Firm Profile > BAHR > Oslo, Norway

Banking and finance (including shipping finance) Tier 1

As ‘one of the top firms in Norway’, BAHR is a key name in the market for banking transactional work, regularly handling international transactions and innovative issues; the team recently assisted several major savings banks with the establishment of clearing platforms and acted on the first issuance of green covered bonds in Norway. The group also fields a highly regarded funds practice and the team’s lender and borrower client base draws in notable regulatory work. Richard Sjøqvist heads up the department, which also counts ship and offshore finance expert Rolf Johan Ringdal, asset management and regulatory specialist Peter Hammerich, Audun Nedrelid, go-to financial instruments name Arne Tjaum and Erik Langseth, who handles real estate financing matters, as key practitioners. Markus Nilssen and Magnus Tønseth were promoted to the partnership in 2019.

Capital markets Tier 1

BAHR is singled out for handling some of the markets most complex equity capital markets work alongside experience in debt offerings and regulatory matters; in a recent highlight, the group advised an underwriting syndicate comprised of JP Morgan, Arctic Securities and SEB on the spin-off of Adevinta from Schibsted and the simultaneous IPO of Adevinta on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Lars Knem Christie led the matter and is praised by clients for being ‘extremely knowledgeable of the market’; other key individuals include practice head Richard Sjøqvist, who focuses on DCM work; Svein Gerhard Simonnæs, who primarily advises on private and public M&A; and Rolf Johan Ringdal, who is a key name for international work and has experience in the shipping, offshore, energy and transport sectors. Erik Langseth also leads the firm’s company law group and Bjørn Gabriel Reed is the main contact for securities work. Markus Nillsen and Magnus Tønseth were promoted to the partnership in 2019.

Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 1

BAHR’s ‘first-class legal knowledge’ makes it a powerhouse in the market for domestic and international M&A, regularly handling high-profile mandates with notable expertise in the private equity, energy, real estate and infrastructure sectors. The team also has substantial fund formation experience and counts multiple international investors as clients. In a recent highlight, the group advised DNB Bank on the sale of its majority stake in Luminor Bank to a consortium managed by Blackstone. Practice head Øystein Guvåg specialises in M&A and private equity transactions, and deputy head Lars Kristian Sande is experienced in the telecoms industry. Other key practitioners include Bjørn Gabriel Reed, Svein Gerhard Simonnæs, offshore specialists Rune Svoren and Thomas Svensen, energy expert Jon Christian Thaulow and Peter Hammerich, who leads the asset management and private equity industry group. Charlotte Håkonsen joined from an in-house role in 2018 and shipping specialist Anne Dahl Frisak was promoted to the partnership.

Construction Tier 1

As ‘one of the top firms in construction in Norway’, BAHR is highly regarded for its non-contentious construction mandates and regularly handles the market’s top matters; it is advising Statsbygg on the construction of the new National Museum in Oslo and also assisted Aker BP with the tender process for the development of infrastructure at the Alvheim, Valhall West Flank and Snadd fields. The group is also singled out for its contentious expertise with key practitioners including Sam Harris, energy, oil and gas specialist Jan Einar Barbo, Gunnar Sørlie and practice head Øystein Myre Bremset. The team counts domestic and international developer and investor clients on its roster and also has expertise in projects in the healthcare, education, offshore and transport sectors.

Dispute resolution Tier 1

BAHR ‘singles itself out in that the team consists of outstanding professionals’ who have ‘a diverse range of knowledge and experience’ and are ‘able to see new angles when building a defence, being curious and innovative in their approach’. With substantial expertise across the full range of contentious issues, the group fields practitioners with notable areas of knowledge; Gunnar Sørlie and Jan Einar Barbo are key names for construction cases, Thomas Svensen handles oil and gas disputes, Jan Jansen focuses on energy and tax disputes, Tarjei Thorkildsen acts in employment claims, and Are Stenvik is an IP litigator. Atle Skaldebø-Rød heads up the department, which also includes all-round litigators Sam Harris and Øystein Myre Bremset. Eirik Høiby joined from Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS in 2020.

