Firm Profile > Arntzen de Besche > Oslo, Norway

Employment Tier 1

Arntzen de Besche’s ‘knowledgeable’ practice is ‘good at grasping the challenge and core of the situation and providing well-weighted legal advice, which is easy to understand and implement’. Knut-Marius Sture leads the practice, taking over the role from Håvard Sandnes, who has notable expertise in contentious and transactional employment work. Other noteworthy individuals include Sven Iver Steen, who is a key name for pension law matters; Frode Martin Toftevåg, who handles employment disputes and joined from Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS in 2019; and public sector and pensions specialist Ingeborg Moen Borgerud. The department also excels in collective labour law issues and international mandates alongside expertise in the aviation, oil and gas, public, media, industry and construction sectors. Other notable team changes include Christian Backe’s recruitment from BAHR, Mira Tengesdal Torstenbø's recruitment from Haver Advokatfirma AS, Tron Dalheim’s departure to Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS, and Lars Holo’s retirement.

EU and competition Tier 1

Arntzen de Besche’s practice acts for national and international clients on the full spectrum of competition mandates including antitrust issues, merger control work, investigations and cartel cases. Recent highlights include advising Shearwater GeoServices on the establishment of a strategic partnership with CGG including the antitrust elements and acting as trustee for the Norwegian Competition Authority to monitor compliance with several of its behavioural remedy decisions. Stein Ove Solberg heads up the group and is praised as ‘a highly skilled competition lawyer, who is service minded and a pleasure to work with’. Other key practitioners include Svein Terje Tveit, who focuses on trade and distribution and regulated markets, and Espen I Bakken, who has experience in procurement, competition and state aid issues. Senior lawyer Vilde Hannevik Lien is also a key name to note. Thea Susanne Skaug moved in-house at DNB.

Banking and finance (including shipping finance) Tier 2

Arntzen de Besche’s ‘always available’ team has ‘strong industry insight in the oil and gas sector’ and regularly handles exploration and production financing work. The group is also singled out for its notable expertise in cross-border financings, aviation finance work, shipping and offshore financing matters and regulatory knowledge. Trond Kildal heads up the practice and is a specialist in debt financing work. Paul Sveinsson is a key name for aircraft financing mandates and Sven Iver Steen focuses on regulatory issues. The group also saw substantial change in 2019 with regulatory specialist Karl Rosén and oil and gas expert Vidar Løhre joining from Advokatfirmaet Grette AS and Wikborg Rein respectively, and Atle Gabrielsen departing to Wiersholm.

Capital markets Tier 2

Marianne Sahl Sveen heads up the department at Arntzen de Besche, which has ‘strong industry insight’ and notable sector strength in the oil and gas, technology, seafood and real estate industries; clients include Shearwater Geoservices, Rasmussengruppen and Magseis. The practice also has substantial international experience acting on cross-border bond matters. Newly promoted partner Henrik Braavold Johansen and Trond Kildal are also recommended for ECM work, while Vidar Løhre, who recently joined from Wikborg Rein is the key name for DCM work. The practice also strengthened its regulatory offering with the recruitment of financial regulatory specialist Karl Rosén from Advokatfirmaet Grette AS in 2019; Per Kristian Ramsland also enhanced the Stavanger-based offering following his recruitment from Kluge Advokatfirma AS and Susanne Munch Thore, who joined from Wikborg Rein, is also active in capital markets transactions.

Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 2

Arntzen de Besche leverages its firm-wide sector strength in the oil and gas, energy, fishing and aquaculture, and life sciences sectors to handle transactions at a domestic and international level. The group’s cross-border strength is also evident in its recent work for private equity investors involved in Norwegian acquisitions. Marianne Sahl Sveen heads up the practice, which was recently bolstered by the recruitment of Karl Rosén from Advokatfirmaet Grette AS, Jens Baumann Melberg from Kyllingstad Kleveland Advokatfirma DA, Per Kristian Ramsland from Kluge Advokatfirma AS, Susanne Munch Thore from Wikborg Rein and Knut Martinsen from an in-house position at Evry. Other key names include Per A Dagslet, Lars Horgen Hinze, Trondheim-based Jon Martin Atkinson and newly promoted partner Henrik Braavold Johansen.

Dispute resolution Tier 2

The team at Arntzen de Besche ‘demonstrates a strong ability to put itself in the client’s shoes’ and ‘works well together with a clear agenda, bringing the best of each individual to the case’. The group handles claims at all domestic and European court levels and also has notable expertise in alternative dispute resolution; it is also active across a variety of sectors, including the oil and gas and insurance industries, and areas of expertise including tax, employment, competition and IP matters. Andreas Nordby leads the department, which also fields Knud Jacob Knudsen, professional liability expert Terje Granvang, and Erlend Haaskjold, who is ‘a great adviser’. Wenche Maartmann-Moe joined from Wiersholm in 2019.

