BAHR > Oslo, Norway > Firm Profile

BAHR > The Legal 500 Rankings

Norway > Banking and finance (including shipping finance) Tier 1

Restructuring law expert Richard Sjøqvist heads up BAHR‘s banking and finance practice, which is highly regarded for its expertise in representing lenders and borrowers across a range of large, complex transactions. The team provides ongoing assistance to Norwegian Air Shuttle on a range of refinancing and restructuring matters. The department is also singled out by clients for housing ‘the best covered bond team in Norway‘, an area in which Markus Nilssen has extensive experience. Other key practitioners in the group include the highly experienced Rolf Johan Ringdal, finance specialist Audun Nedrelid, financial regulatory expert Peter Hammerich and Magnus Tønseth, who assists shipping, offshore and energy clients.

Norway > Capital markets Tier 1

Equity capital markets work forms a core pillar of BAHR‘s practice, with established strength in advising public and private companies on public takeovers, stock exchange listings and share offerings. Debt capital markets mandates are also prominent in the team’s workload, an area where Richard Sjøqvist is the key contact. Sjøqvist co-heads the department with Lars Knem Christie, who specialises in ECM matters. Arne Tjaum advises on restructurings, securities law and stock exchange regulatory issues, while Rolf Johan Ringdal is adept at handling equity and debt work for clients in the shipping, offshore, energy and transport sectors. Other key practitioners are finance specialist Audun Nedrelid and Robin Bakken, who returned to the practice in 2020. Bjørn Gabriel Reed left the firm in January 2021.

Norway > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 1

BAHR is highly regarded for its large-scale transactional work, and has been kept especially busy handling mandates from clients in the energy and technology sectors. Other core strengths for the team include deals in the oil and gas, real estate and infrastructure sectors. Private equity work is another key area of instruction for the group; Peter Hammerich specialises in assisting private equity clients with transactional, tax and regulatory matters, and department head Øystein Guvåg regularly acts as counsel to private equity clients on M&A work. Deputy head Lars Kristian Sande acts for technology and telecoms companies in transactions. Other key names to note are private and public M&A expert Svein Gerhard Simonnæs, firm managing partner Thomas K. Svensen, who stands out for his expertise in energy-related transactions, and Jon Christian Thaulow, who has experience in corporate governance matters. Bjørn Gabriel Reed left the firm in January 2021.

Norway > Dispute resolution Tier 1

BAHR‘s dispute resolution department has solid expertise in commercial litigation, including shareholder disputes and contentious insolvency matters, and reports an increase in professional liability cases. Key sector strengths for the group include the insurance, offshore and onshore construction and oil industries. Atle Skaldebø-Rød heads up the group, and has a strong reputation in contractual disputes, directors’ liability matters and arbitration proceedings. Jan Jansen concentrates on the energy and offshore sectors and has significant expertise in tax litigation; Sam E. Harris focuses on onshore construction and post-M&A litigation, and is well known as an arbitrator; and Thomas Svensen specialises in energy sector litigation and arbitration. Of counsel Gunnar Sørlie is also noted.

Norway > Electricity and renewable energy Tier 1

BAHR has an excellent reputation for its strength in complex energy transactions; the team provides ongoing assistance to Fortum Oslo Varme on the full-scale carbon capture and storage project initiated by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, the first of its kind to be constructed in Norway. Department head Jon Christian Thaulow is ‘very knowledgeable and a prominent tactician‘, and advises on regulatory, contentious and M&A work. Other key practitioners include Rune Svoren, who specialises in electricity transactions; managing partner Thomas Svensen, who handles hydropower sector matters; M&A and contract law specialist Morten Smørdal; and senior associate Christian Rieber-Mohn.

Norway > Employment Tier 1

At BAHR, the team recently represented longstanding client Spekter before the Supreme Court in a high-profile case concerning the secondary legal effect of collective agreements on individual employment agreements, concerning the issue as to whether employees are entitled to a wage supplement following a previous collective agreement even after the agreement ceases to apply following a change to the employers’ organisation; practice head Tarjei Thorkildsen led on this matter. Other key practitioners include pension law expert Peter Hammerich, of counsel Geir Gustavsson and private equity specialist Børre Sofus Arnet. Senior associate Hannah Osberg Andresen and associate Agnes Inora Marie Strøm Olsen are also noted.

Norway > EU and competition Tier 1

BAHR‘s ‘highly experienced‘ team has ‘excellent legal knowledge‘ in EU and competition matters, with notable expertise in complex merger control mandates, antitrust and cartel investigations, competition damages claims, and state aid work. Practice head Helge Stemshaug has an established track record in appearing before the Norwegian Competition Authority and the EFTA Surveillance Authority concerning cartel investigations. Beret Sundet is ‘a very well-regarded competition lawyer‘ who is sought out for her expertise in M&A-related competition work. Senior associate Ylva Kolsrud Lønvik acts on state aid matters. Arne Torsten Andersen joined from CMS Kluge in July 2021.

Norway > Insolvency and corporate recovery Tier 1

Richard Sjøqvist heads up BAHR‘s ‘exceptional‘ restructuring team; according to clients ‘it has the legal and commercial acumen to navigate even the most complex insolvency and restructuring dynamics across numerous sectors and jurisdictions‘. The practice has an excellent reputation for assisting bondholders with cross-border restructurings, and is well regarded for its expertise in acting for banks on lender-side matters. Magnus Tønseth has expertise in large-scale international restructuring matters and regularly advises offshore clients. Finance specialist Audun Nedrelid acts for banks, borrowers and lenders on complex debt restructurings.