Electricity and renewable energy Tier 1

BAHR’s energy practice handles the full spectrum of mandates for a high-profile client list including energy producers and operators, grid owners, investment companies and developers; key examples include Statkraft, Hafslund E-CO and Fortum Oslo Varme. The team regularly assists with complex transactions, financing work, contentious mandates and competition issues; it has also recently strengthened its regulatory offering and is a key name in the market for special tax regulations relating to renewable energy. Jon Christian Thaulow heads up the group, Rune Svoren is experienced in transactional electricity work and Helge Olav Bugge focuses on electricity tax and production matters. Other noteworthy individuals include managing partner Thomas Svensen and Rolf Busch.

Employment Tier 1

Tarjei Thorkildsen heads up the department at BAHR, which acts for a high-profile client roster of corporates and employer confederations; key examples include the employer’s association Spekter, Aker and Nordea. The team also leverages the firm’s wider expertise in the private equity, asset management and financial sectors to act for private equity houses, investment banks and merchant banks. The group handles the full spectrum of employment mandates including transactional and contentious issues; in a recent highlight, the team represented Norwegian Air Shuttle in a Supreme Court case brought by several pilots and cabin crew members relating to whether they were hired personnel or part of a crew service. Peter Hammerich is the key contact for pension work, Børre Sofus Arnet acts for private equity houses, and Geir Mikalsen has notable transactional experience.

EU and competition Tier 1

The practice at BAHR provides ‘high-quality and reliable advice’ and ‘always tries to be as clear and accurate as possible’. The team is a key name in the market for merger control work; it recently advised Nordea Bank on its acquisition of Gjensidige Bank and assisted with the merger between offshore accommodation companies Prosafe and Floatel. Other notable areas of expertise include competition damages claims, cartel investigations, public procurement work and state aid matters. Helge Stemshaug leads the practice, which also includes pharmaceuticals and biotech sector specialist Beret Sundet, who ‘combines a good understanding of her clients' business and markets with high-quality legal analysis and knowledge’; procurement expert Jan Einar Barbo, litigator Sam Harris and economist Harald Selte. Henrik Nordling moved to Kluge Advokatfirma AS in late 2019.

Insolvency and corporate recovery Tier 1

Under the leadership of ‘one of the leading lawyers in the field’ Richard Sjøqvist, BAHR fields ‘a team of very skilled younger lawyers and provides top-class services’. The practice is a go-to name for bondholders and investment banks and counts DNB Bank, Nordic Trustee and Pareto Securities as clients; other key areas of expertise include handling international transactions and major insolvencies and restructurings, and acting for other financial institutions and private equity companies. Sjøqvist is singled out for his international finance and restructuring expertise, while Karstein Espelid and Atle Skaldebø-Rød focus on contentious work, Rolf Johan Ringdal handles debt restricting and refinancing work, and Audun Nedrelid is a financing expert. Magnus Tønseth was promoted to the partnership in 2019.

Insurance Tier 1

BAHR’s insurance-focused practice regularly acts in high-profile international cases, and recently represented Protector Forsikring in an reinsurance dispute against Munich Re following the Grenfell Tower fire in London. The team also leads in the marine insurance market and counts Skuld and the Norwegian Hull Club as clients. Jan Jansen heads up the department and focuses on insurance disputes; other key individuals include marine insurance litigator Atle Skaldebø-Rød and Tarjei Thorkildsen, who has recently handled matters relating to ship and cargo damage, reinsurance issues and business interruption claims.

Intellectual property Tier 1

BAHR is singled out for its patent litigation expertise and counts several high-profile patent originators as clients including Bayer, Novartis and Merck Sharp & Dohme. The team is also a key name in the market for transactional IP work including M&A and the establishment of joint ventures; soft IP matters and media-related work. Practice head Are Stenvik is a patent expert, deputy head and senior associate Knut Sverre Skurdal Andresen focuses on pharmaceuticals patent disputes, Gunnar Sørlie handles patent litigation, Lars Norheim specialises in licensing, franchising and retail-related work; Helge Stemshaug is a competition law expert, and Beret Sundet is the key contact for trade mark issues in the life sciences and TMT sectors.