Insurance Tier 2

Sven Iver Steen leads the full service insurance department at Arntzen de Besche, which acts for a range of insurance companies on professional liability and D&O mandates and transactional issues, and is notably active in the oil and gas, offshore, shipping and aviation sectors. Other clients include brokers, agents and corporate policyholders. Litigator Andreas Nordby also contributes to the practice, as does Karl Rosén, who focuses on regulatory matters, and Kåre I Moljord, who handles non-life insurance law, professional liability and D&O work, and insurance litigation.

Offshore construction and shipbuilding Tier 2

Arntzen de Besche utilises its domestic network of offices in Oslo, Trondheim and Stavanger to handle offshore construction projects and contentious issues for clients in the oil and gas, aquaculture and fisheries, shipping and shipbuilding sectors; the group has recently advised on the development of offshore aquaculture farms and assisted with the establishment of a liquid biogas plant. Karl Erik Navestad heads up the practice, which also includes litigator Stian Fagervold and Trondheim-based Ole Skeidsvoll Moe, who focuses on offshore oil and gas projects. Atle Gabrielsen joined Wiersholm in early 2019.

Oil and gas Tier 2

The practice at Arntzen de Besche has a ‘flexible, can-do attitude with the right balance of speed and quality’ and fields ‘good experienced lawyers who have different areas of expertise, which helps to find a better solution’. Key practitioners include practice head Karl Erik Navestad, who handles development projects and regulatory issues; Rune Omdahl, who focuses on licensing issues, field development and the purchase and sale of petroleum products; and Stavanger-based Anders Rødland. The full-service department acts for several key players in the oil exploration and production sector and the petroleum industry; notable clients include DNO, Lundin Norway and Gassco.

Public procurement Tier 2

Arntzen de Besche’s ‘effective team provides support at the right level of knowledge’ for a client roster of national and international suppliers including Abbott Norge, Siemens and Arriva. Key names in the group include Espen I Bakken, who is ‘superb in quality and personality’ and ‘skilled communicator’ Svein Terje Tveit, who joined from Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS in 2019. In a recent highlight, the practice assisted a consortium involving Strabag and Acciona with the tender for the first PPP project in Norway carried out by the Norwegian Public Road Administration.

Real estate Tier 2

Arntzen de Besche’s ‘experienced, solution-oriented and thorough’ team acts for domestic and international clients on the full spectrum of real estate issues including M&A transactions, private equity investments, financing work, project developments and lease agreements. Key clients include Ness, Risan and Partners, Aberdeen Asset Management Norway and Vika Project Finance, with Arctic Real Estate Development, Lerka and Norwegian Property being new additions to the client roster. Hans Henrik Kværne leads the group, which also counts Eilif S Koch, who regularly advises investors and private equity companies; Thomas Øslebø, who specialises in development issues; and Håvard Bergli, who joined from Advokatfirma Bergli in 2019.

Tax Tier 2

Arntzen de Besche is a key name for clients in the oil and gas, shipping, real estate, banking and insurance sectors; it counts Total E&P Norge, Gassco and Lundin Norway as clients. The practice focuses primarily on the tax elements of acquisitions and restructurings and also handles tax disputes relating to company law, VAT and petroleum tax. Key contacts in the department include international tax specialist Eyvind Sandvik, who focuses on tax treaties, acquisitions and restructurings; and Rune Tjomsås Andersen who assists with petroleum-related mandates. Former practice head Anders Heieren moved to Kluge Advokatfirma AS in 2019.

Construction Tier 3

Arntzen de Besche handles a range of onshore and offshore construction projects and advises on the full lifecycle of projects including financing work, planning issues, building law, contract negotiations and litigation. The group has notable expertise in infrastructure projects, PPP projects, offshore mandates and issues in the hospital and healthcare sectors. Knud Jacob Knudsen leads the department and counts builders, contractors and engineers as clients. The team also has a strong presence in Trondheim, which includes Trondheim group head Ole Skeidsvoll Moe, healthcare expert Jon Reidar Gresseth and litigator Tor Kristian Lånke. Oslo-based litigator Wenche Maartmann-Moe joined the team from Wiersholm in 2019 and Stian Heimdal was promoted to the partnership in 2020.

Electricity and renewable energy Tier 3

Arntzen de Besche’s climate, environment and renewables team is primarily based in the firm’s Trondheim office and has notable strength in handling transactional and regulatory matters for local grid and power companies. The practice also advises on hydropower and wind power projects, while the team in Oslo focuses on transactional, competition and contentious mandates. Practice head Steffen G Rogstad counts TrønderEnergi Group as a key client, Erlend Solberg focuses on wind energy projects, and Oslo-based Espen I Bakken handles wind power transactions and state aid issues. Renewable energy and climate rights specialist Odd-Harald Berg Wasenden joined the group in early 2020 from Wiersholm.

Fishing and aquaculture Tier 3

Arntzen de Besche’s ‘highly competent’ group is led from Trondheim by real estate partner Anders Dyrseth following the departure of Bjørn Sørgård and Ida Espolin Johnson to Advokatfirmaet Haavind AS; Dyrseth is also a key name for contentious matters and general corporate and transactional work. The group’s client list spans fish farming companies, processing companies and hatcheries. The practice is also active in the development and construction of offshore aquaculture farms and assists with regulatory and licensing mandates. Ole Skeidsvoll Moe and Jon Martin Atkinson also contribute to the group and handle litigation and M&A work respectively.

