Advokatfirmaet Schjødt’s ‘business-minded attitude results in concrete problem-solving suggestions helping clients to move forward easily’ with issues encompassing equity and debt capital markets transactions, restructurings and public M&A. The group is regularly involved in the market’s top mandates, and recently advised Evry on its merger with Tieto and the combined entity’s subsequent secondary listing on Oslo Børs. Viggo Bang-Hansen and Bjarne Rogdaberg jointly lead the practice, which was recently bolstered by the recruitment of restructuring specialist Egil Horstad and the promotion of Peter Bugge Hjorth to equity partner. Other key individuals include the ‘responsive, pragmatic and solution-oriented’ Thomas Aanmoen and Audun Bondkall, who focuses on public and international transactions.

The capital markets practice at BAHR stands out for its record in handling complex equity capital markets mandates; areas of expertise include share offerings by both private and public companies, stock exchange listings, IPOs and public takeovers, large secondary issuances and private share placements. Lars Knem Christie is the key contact for ECM work; he jointly heads up the practice with Richard Sjøqvist, who concentrates on DCM mandates. The group is highly active in advising on securitisations and high-yield bond issuances, and also handles complex capital markets regulatory issues and is experienced in less-common financial instruments. Svein Gerhard Simonnæs focuses on public and private M&A, Rolf Johan Ringdal specialises in the shipping and energy sectors, and Bjørn Gabriel Reed handles securitisation mandates.

Christian Grüner Sagstad heads up the group at Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS, which acts for clients including large corporates listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange and leading investment banks, advising on debt, equity and regulatory capital markets issues. Core pillars of work comprise IPOs, private placements and subsequent offering issues, and the conversion of bond and lease debt to equity. Solveig Fagerheim Bugge and Anders Arnkværn are noted for their expertise in capital markets transactions, securities law and regulations. Einar Grette is a key name for bond and debt transactions and financings in the bank and bond markets.

Wiersholm covers the full range of capital markets work, including derivatives, structured products and regulatory issues in addition to equity and debt offerings, advising investment banks and issuers in the Norwegian market and handling a significant share of Norwegian bond offerings. Sverre Sandvik has experience with IPOs, rights offerings, private placements and convertible bond issues, areas where Tone Østensen is also recommended; Sandvik jointly leads the practice with ECM-focused Simen Mejlænder. Managing associate Anne Lise E. Gryte works with Norwegian and international issuers, shareholders and managers on IPOs, share offerings and other equity transactions, and has considerable securities law expertise.

With ‘an extremely experienced and very well connected’ team, Wikborg Rein is a go-to firm for blue-chip clients and high-profile mandates; it recently advised ABG Sundal Collier and DNB Markets on the combined senior secured bond issuance and IPO of Norske Skog, and acted for the managers on a NOK15bn government bond issuance by the Kingdom of Norway. The practice is also highly active in environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. Dag Erik Rasmussen heads up the department and Stian Tande Mortensen leads the debt capital markets group. Per Anders Sæhle is a key contact for ECM transactions, Filip Truyen leads the corporate team in Bergen, and Ole Andenæs leads the financial services practice.

The capital markets department at Arntzen de Besche handles the full range of matters on both the debt and equity sides, and has extensive experience advising on bond issuances, both Norwegian bonds with foreign issuers and those involving foreign assets as collateral. The practice is particularly strong in the shipping, seafood, oil and gas, technology, finance and real estate sectors. Team lead Marianne Sahl Sveen concentrates on public and international cross-border transactions, and Vidar Løhre is the primary contact for DCM work, while Trond Kildal handles ECM mandates.

The ‘experienced and highly competent’ practice at Advokatfirmaet CLP DA ‘stands firmly behind its clients’ with notable expertise in ECM mandates; the group is also a key name for private equity clients. Other areas of expertise include securities transactions and stock exchange law, and acting for issuers, shareholders, investment banks and investors. In a recent highlight, group head Edvard Cock advised Atlantic Sapphire on its listing on the main board of the Oslo Stock Exchange. Andreas Kildal is also singled out for public and private M&A and listed securities trading issues.

Advokatfirmaet Haavind AS handles the full spectrum of capital markets work and has recently been involved in several large public takeovers and listings; the group advised Tieto on its public cross-border merger with Evry and the subsequent listing of the new company on Oslo Børs. The team is also singled out for its expertise in private placements, bond issuances and IPOs. Cornelius Sogn Ness leads the group, which also includes Andreas Vik, who acts for private equity houses; corporate expert Bård Sandstad, and DCM specialist Hans-Christian Donjem.

Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS is a notable choice for Norwegian financial institutions, advising investment and savings banks on ECM and high-yield bonds. Andreas Jarbø is an expert in securities law, and also focuses on equity transactions. He jointly heads up the team with Jon Fredrik Johansen, who has extensive experience in private placements, IPOs and public M&A, along with stock exchange law. Bernt Olav Steinland is a key name for regulatory work, Robert Sveen specialises in transactional work, and Christopher Jensen handles DCM mandates.

Advokatfirmaet Simonsen Vogt Wiig’s capital markets practice is divided between the firm's banking and finance, and corporate teams, with DCM and ECM work respectively led by Halvor Klingenberg and Christoffer Bjerknes. The group is notably active in high-profile listings and IPOs, debt issuances and securitisation transactions; it recently assisted Norwegian Air Shuttle with a private placement and convertible bond issuance totalling NOK2.5bn, led by Amund Fougner Bugge, who clients praise as ‘always calm and sharp’.

Advokatfirmaet Grette AS ‘makes complicated legal matters easier to discuss’ under the leadership of Andreas Myrstad, who clients praise as being ‘among the best Norwegian capital markets lawyers’. The group has recently handled a range of IPOs, stock exchange listings and restructurings; it is also a key name for advising SMEs on high-yield bond mandates and assists state-owned infrastructure providers with EMTN programmes. Thomas J. Fjell and Thomas Borch-Nielsen are active in restructurings and transactional work, while Erik Alsvik Skogsbakken is the primary debt financing practitioner.

CMS Kluge has a strong regulatory offering, with particular experience acting for public sector clients and energy industry companies, and distinctive expertise in securities and exchange law. Atle Degré heads up the team.