Maritime law Tier 1

BAHR’s international shipping practice acts for a varied client roster of major ship owners and operators, rig owners, offshore vessel owners, ferry operators, banks and marine insurers, and has notable expertise assisting companies which provide marine services to the offshore energy sector. The group also leverages the firm’s expertise in M&A, insurance and financing work to handle complex transactions, claims and finance matters in the maritime arena. ‘Commercially oriented lawyer’ Geir Gustavsson focuses on shipbuilding and project finance issues and leads the cross-departmental team, which also includes M&A expert Haakon Flaatten, finance specialist Audun Nedrelid and litigator Atle Skaldebø-Rød. Robin Bakken moved in-house.

Offshore construction and shipbuilding Tier 1

BAHR’s highly regarded practice, which ‘offers innovative solutions to difficult problems’, handles complex contentious and non-contentious mandates across the offshore construction and shipbuilding arena including shipbuilding contract issues and acquisitions, development projects and disputes. The group’s client roster includes high-profile market players including Equinor, Northern Drilling and Golden Energy Offshore Services; the practice also remains a go-to name for Aker BP, which it recently advised on two separate alliance agreements for jackups and semi-submersibles. Geir Gustavsson leads the oil services and shipping department and has notable expertise in international shipbuilding projects and project finance work; other key individuals include Haakon Flaatten, Jan Einar Barbo and Morten P Smørdal, who leads the offshore construction group. Anne Dahl Frisak was recently promoted to the partnership, and Eirik Høiby joined from Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS in 2020.

Oil and gas Tier 1

BAHR’s expertise spans the entire oil and gas sector and the team is particularly singled out for its strength in transactional and finance work, development projects, upstream oil and gas issues, petroleum tax, litigation and oil services mandates. The group’s client roster includes exploration and production companies operating on the Norwegian continental shelf, oil and gas infrastructure clients and oil services companies; notable examples include Aker BP, Equinor, Total, Shell and ExxonMobil. Managing partner Thomas Svensen leads the department, which also fields oil services expert Morten P Smørdal, petroleum specialist Jan Jansen, transactional lawyer Jon Christian Thaulow and Stig Klausen Engelhart, who regularly handles cross-border M&A. Senior associate Sandra Simonsen is also singled out, and Eirik Høiby joined from Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS in 2020.

Real estate Tier 1

Following a year of change, the ‘young and strong team’ at BAHR is a key name in the market for large real estate developments and urbanisation projects, and also handles substantial transactions and structuring issues. The group acts for a range of domestic and international clients and regularly assists foreign investors investing in the Norwegian market, institutional investors, life insurance companies, private equity funds and asset managers. Anne Sofie Bjørkholt leads the team, which also fields transactional expert Erik Langseth, Lars Kristian Sande, who advises on real estate portfolio work; and senior associate Ole Andreas Dimmen.

Tax Tier 1

BAHR’s team of ‘highly skilled and experienced professionals’ is singled out for its tax litigation work, cross-border experience, transfer pricing expertise, and knowledge of petroleum and real estate tax. The group is also active in the oil and energy, private equity, oil services and shipping sectors and counts Aker BP, Shell and Explore Equity as clients. The ‘outstanding’ Joachim Bjerke heads up the department and focuses on international tax work, transfer pricing issues and structuring M&A transactions. Other key practitioners include Jan Jansen, who is an expert in the special petroleum tax regime; Frode Talmo, who is a financial instruments specialist; Peter Hammerich, who leads the asset management and private equity group; and Anne Sofie Bjørkholt, who focuses on the real estate sector.

Fishing and aquaculture Tier 2

Stig Engelhart heads up the practice at BAHR, which is singled out for its transactional strength and regulatory expertise; the group also leverages its offshore construction knowledge and is increasingly active in the services sector. The team counts Aker, Marine Bioproducts, Ocean Aquafarms and Aker Biomarine on its client roster; it also recently represented Torbjørn Kvassheim in a fisheries patent case in the Court of Appeal relating to a fish counting device. Haakon Flaatten focuses on corporate work and Are Stenvik handles IP litigation.

TMT Tier 3

BAHR’s TMT expertise is focused on advertising and marketing law including handling advertising campaigns and online marketing issues; the team also has experience in transactional work, licensing and franchising matters, fintech issues and TMT disputes. Key contacts include Are Stenvik and Lars Kristian Sande; Lars Norheim, who handles issues in the retail and media sectors; transactional expert Svein Gerhard Simonnæs, and regulatory specialist Beret Sundet.