The banking and finance team at Arntzen de Besche is ‘very efficient, knowledgeable and pleasant to work with‘. The client base includes international and Norwegian financial institutions, and the group is regularly instructed on real estate and shipping financing matters; oil and gas mandates also remain prominent in the team’s workload. Department head Trond Kildal is ‘highly skilled and very attentive‘ and has an excellent track record in advising lenders on domestic and cross-border acquisition financing work. Vidar Løhre is a key contact for restructuring and debt capital matters, and Karl Rosén is sought out for his strength in financial regulatory issues. Siril Visnes is well known for advising on bilateral and syndicated financings. Specialist counsel Atle Stensrud is ‘highly knowledgeable‘.

At BAHR, restructuring mandates and covered bond matters form key pillars of strength for the practice, and the department has a solid track record in acting for borrower and lender clients on large-scale transactions. The ‘extremely efficient‘ Ida Marie Windrup attracts praise, and clients claim her ‘knowledge of the industry is very impressive‘; she specialises in debt capital matters. Practice head Richard Sjøqvist is ‘very commercial and resourceful‘, and Markus Nilssen regularly acts for large Norwegian covered bond issuers. Peter Hammerich is sought out for his financial regulatory expertise, Magnus Tønseth‘s ‘proactiveness is very valuable‘, and Audun Nedrelid acts for international and domestic banks and funds on a range of financing transactions.

The team at Advokatfirmaet Schjødt is jointly led by Erlend Bakken, who regularly advises on offshore sector financing matters, and restructuring expert Peter Bugge Hjorth. The practice has established expertise in ship finance work, and is equally adept at assisting offshore, oil and gas, private equity, renewable energy, real estate and infrastructure clients across a broad range of financial matters. High-value financings and refinancings have been prominent in the group’s recent workload. Other key practitioners to note include Thomas Dale in the firm’s Bergen office, who has extensive experience in international financing work; Camilla Skøie Mørkve, who has expertise in acquisition and secured bond financings; Anders Gullåsen, who focuses on debt financing issues; and senior lawyer Ali Sayyad, who advises borrowers, investors and financial institutions on transactions.

At Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS, recent instructions for the ‘hands-on, service minded and knowledgeable‘ team include advising shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen on its NOK1bn sustainability-linked senior unsecured bond issuance; Halvor Mansåker and managing associate Maria Norum led on this matter. High-profile restructuring matters form another key driver of work for the group, which is also well known for its strong capabilities in handling financial regulatory mandates; Tore Mydske is the key contact for this area. The ‘highly skilled and knowledgeable‘ Ellen Teresa Heyerdahl leads the team, and is well versed in advising borrowers and lenders on bilateral and syndicated lending matters. Hans Haugstad‘s expertise spans acquisition, real estate and cross-border financings.

Wiersholm houses ‘one of the best banking teams in Norway‘, according to clients, which also praise the group as ‘service minded, hands-on, and always solid and practical in its advice‘. Infrastructure and renewable energy financing mandates have been prominent in the team’s recent workload, and the department is well known for representing financial institutions and international and domestic banks in a panoply of financing work. Atle Gabrielsen ‘is highly regarded among his peers‘, and co-heads the practice with insolvency expert Kaare P Sverdrup and Kristine Hasle, who focuses on shipping finance matters. Petter Thomren Moltu is ‘service minded and knowledgeable‘.

Advokatfirmaet Haavind AS‘ banking and finance team ‘stands out for its ability to deliver commercial solutions to complex issues, and its availability and turnaround time is impressive‘. Led by the ‘excellent‘ Hans-Christian Donjem, the group has a notable reputation for its strength in advising borrowers on a broad range of financing matters; key areas include bond and real estate acquisition financings. Donjem has an excellent track record in assisting private equity houses and financial institutions with corporate finance, project finance and restructuring mandates. At senior lawyer level, Kasper Formo Asplin is ‘a pragmatic and valuable adviser‘ with established expertise in financial regulatory matters, and Christoffer Baisgård acts as counsel to Norwegian and international lenders and borrowers. Associate Helen Xu is also a key name to note.

Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS‘ ‘always available and proactive‘ team garners praise for its ‘deep understanding of the Norwegian banking sector, including regulatory developments‘. Debt financing work is a key pillar of strength for the group, and the department is well known for its established track record in advising shipbuilding and shipping clients on bank and bond restructuring matters. Practice head Christopher Jensen focuses on acquisition and bond financings, and Bernt Olav Steinland specialises in financial regulatory work. Tor Herdlevær is sought out for his expertise in ship finance work, cross-border and domestic loans and restructuring issues, while Per Morten Christiansen is ‘a highly experienced, pragmatic, skilled, and sensible lawyer‘.

Ship finance matters are a key driver of work for the team at Advokatfirmaet Simonsen Vogt Wiig, and the group is well known for assisting lender-side clients with large-scale bilateral and syndicated bank lending work, project financings and restructuring issues relating to the offshore and shipping sectors. Peter Aall Simonsen is highly regarded for his expertise in asset-based financing and project financing work; he shares leadership of the practice with restructuring expert Eivind Eliassen and Halvor Klingenberg, who regularly handles corporate financing mandates. Other key names include associate partner Stig Strand and senior associate Sunniva Kinsella. In August 2022, Christian Berg Meland joined from SANDS.

The banking and finance practice at Wikborg Rein houses a team of ‘highly skilled individuals with great work capacity; quick to respond, and show great responsibility’. Transactional work is a core pillar of strength for the group, and the department has a strong track record in handling ship finance and financial regulatory work, an area in which Ole Andenæs excels. Andenæs jointly heads up the practice with debt financing expert Stian Tande Mortensen. Johan Rasmussen is a highly regarded practitioner in the space, and Alexander Owesen ‘has a unique competence when it comes to working with different financial products in combination‘.

At CMS Kluge, Snorre Haukali and senior associate Ida Johanne Bohmann acted as lead counsel to Faroese salmon farming company Bakkafrost regarding the refinancing of its existing bank facilities, via a €700m five-year secured sustainability-linked revolving credit facility, by a consortium of four banks. The technology, oil and gas, offshore and construction industries are other key sector strengths for the group. Haukali jointly heads up the practice with the ‘very pragmatic and structured‘ Dag Thomas Hansson.

At Advokatfirmaet Grette AS, the team assisted HSBC Bank and a group of lenders regarding loans and the refinancing of loans with an aggregate amount of €1bn, which were structured as senior term and revolving credit facilities for the global funding of a private equity-held company; Erik Alsvik Skogsbakken led the advice on this matter. Andreas Myrstad heads up the practice, which has a solid track record in advising real estate sector entities, and Johan Christian Kongsli is a key contact for financial regulatory work.

Kvale Advokatfirma DA‘s banking and finance practice has a strong offering for large financial services clients. The group is well known for handling large-scale refinancing and restructuring work, while financial regulatory matters and offshore finance issues remain key areas of instruction for the team. Practice head Hillevi Myrhe is ‘always constructive and available, and delivers high quality work within extremely tight deadlines‘. Stine Snertingdalen is ‘a stand-out practitioner with deep insight and understanding of the legal issues‘. At senior lawyer level, Erik Torjusen has expertise in insolvency matters, and Stephanie Brungot, who is based in the Ålesund office, ‘has great knowledge and insight into the regulatory framework and a practical understanding of the financial sector‘.

Pia Sporstøl heads up SANDS‘ banking and finance practice, which is highly regarded for assisting maritime and real estate sector clients with syndicated lending work, and reports an increase in instructions from financial institutions concerning high-value bond transactions. Senior associate Ole Christian Sandnes Jenssen assists with restructurings and bond issuances. In August 2022, Christian Berg Meland moved to Advokatfirmaet Simonsen Vogt Wiig.