The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Iceland > Real estate and construction

With a client roster spanning large international and domestic companies, ADVEL Attorneys at Law's practice handles the full spectrum of real estate work including land acquisitions for development projects, financing agreements, arbitration proceedings arising from construction projects, zoning and planning matters and regulatory disputes. Practice head Guðmundur Siemsen, who has notable expertise in PFIs, is highly active across the group's real estate mandates; in a recent highlight, he advised Kolufell on its purchase of plot rights next to the newly constructed Harpa Concert Hall.

Lex Law Offices is instructed on construction projects spanning greenfield ports, student apartments, hospitals and silicon plants, where the group provides clients with full-service legal advice. On the contentious side, the group regularly handles zoning and planning litigation and tender disputes, often involving public sector bodies; Guðjón Ármannsson recently acted for Kópavogur, Iceland's second largest municipality, in a case regarding land real estate and areas allocated for future building works. Arnar Þór Stefánsson is also a key name and is advising Costco Wholesale on the real estate aspects of its operations in Iceland including negations with regulators and corporate agreements. Óskar Sigurðsson specialises in property disputes and also handles construction projects.

LOGOS advises construction companies on a diverse range of major projects including the development of residential and commercial housing units and building plans for factories. The group is also active in litigation and handles disputes with contractors, court cases between private companies and municipalities over land, and litigation arising from project delays. Benedikt Egill Árnason frequently advises developers on large-scale housing projects; he recently acted for Hraunbyggd on its development of 2,300 apartments in the Municipality of Hafnarfjörður. Erlendur Gíslason has notable strength advising on construction projects, ranging from the development of factories to university facilities, while team leader Hjördís Halldórsdóttir primarily assists real estate companies with contractual agreements.

Juris' recent real estate work includes advising clients on the development of hotels and data centres, lease agreements, property acquisitions and contentious matters including cases between municipalities and private companies regarding the delineation between private and public land. Simon Knight, who specialises in cross-border real estate and construction deals, recently advised Aðaltorg on the construction of an airport hotel involving a Chinese counterparty. Practice head Halldór Jónsson handles the tax structuring elements of real estate projects and transactions.