The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance (including shipping finance), Kluge Advokatfirma DA is a third tier firm,

Spread across its Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger offices, Kluge Advokatfirma DA’s six-partner team advises banks and corporates on asset and project financings including advising state-owned airport operator Avinor on the NOK10bn financing of Oslo Airport’s new Terminal 2. The recruitment of former legal director of the Oslo Stock Exchange Atle Degré in August 2010 added depth to a team that also includes the ‘very experienced, service-minded and practical’ Sverre Holm.

Within Corporate and M&A, Kluge Advokatfirma DA is a third tier firm,

Kluge Advokatfirma DA’s 25-strong team is ‘solid and responsive’, and represents clients such as Statoil, Remora and Akva Group. It is particularly accomplished at deals in oil and gas, and real estate, and recent highlights include advising Statoil on the sale of all its onshore wind power projects. While the M&A work is centred on Stavanger, the Oslo office was strengthened by the recent arrival of the ‘practical, responsive and experienced’ oil and gas M&A expert Olav Hasaas. Reid Fiskaa, Thomas Abrahamsen and Snorre Haukali are also recommended.

Within Dispute resolution, Kluge Advokatfirma DA is a second tier firm,

Kluge Advokatfirma DA provides ‘excellent advice with a good correlation between business and ethics’. The firm has a number of ex-government lawyers, and handles a raft of work for the state and municipalities. Odd Tvedt and Brynjulf Næss secured an excellent result for the Ministry of Transportation in a NOK100m dispute with Peab regarding the construction of Lysaker train station. Thomas Naalsund is excellent in court and has litigated before the ECJ, EFTA and ECHR. Christian Galtung, Harald Kobbe and Lars Ivar Nyland are also recommended.

Within EU and competition, Kluge Advokatfirma DA is a third tier firm,

Kluge Advokatfirma DA’s Gro Amdal is ‘absolutely excellent’ on public procurement issues.

Within Electricity, nuclear and renewable, tier 4

Kluge Advokatfirma DA continues to grow its renewables practice, and Frode Støle receives plaudits for his ‘service-minded approach’. Olav Hasaas provides ‘good practical advice’, and is advising Statoil on selling its wind power projects.

Within Employment, Kluge Advokatfirma DA is a second tier firm,

Kluge Advokatfirma DA provides ‘outstanding service’ to private and public employers, individual employees and labour organisations in individual and collective employment law issues. ‘Strong legal mind’ Marco Lilli continues to assist the state airport authority Avinor on various employment issues including collective wage agreements. Stavanger-based Marianne Higson is ‘academically strong and service-minded’, and regularly handles work for oil industry companies.

Within Intellectual property and TMT, Kluge Advokatfirma DA is a third tier firm,

Kluge Advokatfirma DA handles a significant volume of largely non-contentious IP matters and is perhaps best known for IT-related matters. Public sector clients include the Norwegian Tax Administration and the Ministry of Transport and Communication. Torstein Arendt heads the team.

Within Legal market overview,

Firms such as Arntzen de Besche, Advokatfirmaet Haavind AS, Simonsen Advokatfirma DA, Kluge Advokatfirma DA and Advokatfirmaet Steenstrup Stordrange DA are smaller, but provide services comparable to the larger firms in certain fields. Additionally, a number of boutique firms have developed leading reputations.

Within Oil and gas, Kluge Advokatfirma DA is a first tier firm,

Kluge Advokatfirma DA has ‘considerable knowledge within the oil and gas field’, and is ‘very strong for work on the Norwegian continental shelf’. This 14-lawyer team is based in Stavanger and has a growing presence in Olso. Practice head Preben Falck has a tremendous reputation among E&P companies active on the Norwegian continental shelf. The team’s expertise in oil and gas M&A was deepened by the recent addition of the ‘practical and responsive’ Olav Hasaas, who joined from Wiersholm. Additionally, Jane Wesenberg is ‘an expert in gas price negotiating issues’, and Per Arvid Schøyen has ‘an outstanding understanding of the petroleum sector and is also highly commercially oriented’. Tax expert Eirik Jensen has ‘a very good understanding of OECD guidelines’.

Within Real estate and construction, Kluge Advokatfirma DA is a first tier firm,

Kluge Advokatfirma DA’s 50-strong team is one of the largest in the country and advises across the full suite of transactional and contentious real estate and construction matters for some of the market’s leading companies. The ‘proactive and well-prepared’ Øystein Jarl Henriksen advised Statoil on its acquisition of and relocation to a new 70,000sq m headquarters at Fornebu in Oslo. Stavanger-based Knut Prestvik is also recommended for real estate matters, and has ‘the ability to see the problem from different angles’, while Espen Nyland, Odd Tvedt and Steffen Asmundsson are well regarded for construction issues.

Within Tax, Kluge Advokatfirma DA is a third tier firm,

Kluge Advokatfirma DA is best known for its petroleum tax expertise. Eirik Jensen has ‘very good knowledge on international taxation and Norwegian upstream taxation’.