Regulatory, compliance and investigations in Norway

BAHR

At BAHR, the ‘experienced‘ team is noted for its expertise in advising across the full range of corporate compliance matters, and is recognised for its specialist knowledge in assisting prominent private equity clients and asset managers with regulatory and compliance issues. International trade and anti-corruption compliance work forms another core pillar of the practice. The group is jointly led by Morten Smørdal and senior associate Annina Luterbacher; the pair advised multiple Norwegian and international clients on trade sanctions compliance issues. Energy law expert Jon Christian Thaulow combines ‘deep insights in legal doctrine with a pragmatic view.’ Peter Hammerich, who leads the firm’s private equity and asset management group, is another key contact.

Practice head(s):

Morten Smørdal; Annina Luterbacher

Other key lawyers:

Jon Christian Thaulow; Peter Hammerich

Testimonials

‘This firm is sophisticated, responsive, entrepreneurial and able to solve business problems as well as legal ones. Strongly recommend them for regulatory investigations and compliance.’

‘Morten Smørdal is very strong in the investigations and compliance space.’

‘Good knowledge and relevant experience within PE.’

‘Competent team, insightful and result-oriented. They are involved in many aspects within the regulatory, compliance and investigation space.’

‘John Christian Thaulow. Deep insights in legal doctrine with a pragmatic view.’

‘Experienced team, very trustworthy and has expertise, provides clear advice.’

Wikborg Rein

Wikborg Rein‘s practice is ‘a true one-stop shop for complex cross-border compliance matters and crisis management‘. Led by Elisabeth Roscher, the team’s workload includes private investigations and anti-money laundering, anti-corruption and international sanctions matters. Geir Sviggum ‘is the rock that you need in a crisis‘; he regularly handles anti-bribery mandates for Norwegian public authorities. Senior lawyer Tine Elisabeth Vigmostad has solid experience in acting in international investigations concerning alleged corruption and other forms of misconduct.

Practice head(s):

Elisabeth Roscher

Other key lawyers:

Geir Sviggum; Tine Elisabeth Vigmostad

Testimonials

‘Very knowledgeable and solution-oriented.’

‘Excellent composition of team.’

‘The WR team is a true one-stop shop for complex cross-border compliance matters and crisis management, including interaction with authorities and media handling. They will quickly staff up a task force which is available 24/7 and with a fit for purpose competency spread.’

‘Geir Sviggum: Geir is the rock that you need in a crisis. He will not just ensure that all legal and reputational matters are taken care of but also understands the impact complex compliance matters can have on an organisation and the importance of facilitating continued focus on normal operations.’

Key clients

Samherji hf

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Huawei Technologies AS

Solstad Offshore ASA

Statkraft AS

Norfund (the Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries)

Norsk Gjenvinning Norge AS

Work highlights

  • Acting for the board of directors of Icelandic fishing and fish processing company Samherji in a long-running investigation into the “Fishrot” case, involving allegations of bribery and corruption taking place in Namibia.
  • Acting for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an investigation into allegations of past wrongdoing at the Norwegian Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
  • Assisting Huawei Technologies with a range of regulatory and digital compliance matters.

Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS

Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS‘ practice stands out for its ‘top compliance knowledge and experience‘. The team works in tandem with the firm’s corporate practice, advising on the full range of corporate compliance matters, including trade restrictions and sanctions issues. Practice head Thomas Steen Brandi is ‘an outstanding lawyer‘. Ole Christian Borge is sought out by investment companies and banks for his expertise in handling anti-money laundering and compliance matters, while Liv Monica Stubholt advises corporations, NGOs and foundations on anti-corruption issues. Senior associate Ingvild Tjong has experience in assisting with sanctions matters.

Practice head(s):

Thomas Steen Brandi

Other key lawyers:

Ole Christian Borge; Liv Monica Stubholt; Ingvild Tjong

Testimonials

‘A very competent team with solid experience.’

‘They are very dedicated, and have a strong knowledge in the compliance area.’

‘Thomas Brandi is hands-on, and provides prompt and to-the-point advice.’

‘Thomas Steen Brandi  – highly competent, knowledgeable, pragmatic, problem solver. Very personable and a pleasure to work with.’

‘Ingvild Tjong has very good knowledge and experience across multiple industries. Very responsive and results oriented.’

‘Selmer is an indispensable part of our Compliance program and function. They have practical knowledge and experience which gives us invaluable advice on best practice. Their strength is a diverse team with different specialisations that brings a wide approach to compliance and makes them a one-stop service.’

