice for most transactions.’

‘Per Anders is a star, to the point and with a good commercial mindset.’

‘Strong track record and very experienced team. Commercial and also very pleasant to work with. Skilled team with very good insight into the capital markets that benefits its clients.’

‘Highly dedicated and qualified from partners to junior resources. Very pleasant to work with.’

‘Stian Tande Mortensen is the star of Wikborg Rein’s HY bond practice and the Norwegian bond market in general. He is commercial and up to speed, as well being very knowledgeable on the market and inner workings of the industry and its participants.’

‘Andreas K. Lund is very good at heavy-duty drafting and cross-border transactions.’

‘Excellent client service and very pragmatic advice. Number one Norwegian law firm in my mind.’

‘Pragmatic advice that is delivered clearly and quickly.’

‘Wikborg Rein’s team composition differs from others by having more focused partner engagement, rather than broad and shallow, while also giving their high-quality associates room to engage directly with clients.’

‘Service oriented juniors.’

‘Ole Henrik Wille is an exceptional lawyer with unparalleled negotiation skills and the ability to get deals signed.’

‘Ole Henrik Wille has the ability to communicate complex legal frameworks to clients in an understandable manner. Through his solid knowledge of the law and impressive transaction track record, he give clients the comfort needed in high stress situations when negotiations are tough. Expectation management with respect to final outcome is spot-on and stellar.’

‘Arild Frick is probably the best M&A individual we have ever worked with in Norway.’

‘Arild Frick is a highly valued adviser. He combines his strong understanding for corporate law with strong commercial acumen. That makes him able to favourably and quickly move processes forward finding pragmatic while acceptable solutions.’

‘Balanced mindset with hands on advice. Solution driven with realistic expectations of outcome. Deliver quality on time.’

‘Wikborg Rein is our first choice in the Norwegian market, with a top-notch arbitration practice.’

‘Aadne Haga is our go-to litigator in the region. He is extremely smart and quick, always has detailed knowledge of the file and great strategic capabilities.’

‘Aadne Haga is our partner. He is a man of sophisticated mind who manages to wrap up unpleasant issues in a way to mitigate them. He is proficient in pedagogical legal drafting which leaves no space for the opponents in arbitration.’

‘Kaare Andreas Shetelig possesses a deep plowing eye for details, as well as the skills for sorting them out, and focus on the vital ones.’

‘Very efficient and client-service oriented team. Advice is very much on point.’

‘Jørgen Vangsnes is a strong negotiator and understands the client’s needs very well.’

‘Unrivalled client attention and consistent and timely delivery of high-quality advice combined with an ability to perform in a political environment.’

‘Unique experience within the sector.’

‘Wikborg Rein’s oil and gas team is one of the few teams in the Norwegian market that understands both domestic oil and gas issues and also has the capability to advise on complex oil and gas matters internationally.’

‘I would describe Cathrine Hetland as one of the best oil and gas lawyers in Norway. She has absolutely unparalleled knowledge of the Norwegian regulatory framework for oil and gas issues and is able to provide crystal clear advice on very complex questions. She combines this skill with several years of experience in high-stakes, international energy dispute resolution.’

‘The Wikborg Rein team has a unique ability to quickly understand the core issues and provide high-quality support. The distribution of tasks internally in the team is seamless, and communication with us is excellent. They very much improve our decision-making and interaction with partners.’

‘Caroline Skaar Landsværk is our main contact and partner. She is the main reason that the WR team delivers excellent results and support. She is very skilled at understanding the core issues and scaling/planning the WR effort accordingly.’

‘Wikborg Rein is our first choice in the Scandinavian market when it comes to oil and gas disputes. They are truly outstanding in all relevant aspects.’

‘Aadne Haga is our go-to lawyer at the firm.’

‘Tormod Ludvik Nilsen is a very intelligent and knowledgeable lawyer. He is very responsive and I really enjoy working with him and his team.’

‘The team from Wikborg Rein has been led by partner Preben Milde Thorbjørnsen. He is very knowledgeable and experienced, despite his young age, and has the rare ability to put complex matters into understandable and clear language.’

‘The Wikborg Rein team combines deep knowledge of EU and Norway competition law with a very practical approach to giving advice.’

‘They have a deep understanding of the law and regulations that they manage to apply in a pragmatic and commercial manner.’

‘We are very impressed with the competition law team as they are extremely knowledgeable and pragmatic, solution oriented and great to work with.’