Insolvency and corporate recovery Tier 3

Trondheim-based Joar Grimsbu leads the department at Arntzen de Besche, which focuses on restructuring and insolvency mandates with notable expertise in the oil and gas, offshore, banking, real estate, construction and media industries. Clients include Swedbank, EY and Norfund. Grimsbu handles debt settlements, restructurings and bankruptcy issues; Trond Kildal assists with restructurings and refinancings; and Trondheim-based Stein Knut Tonning focuses on corporate restructuring work and bankruptcy proceedings. Banking and debt capital markets specialist Vidar Løhre joined from Wikborg Rein in 2019, and Atle Gabrielsen departed to Wiersholm.

Intellectual property Tier 3

At Arntzen de Besche, Andreas Nordby and Tommy Dahlen jointly lead the group following Espen Sandvik’s departure to take up a judicial role. Dahlen, who re-joined the firm in mid-2019 from an in-house role, is the key contact in the firm’s Trondheim office and is singled out for his patent expertise. The practice also regularly handles licensing agreements, development agreements, privacy issues and domain and company name matters alongside IP litigation and transactional work. The team’s sector expertise spans the oil service and offshore, technology, retail, telecoms, life sciences and media sectors.

Maritime law Tier 3

Erlend Solberg leads the practice at Arntzen de Besche, which counts banks, ship owners, investors, brokers and shipyards as clients and has key expertise in shipping disputes, insurance issues, restructurings, ship finance work and transactional matters. The team also handles ship registrations, repair contracts, charter parties and cargo mandates. Stian Fagervold is a contract and litigation specialist, Trond Kildal focuses on financing work, and Karl-Johan Gombrii specialises in shipping contract disputes. Atle Gabrielsen joined Wiersholm in early 2019.

TMT Tier 3

At Arntzen de Besche, the technology and innovation group’s expertise encompasses telecoms and IT work, marketing law, e-commerce issues, media mandates and data privacy matters. The practice is notably active in the oil services and offshore, IT, automotive, retail, telecoms, life sciences and media sectors; clients include Petroleum Geo-Services, Merck, Shell and Baxter International. Litigator Andreas Nordby leads the department, which also includes Tommy Dahlen in Trondheim, who rejoined the firm in mid-2019 from an in-house role. Espen Sandvik is now a judge.

Diversity/Community

Diversity

Diversity is a focus area in our firm as it benefits our employees as well as our clients. Diverse teams increase innovation and resolve problems in the best way. The recruitment of people with different backgrounds makes us more adaptable to new legal challenges and opportunities as everyone’s unique experience and competence drives value.

Our values are Teamwork, Integrity, Quality and Dedication. Our values lay the foundation of our work and our working environment. This is reflected in who we are, how we perform our work, who we recruit, our reputation and how we treat each other. We have a long-term perspective on our working environment and it has high priority in our management. We believe motivated and ambitious employees with a good work life balance achieve excellence and creates added value for the client and the company.

Our values form the basis for everything we do and we aim to promote social responsibility through our work.

Community

Arntzen de Besche is one of few Norwegian law firms approved by the UN Global Compact initiative, which means we support the initiative’s ten principles. The ten principles are categories within four headings; Human Rights, Labour, Environment and Anti-Corruption. The initiative encourages businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation. More than 8,000 businesses from 145 countries support the initiative.

Arntzen de Besche is member of the coalition Skift – Norwegian Enterprise Climate Leaders. Skift is a business-led climate initiative and the mission is to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and to support the Norwegian government in delivering on its national climate commitments by 2030.

We support Sykehusklovnene, The Norwegian part of the European Federation of Hospital Clown Organizations, to which we provide financial support and pro-bono services. Sykehusklovnene’s aim is that “All children admitted to hospitals will receive visits from hospital clowns“, and they provide positive experiences and a breathing space for children and youngsters in an otherwise difficult period in their lives.

Our lawyers are regularly active in the development of law through legislation work and academic contributions. We are proud to have contributed to shaping the theory and practice of law in Norway since 1870.

In 2013, Arntzen de Besche became an Eco-Lighthouse business. We have implemented an environmental policy, which involves systematic measures for our day-to-day business activities.

Further, we are actively involved in the Oil for Development (OfD) program where we assist petroleum authorities world-wide through the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. The operative goals are “economically, environmentally and socially responsible management of petroleum resources which safeguards the needs of future generations”.

As part of our CSR efforts, we work pro bono in situations / cases where we believe that people or organizations have been the victims of injustice.

For many years, our lawyers have held honorary posts and participated actively in non-profits, foundations and law committees.

We regularly arrange exam preparation lectures for law students at the University of Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø.

We are an active supporter and contributor to initiatives run by law students in Norway, examples include Fagstyret at the University of Bergen, HumAk the humanitarian organization at the University of Oslo and many more.