Norway > Insurance Tier 1

BAHR‘s team of ‘very good insurance lawyers‘ is led by oil and gas expert Jan Jansen, who handles D&O and professional indemnity claims for international insurers and is also well known for his expertise in litigation. Atle Skaldebø-Rød is ‘extremely sharp and quick on his feet, and a great litigator‘, with a solid track record in handling contentious marine insurance work. Tarjei Thorkildsen is also a key contact for marine insurance litigation, and acts as counsel to the Norwegian Hull Club on business interruption claims, reinsurance work, and ship and cargo damage cases. Senior associate Mads Schjølberg is a name to note.

Norway > Intellectual property Tier 1

Patent litigation is a recognised pillar of strength for BAHR‘s intellectual property practice. The team has an established track record in acting for prominent pharmaceuticals and life sciences companies in cross-border disputes, and is equally well versed in advising domestic companies in the media, telecoms, retail and oil and gas sectors on a broad spectrum of non-contentious and contentious IP issues. The group also has expertise in handling the IP aspects of complex transactions, and franchising and licensing matters. Patent law expert Are Stenvik jointly leads the team with senior associate Eirik Basmo Ellingsen. Lars Norheim is well known for advising retail clients on licensing and franchising matters, and of counsel Gunnar Sørlie has expertise in handling patent litigation for pharmaceuticals clients.

Norway > Maritime law Tier 1

BAHR‘s practice stands out for its ‘high competence in maritime law, commercial capabilities and high technical understanding.‘ Geir Gustavsson has ‘outstanding competence within maritime law‘, and is regularly instructed in project finance and shipbuilding matters, as well as offshore work. He shares leadership of the practice with Anne Dahl Frisak, who has expertise in sale and lease back transactions and shipbuilding contracts, and newly promoted partner Lisa Marie Opdahl. The client base includes banks, operators and owners, and international and domestic shipping companies.

Norway > Offshore construction and shipbuilding Tier 1

The offshore construction and shipbuilding practice at BAHR was bolstered by the arrival of Eirik Høiby from Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS and shipping law expert Øystein Meland from Wikborg Rein in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Geir Gustavsson leads the shipping and offshore practice, and is well known for his expertise in handling international shipbuilding projects and contracts. Morten Smørdal heads up the offshore construction team, and advises on floating, production, storage and offloading contracts, as well as contractual matters involving the construction of ships and rigs. Jan Einar Barbo‘s practice focuses on contract law and dispute resolution.

Norway > Oil and gas Tier 1

BAHR is a key name in the oil and energy sector, with noted expertise in financing and transactional matters. Petroleum tax issues are another core strength of the practice; Jan Jansen is a highly regarded practitioner in this space, acting as counsel to a solid client base of prominent industry names including ExxonMobil and Shell. Managing partner and department co-head Thomas Svensen is regularly instructed in oil and gas-related dispute resolution, project development matters and regulatory work. Jon Christian Thaulow, who shares leadership of the practice with Svensen, has extensive experience in transactions and restructurings. Specialist partner Trond Lingaas is another key contact, and Eirik Høiby joined from Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS in 2020.

Norway > Real estate Tier 1

At BAHR, the ‘conscientious‘ real estate team is singled out for its ‘very deep professional knowledge‘ of large property development and urbanisation projects, structuring matters and complex real estate transactions. Its client base includes private equity funds, asset managers and foreign investors. Department head Anne Sofie Bjørkholt ‘brings a great deal of security and professional weight into any negotiation‘, and is highly regarded for her expertise in structuring real estate portfolios, real estate tax, transactions and development matters. Ole Andreas Dimmen and Andreas Rørvik, who joined from Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS in January 2021, are key practitioners in the group.

Norway > Regulatory, compliance and investigations Tier 1

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.

Norway > Tax Tier 1

With an ‘excellent team‘ of ‘highly talented tax lawyers‘, BAHR‘s full-service department has been kept busy advising large oil companies on a range of transfer pricing issues, with tax litigation remaining a prominent area of instruction for the group. Practice head Joachim Bjerke garners praise for his ‘excellent insight into transfer pricing‘, and Jan Jansen is highly regarded as ‘one of the strongest tax litigators in Norway‘, which he combines with expertise in petroleum tax law. The practice is also noted for its solid experience working in tandem with the firm’s M&A team to provide advice on transactional work. Peter Hammerich and Camilla Jøtun primarily focus on private equity and asset management matters, Anne Sofie Bjørkholt is sought after for her expertise in real estate tax, and specialist partner Marius Pilgaard is a key individual.

Norway > Construction Tier 2

At BAHR, specialist partner Jan Einar Barbo leads the advice to Statsbygg on the ongoing construction of the new National Museum in Oslo, the largest government building project currently ongoing in Norway, worth NOK6bn. The ‘knowledgeable‘ team has a solid track record in advising on non-contentious mandates, notably development and infrastructure projects. Sam Harris is the key contact for offshore and onshore construction work. Senior associate Sofie Komissar is also noted.

Norway > Fishing and aquaculture Tier 2

The fishing and aquaculture team at BAHR is led by newly promoted partner Lisa Marie Opdahl, who is noted for her expertise in M&A, contractual and financing matters within the sector. Transactional and construction mandates are key areas of instruction for the group; it has also seen increased volume of offshore construction matters. Stig Klausen Engelhart is a key name in the team for regulatory work.

Norway > TMT Tier 2

The ‘professional‘ and ‘down-to-earth‘ team at BAHR is recognised for its strength in handling a range of transactional mandates and technology agreements, as well as its capabilities in marketing and advertising law and TMT disputes. The group also provides advice to a client roster of telecoms, media and financial sector entities on a range of regulatory issues. M&A expert Lars Kristian Sande and Are Stenvik, whose specialisms include IP and media law, share leadership of the practice. The ‘brilliant‘ Lars G. Norheim is a key name for franchising, contractual and licensing matters.

Norway > Public procurement