‘The team is knowledgeable and provides sound legal advice in a clear and pragmatic way. The team is diverse. They know our business and goals, and support us to reach our goals whilst ensuring we comply with competition law risks.’

‘Stuart Stock has vast experience and knowledge of competition law. He is efficient, a problem solver and communicates clearly. I trust his advice.’

‘In my opinion, Wikborg Rein’s team deliver exceptional quality, are service-minded and very pleasant to work with. But above all, they really know what they are doing and are first class advisers.’

‘I have used Mads Magnussen in Wikborg Rein as legal adviser for many years, in a number of different cases. He is a fantastic adviser. He is efficient, extremely knowledgeable and pleasant to work with. I have worked with several other good lawyers too, but Mads Magnussen stands out as my first choice.’

‘The combination of solid expertise within the sector’s legislation, knowledge of the administration’s national and regional expertise, understanding of the industry and accessibility.’

‘Grunde Bruland – Impressive knowledge of the seafood industry and legislation.’

‘Martin Bryde – Unique understanding of the administration’s practice of the legislation and its significance for practitioners in the industry.’

‘Ability to use a wide range of competence in complex matters.’

‘Grunde Bruland is excellent.’

‘Superior industry knowledge. Deep, diverse industry network with strong relationships.’

‘Specialised knowledge about the industry and strong network within the industry and relevant authorities. Very dedicated team showing availability and quick response to our requests.’

‘The company has several highly competent and dedicated lawyers such as Heidi Ann Vestvik-Bruknapp. Martin Bryde is a very dedicated lawyer and a strong discussion partner in complicated matters. Understands how our business works and knows our company well and has contributed to our success as a company.’

‘Dedicated and skilled insolvency team.’

‘Wikborg Rein’s restructuring team is one of the very best in the Norwegian market, and they are highly competent in international work.’

‘Very strong team with great capacity to handle large and detailed restructurings.’

‘The team seem to work very well together and Wikborg is excellent at having a small and tight team. ’

‘We worked well with the entire team, but we would like to highlight Kaare Christian Tapper who had an impressive overview and control and managed to navigate different interests in an excellent manner. Further, we were impressed that he takes responsibility and is not afraid to express his views, even though his view might deviate from the clients.’

‘Kaare Christian Tapper has an eye for details while at the same time managing the commercial interests at stake.’

‘Sofie Vikse is experienced and solution-oriented.’

‘Sofie Vikse is an up-and coming and highly skillful lawyer that I have had the pleasure of cooperating with on insolvency related matters over the last couple of years. She is very solution oriented and efficient, and regularly solves matters before she is expected to. I recommend her services for anyone searching for a skilled lawyer within her field of expertise.’

‘Stellar team working to meet client’s objectives.’

‘Gunnar Meyer has for many years been a leading light in the Norwegian IP scene. He continues to be and his knowledge and expertise is well sought after. Nora Bratheim is a rising star.’

‘One of Norway’s strongest IP teams.’

‘Gunnar Meyer is one of Norway’s most experienced patent litigators. Lars Erik Steinkjer and Nora Bratheim are also highly competent in patent law.’

‘Lars Erik Steinkjer is a very competent attorney who has extensive knowledge about patent law, even some of the more niche topics.’

‘Gunnar Meyer has tons of experience, being the senior attorney of the team. Do not be fooled by his friendly attitude – in court he will indeed find the weak points of the other party.’

‘Nora Bratheim has already proved to be a great support for the senior attorneys of the team. She is engaged in various activities in the Norwegian IP community, and she will certainly be one of the best in a few years.’

‘Hanna Olaussen is excellent in negotiating and writing IP contracts. She understands the whole field of IP and the clients’ need, which results in commercially strong agreements. She is highly professional, always available and provides to the point and value adding advice.’

‘Broad knowledge of shipping, offshore and sector-related financing. High quality across the board.’

‘Wikborg Rein is a longstanding market leader within maritime law in Norway. They have a unique understanding of all legal aspects related to the shipping and offshore industry, and combine thorough legal knowledge with outstanding industry knowledge.’

‘Andreas Fjærvoll-Larsen combines first-class knowledge of corporate, finance and contract law with exceptional industry knowledge to provide practical and solid advice. He is keenly involved in all aspects of our business, and we engage him as our trusted adviser on all important business decisions.’

‘Mari Berg Rindahl is an up-and-coming star, and has a unique ability to handle large and complex finance and transaction processes.’

