The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Horten is a second tier firm,

Horten’s ‘hard-working, skillful’ team advised SEB on Ratos’ acquisition of Telia Stofa from TeliaSonera; and was lead counsel to Dalhoff Larsen & Horneman in the second refinancing of the group’s bank debt. Practice head Claus Bennetsen is acting for the Icelandic State Treasury on project financing for a high-speed telecom cable between Denmark and Iceland. Mikkel Fritsch moved to Hannes Snellman Attorneys at Law Ltd.

Within Capital markets, Horten is a third tier firm,

Hans Christian Pape leads Horten’s ‘responsive, business-minded’ team. Jim Oeksnebjerg advises on venture capital deals, including private placements for PhotoSolar, BioMonitor and Aquaporin. Jakob Kornerup advised Unity Technology on a cross-border venture capital investment by Sequoia Capital. Lise Lotte Hjerrild is ‘well-organised, capable, and quick to understand the issues’. Nicolai Horten, Nicolai Thorsted and Torsten Hoffmeyer are also recommended.

Within Dispute resolution, Horten is a third tier firm,

Torben Steffensen heads Horten’s litigation group, which includes an experienced arbitration team led by Christian Johansen and Finn Schwarz. Jens Jakob Bugge handles patent and trade mark litigation, notably representing Tivoli. Jakob Arrevad represents Greenpeace, and Susie Stærk Ekstrand specialises in food and pharmaceutical cases.

Within EU and competition, Horten is a third tier firm,

Andreas Christensen and his team at Horten advise on public procurement, competition and regulatory matters, free movement of goods and EU funds. The ‘dedicated, responsive’ Susie Stærk Ekstrand handles contentious and regulatory matters regarding food, food supplements, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and cosmetics.

Within Employment, Horten is a third tier firm,

Leading arbitrator Finn Schwartz heads Horten’s 12-strong team, which provides ‘fast, precise and detailed answers’. Clients include the City of Copenhagen and timber company Dalhoff Larsen & Horneman. Recently promoted partner Jens Jakob Hartmann advises Siemens Wind Power. Erik Wendelboe Christiansen acts for the Danish Cancer Society on restructuring collective agreements. The firm’s links with DLA Piper LLP brings cross-border instructions.

Within Energy, Horten is a first tier firm,

At Horten, Klavs Gravesen’s team advises 30 municipalities on water and waste water facilities. Søren Hornbæk Svendsen focuses on oil and gas exploration, Nicolai Mallet runs the German desk and advises on renewables onshore and wind energy projects, and Peter Bisgaard specialises in the electricity sector. Key clients include Naturgas Fyn, Better Place and Siemsens Wind Power. Rikke Søgaard Berth joined the team from Bruun & Hjejle

Within Environment, Horten is a first tier firm,

At Horten, Poul Hvilsted, Mogens Moe and Henriette Soja handle environmental due diligence, risk assessment, compliance and litigation. Henriette Soja advises the municipality of Hvidovre on coastline protection measures, including environmental impact assessments. Mogens Moe is representing the municipality of Halsnaes in relation to waste from a broken steel works in Frederiksvaerk. Other clients include Fredericia Shipyard, Novozymes and Vattenfall (Fynsvaerket). Charlotte Bigum Lynæs and Marie Bockhahn are recommended.

Within Information technology, Horten is a second tier firm,

Horten advises on IT outsourcing, public procurement and e-commerce. Practice head Mads Nygaard Madsen acts for Verizon and 3Shape. Michael Goeskjær advises longstanding client Motorola on e-commerce and IT security. The firm’s connection with the DLA Piper LLP network generates instructions.

Within Insolvency, Horten is a second tier firm,

At Horten, practice head Piya Mukherjee, commended for ‘good service and excellent commercial understanding’, was recently appointed a permanent trustee at the Maritime and Commercial Court. The team was appointed as trustee in 120 bankruptcies and as liquidator in 40 compulsory company liquidations. Along with Nicolai Dyhr, Mukherjee is co-trustee of the Air Alpha Group’s bankruptcy. Steen Klein was appointed co-trustee of the Sydporten bankruptcy estate. Dorthe Kjærgaard joined from Elvang & Partnere.