‘Selmer has a depth of knowledge beyond general law practices that has also developed a strong understanding of the governance requirements of our company and the wider network of our main shareholders company. This enables them to support with investigations and compliance frameworks in a way to ensure that we efficiently address the issues with a strong understanding of context. They have a systematic approach and this allows us to build sustainable frameworks.’

‘The high level law competence paired with sound business understanding is the key quality.’

Wiersholm

With ‘versatile and deep expertise’, the ESG and compliance practice at Wiersholm is a key name for matters involving notable legal, political and reputational risk. The team handles the full range of compliance mandates and investigations and also has experience in anti-money laundering work, sanctions issues and data protection compliance. Jan Fougner and Georg Abusdal Engebretsen jointly lead the group; clients praise Engebretsen for his ‘exceptional combination of legal expertise and commercial and business skills’. Helene Bogen is the key name at senior associate level.

Practice head(s):

Jan Fougner; Georg Abusdal Engebretsen

Other key lawyers:

Helene Bogen

Testimonials

‘We worked with Jan Fougner and Helene Bogen on a matter. They handled the request in a very professional manner and covered all issues perfectly. In addition to the very good quality, we would like to particularly emphasize their very quick feedback and the pragmatic approach. We can highly recommend both.’

‘Versatile and deep expertise with access to a comprehensive organization with broad legal experience and competence.’

‘Empathetic with a high level of knowledge and competence.’

‘Wiersholm stands out amongst other law firms by the way they organise the work; assigning the right level of expertise to every task and still maintaining both close communication and continuous anchoring of every step of the process with the client.’

‘Georg Abusdal Engebretsen who has the exceptional combination of legal expertise and commercial and business skills, thus understanding the client’s need for strategic and legal advice.’

‘They are incredibly professional in their work with clients, always delivering high quality material with great efficiency and enthusiasm. The whole Wiersholm team displays expertise, experience and a genuine interest in their clients. Helene Bogen is the day-to-day leader of our team, and she will always walk that extra mile to make sure you are happy with the result. They are very team oriented, and I think what makes them unique compared to other law firms is how they include us, the client, as a genuine part of their team.’

‘Calm and good process with an extreme focus on reaching the clients needs in all aspects. Good support in all maters of the process and always on time. Delivers more than you expect.’

‘Georg and his team meets all client needs. The collaboration went perfectly.’

Key clients

Statsbygg SF

Summa Equity

Skagerak Kraft

ABB

Triton Investments Advisers LLP

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Hurtigruten ASA

Celsa Armeringsstål AS

Huhtamaki Oyj

Norsk Industri

KPMG Law Advokatfirma AS, Norway

KPMG Law Advokatfirma AS, Norway utilises the firm’s wider compliance and investigative capabilities to provide a full-service approach to clients, including handling risk assessments, compliance programmes, sanctions issues and corporate criminal work. The firm fields distinct anti-corruption and compliance, contract compliance, corporate intelligence and financial crime departments and also provides a whistleblowing service, data protection guidance and supply chain management advice. Tor Henning Rustan Knudsen leads the investigation and compliance group and Erik Davidsen focuses on employment-related work.

Practice head(s):

Tor Henning Rustan Knudsen

Other key lawyers:

Erik Davidsen

Testimonials

‘KPMG provided a very strong, multi-disciplinary team with both legal, forensic and IT/tech-expertise. Very experienced staff with strong background in the field.’

‘Very competent, strong legal and investigative skills. Very good at communicating with us as clients, giving timely information of the process and the different phases of the investigation, and, where appropriate, mindful to our opinions on the matters at hand and adjust the course when necessary.’

‘Reliable and always high quality work.’

‘Erik Davidsen – 1) A unique ability to analyse complex organisational conflicts. 2) Great at breaking down, what can seem like a huge case, into smaller parts to be addressed separately. 3) Very honest, “no fuss” and straight to the issue in each case.’

‘Tor Henning Rustan Knudsen is very professional.’

Key clients

Bane NOR

OBOS BBL

Statkraft

Statnett

Vinmonopolet

Våler Municipality

The Norwegian Parliament

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ministry of Defence

Work highlights

  • Advised and investigated OBOS BBL due to a question of possible corruption or conflict of interest related to a real estate sale where OBOS sold houses to a rental investor.
  • Provided Statkraft with frame agreement compliance analysis globally related to new compliance regulations as well as assistance in compliance-related investigations.
  • Providing a whistleblowing service to Bane NOR.