‘Extraordinarily engaged and competent team. Very good at being proactive themselves and at the same time listening carefully to our input and instructions. They understand our business fully. Our cooperation is productive and educating, with a suitable amount of humour and personal touch included.’

‘Morten Lund Mathisen’s expertise within wreck removal contracts in particular is among the very best internationally. His experience with offshore wreck removals is unique.’

‘Oddbjørn Slinning is friendly, level-headed and gives honest advice. He has a broad skill set ranging from transactional work to disputes.’

‘Herman Steen is unquestionably the leading light for casualty work. Supremely experienced.’

‘Professional with in-depth knowledge of the industry.’

‘Solution-oriented and commercial-minded.’

‘Wikborg Rein’s Offshore construction and shipbuilding practice team has a very practical approach, has the most recent knowledge of the industry and can provide truly useful insights into the business conducted within the industry. The team has very prominent young lawyers in addition to the more senior-level team leads. The team is able to serve the client with high-quality work within tight timelines.’

‘Christian James-Olsen is by far the best legal adviser we have used for Offshore construction and shipbuilding practice assignments. He is pragmatic and he has an amazing ability to explain legal concepts in an understandable way. He is a strategy-oriented and easy-going person.’

‘The team at Wikborg Rein’s Bergen office is highly qualified and provides prompt legal advice, combining industry knowledge with practical legal advice.’

‘Christian James-Olsen is attentive, always available and service-minded. He takes a practical approach to each case, always focusing on the solutions rather than the obstacles. His industry knowledge and experience together with his bright legal mind, have resulted in practical and valuable advice for our company.’

‘Professionalism, solution-orientated, hardworking and always available on short notice.’

‘Excellent commercial understanding.’

‘I find the real estate team in Wikborg Rein to be hands-on, updated at all times and with the strong wish to contribute legally on point and at the same time practically on the matters at stake.’

‘It is always a pleasure working with Ingrid K. Høstmælingen. It is always easy to work with her. She has the gift of explaining and seeing complicated issues in an educational and constructive way, and she brings to the table in negotiations the strong confidence that there are no problems that cannot be resolved amicably.’

‘In all the transactions we have worked on, Wikborg has been very professional and knowledgeable. They have extensive experience in transactions.’

‘Ingrid Høstmælingen is professional, extremely efficient, and creative, and has a inclusive way of working cases. She is always providing a high level of service.’

‘Young and motivated team, but with plenty of experience. Partners are hands on and involvement crucial for all aspects of a transaction.’

‘Great understanding of their client’s different scope, needs and materiality limits as well as the opposite party’s behaviours.’

‘The team is highly competent in the ever changing and complicated compliance and sustainability laws and regulations we today all face on a global level.’

‘Geir Sviggum is a highly skilled manager of the team, trusted by all internal stakeholders. Tine Vigmostad is probably the best sanctions attorney in Norway.’

‘The team has a deep understanding of international compliance issues and practical insights into how to handle investigations and solutions to “everyday” compliance matters. They are incredibly responsive and hardworking but at the same time an absolute pleasure to work with.’

‘Kristin Nordland Brattli has made all the difference, she is highly competent within her legal field and uniquely skilled in providing integrated and collaborative legal operations assistance instead of one-sided advice.’

‘Geir Sviggum, Tine Vigmostad and Elisabeth Roscher are outstanding practitioners.’

‘Tine Vigmostad is outstanding, always giving high-quality advice in combination with a strong commercial understanding of the business and service-minded attitude.’

‘Clear view on complicated issues. Excellent analytical skills. Ability to read situations in an analytical way. Excellent communication skills. Strategic thinking.’

‘The Wikborg Rein sanctions team, which is part of their regulatory, compliance and investigations practice is by far the best in Norway. I have relied on them for many years to provide practical, timely and reliable advice and have referred many clients to them. Everyone has been extremely happy with their service.’

‘They are exceptionally well versed in GDPR regulations, demonstrating a profound understanding of this intricate field. Their comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience make them an invaluable asset in ensuring compliance and data protection.’

‘I would like to specifically mention Hanna Beyer Olaussen and Wegard Kyoo Bergli. The two have been part of the core team working for us as the customer – they are always available and quick in their response. Wegard in particular is extremely knowledgeable and up to date on data privacy legislation and changes in the current landscape.’

‘Several of the partners and senior advisers have valid and lengthy experience from large international industrial companies which is unique when it comes to data protection compliance.’

‘International industry background, they make a good team and support each other while serving the client. Very approachable and eager to serve.’