Within Insurance, Horten is a third tier firm,

At Horten, Nicolai Horten advises insurers including Chubb Insurance, on commercial matters and professional indemnity. Susie Stærk Ekstrand advises industrial clients on product liability. Practice head Finn Schwartz handles personal injury and liability cases, representing public-sector clients including Copenhagen Hospital Corporation.

Within Intellectual property, Horten is a second tier firm,

Horten’s team of 18 ‘ready and alert professionals committed to the task at hand’ is led by Jens Jakob Bugge. The group’s expertise spans patents, trade marks, designs, utility models, and anti-counterfeiting, and is representing Orifarm against Merck in two Supreme Court trade mark cases. Patent litigators Anders Valentin and Ole Damsbo are recommended. Valentin is representing Teva and Sandoz in high-profile cases. Nina Henningsen is advising the Film and TV-workers’ association (FAF) in a principle dispute regarding TV directors’ rights. The ‘young, informal, persistent and powerful’ Susie Stærk Ekstrand, described as ‘the empress of food law in Denmark’, advises food and food supplement producers and distributors on regulatory and product liability matters. Clients include Haribo, La Cafetiere, Infomedia, Sandoz and Orifarm. Christina Johannesen joined from TDC, and life science specialist and patent litigator Martin Dræbye Gantzhorn was elected partner.

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, Horten is a second tier firm,

At Horten, Nina Henningsen and her team are advising global on-line gambling providers on the liberalisation of the Danish gambling market and assisting regional TV2 stations with satellite and cable re-distribution matters. Jens Jakob Bugge represents Tivoli in a high-profile dispute. Lawyers advise domestic and global clients on classic media and entertainment matters, new media and social media. Torben Steffensen represented People’s Press in a high-profile case. Computer games specialist Hans Abildstrøm advises live music venue VEGA.

Within Mergers and acquisitions, Horten is a second tier firm,

Horten advises public-sector and mid-market clients with particular focus on the energy and utility sectors. Lise Lotte Hjerrild, who represents E.ON Danmark, acted the Municipality of Gladsaxe in merging its water and waste business with that of the Municipality of Gentofte to form the Nordvand Group, and advised Benteler in connection with its eight-jurisdiction acquisition of Norsk Hydro’s automotive structure business. Practice head Hans Christian Pape advised Danone in its acquisition of 41% of Aqua d’or mineral water from Feldt Holding and Pernod Ricard on the Danish elements of its SEK835m sale of Swedish and Danish assets to Altia.

Within Real estate and construction, Horten is a second tier firm,

Horten provides ‘value for money, short response time and deep knowledge’. Practice head Christian Johansen joined from construction boutique Søby & Partners, along with Niels Jørgen Oggesen. Jakob Tønners and Henrik Bræmer are handling forced sales while Michael Neumann and Thomas Krucov Jensen advise financial institutions. Torben Steffensen handles disputes. Clients include Airteam, HOCHTIEF Construction and Skanska.

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

Horten’s broad practice, led by Hans Abildstrøm, represents insurers and reinsurers including Vesta Insurance, shipping and cargo companies such as Summerton Alliance and Panalpina, and corporates including Siemens Wind Power and Danish harbours. Jakob Arrevad and Michael Goeskjær are recommended.

Within Tax, Horten is a second tier firm,

Horten’s seven-strong tax team, led by Nicolai Thorsted, is commended as ‘trustworthy, helpful and good at thinking out of the box’. It handles domestic and cross-border taxation and complex restructurings, and benefits from referrals from the DLA Piper LLP network and its long experience representing public companies, the state and other public institutions. Jakob Arrevad defends clients in high-profile tax fraud cases.

Within Telecoms, Horten is a second tier firm,

Michael Goeskjær at Horten represented longstanding client Motorola in negotiations with the Danish State regarding a new communication network for emergency services, based on the TETRA standard. Hans Abildstrøm advises Global Crossing and Butlernetworks across the Nordic region. Mads Nygaard Madsen is advising new client Verizon.