‘Great ability to provide support on cross-border data privacy topics, specifically for Norwegian actors with a presence in China.’

‘Gry Hvidsten and Wegard Kyoo Bergli are excellent for privacy advice.’

‘Rolf Riisnæs is an outstanding legal adviser. His ability to communicate complicated legal issues in a practical and easy manner is unique.’

‘The resources from WR has shown an extraordinary capability to understand difficult technological subjects and how they relate to each other, and how different legal topics such as GDPR come into hand. They have also been able to give direct and concrete advice. The collaboration has been excellent and they have always produced the result within the agreed time frame.’

‘Within construction law, Wikborg Rein has a young and up-and-coming environment with skilled lawyers. The team delivers quickly and with very good advice on all phases of a construction case.’

‘Marius Egeberg is a highly qualified construction lawyer with a good professional foundation. Very fast and good follow-up of all cases.’

‘The team is led by Ola Nisja, who has an incredibly strategic approach and is highly diplomatic, yet fierce in execution. His associate, Christian Cederkvist, is early in his career already a skilled negotiator, thinking strategically and working independently.’

‘I find Wikborg Rein quite engaged in all the cases and, when compared to other firms, I find that they go into a high level of detail.’

‘Marius Egeberg is extremely professional.’

‘High quality and efficiency in every part we need. A multi-skilled law firm with focused employees in every area we need. The way they orchestrate the different capabilities is impressive.’

‘They are good at identifying current issues and they solve them in an efficient way. The team always gives very good and articulate advice. It is a highly competent team, and all the employees are friendly and polite.’

‘Very good partners with good availability. Short response times and good legal advice.’

‘Christian Backe is a highly valued partner for finding solutions, and for having the constructive and fruitful discussions that are crucial in finding the best solutions.’

‘Christian Backe, Karoline Moen Brunstad and Ine Osland have a high level of expertise in employment law. They understand our business and respond quickly to questions. It is always very reassuring to get assistance from them and we are always satisfied with the result in the various processes they assist us with.’

‘A highly competent team with global reach, and particularly strong in marine insurance. Norway’s only truly international law firm.’

‘Anders Færden is deeply knowledgeable in marine insurance.’

‘Herman Steen is rising name in litigation, in particular for wet law and marine insurance disputes.’

‘Their team has a great understanding of issues regarding public procurements and is able to communicate difficult legal issues in an understandable manner. They also have a good understanding of the local government sector and our needs.’

‘We worked with Marlene Reinertsen from Wikborg Rein. She had an excellent ability to communicate difficult legal issues in an understandable manner to procurement officers with no legal background. She will always offer to look into specific legal questions and give precise and usable answers within a short time.’

‘I believe that WR has a high level of competence and delivers its advice promptly and effectively. They are welcoming and easy to interact with and are quickly available when needed, while the advice is of high quality.’

‘It seems that they have broad competence teams with highly qualified employees who can support each other and ensure the quality of their deliveries in a good and efficient way. A young female senior lawyer, Malene Reinertsen, has impressed with her good and sharp observations during meetings and well-formulated notes.’

‘They have a deep understanding of your business needs, thus providing relevant and valuable input and quality assurance throughout the procurement process.’

‘Malene Reinertsen is a senior lawyer and a specialist in public procurement. She makes a big difference by being solution oriented, when others will focus more on potential problems. The customer often wants to know what we can do, not what we cannot do. This is a strength that makes Malene stand out from the rest.’

‘The team’s broad competence, including valuable experience from the contracting authority side. The team is always available on short notice.’

‘Malene Reinertsen is a talented and nice lawyer who provides great advice.’

‘Well-composed team, different skills and experience.’

‘Great service. Outstanding knowledge of different cross-border opportunities, structured way of communicating and drafting solutions.’

‘Reliable and good expertise.’

‘The firm covers all aspects that matter to our business within international shipping and energy markets.’

‘We use Wikborg primarily for litigation. The team we used, including Kaare Andreas Shetelig and Anders Myklebust, works seamlessly together, and with us as clients. Great cooperative skills.’

‘Lead litigation partner Kaare Shetelig has enormous experience of both litigation and tax law, and also a very high win rate. He has an absolutely fantastic ability to think quickly and solve problems as they arise in court. Great judgement and a “sixth sense” when analysing the judge’s behaviour, and when to press and when not to press witnesses.’

‘Anders Myklebust has a very strong tax background and very good analytical skills.’

‘Are Zachariassen is always available and has an excellent way of simplifying difficult and complex tax issues and structures.’