Poul Schmith > Copenhagen, Denmark > Firm Profile
Poul Schmith Offices
Kalvebod Brygge 32
1560 København V
Denmark
Poul Schmith > The Legal 500 Rankings
Denmark > Dispute resolution Tier 1
Poul Schmith houses a talented team which represents clients in domestic and international arbitrations, tribunals, ad hoc panels, and before the Supreme Court. Sune Riisgaard oversees the practice as a knowledgeable tax litigator, while Sune Fugleholm is a ‘highly effective’ litigator who often represents the Danish Government before the Supreme Court. Kasper Mortensen is a construction and property disputes specialist; Paw Fruerlund handles the technology, investment, and administrative side of the disputes practice; and Tomas Ilsøe Andersen is a commercial litigation expert. The team is particularly recognised for its frequent representation of Danish public authorities and well known corporates such as Zurich Insurance and AIG. Casper Christiansen was promoted to partner in 2022.Practice head(s):
Sune Riisgaard
Other key lawyers:
Sune Fugleholm; Kasper Mortensen; Paw Fruerlund; Tomas Ilsøe Andersen; Casper Christiansen; Christian Bo Kolding-Krøger
Testimonials
‘This is probably the most experienced team in dispute resolution in Denmark. Because of the very high number of cases litigated by Poul Schmidt, they have insights and knowledge that is second to none in the market.’
‘Sune Fugleholm is the leading lawyer in Copenhagen when it comes to public law disputes. He is a highly effective litigator, I have always enjoyed his creativity and ability to view cases from new perspectives. He is highly recommended.’
‘Christian Bo Kolding-Krøger and Tomas Ilsøe Andersen have great commercial knowledge and very quickly get to grips with relevant issues on cross-border matters.’
‘Good cooperation and knowledge of the public sector, solution orientated.’
‘Highly skilled and professional team. Delivers high quality and thoroughness and has an excellent understanding of the terms and conditions of its clients in the public sector. They are second to none.’
‘Poul Schmidt has a strong team in every position, and is a great partner in collaboration both in the legal area and in the technological.’
‘They are thorough, available, and very dedicated to delivering high quality. They respect deadlines and provide you with feedback and direction as to what way to go.’
‘Always strong and analytic in approach to the cases and ready with solutions.’
Key clients
AXA XL, a division of AXA S.A.
Aviva plc
AIG
Gard
Lloyd’s Insurance Co. SA
AP Pension
Sedgwick Leif Hansen A/S and Sedgwick in Ireland
Procuritas Capital Investors Fund IV LP/GP
Chubb European Group SE
The Travelers Indemnity Company
SOS International
Canopius
Zurich Insurance
Willis Towers Watson I/S
Altor Fund II GP Ltd
OW Lux S.ár.l
Ministry of Mineral Resources, Greenland
Work highlights
- Representing the Greenlandic Government and the Danish State in a very complex arbitration matter regarding the rights to mine certain resources in Greenland.
- Representing Altor Fund II GP Ltd. and OW Lux S.ár.l in complex litigation before the Eastern High Court of Denmark.
- Advised Aviva on a cross-border product liability related recourse claim regarding a fire in a building allegedly caused by a product sold by a UK based trading company insured by AVIVA to an uninsured Danish trading company and resold to a separately insured Danish retailer.
Denmark > Environment Tier 1
The ‘excellent’ and ‘invaluable’ team at Poul Schmith primarily serves the Danish Government and other public bodies, but has seen an increase in mandates from corporate clients. Kim Christian Højmark, Britta Moll Bown and Jakob Kamby jointly lead the team. Having recently been promoted to partner, Højmark represents public authorities in pollution cases, while Bown is ‘in a league of her own‘ when acting for the Danish Environmental and Food Board of Appeal in cases concerning nature reserves and protected species. Associate Louise Solvang Rasmussen is ‘the star of the team’ and appears before the Supreme Court in landmark environmental matters.
Practice head(s):
Kim Christian Højmark; Britta Moll Bown; Jakob Kamby
Other key lawyers:
Louise Solvang Rasmussen; Josephine Fie Legarth Aggesen
Testimonials
‘Louise Solvang Rasmussen is very experienced in environmental law. She is focused, hard working, and persistent. Louise is exceptional when it comes to litigating. She is the star of the team.’
‘Britta Moll Bown is in a league of her own – she is highly experienced, and always on the move. She is extremely skilled in environmental law.’
‘The environment team at Poul Schmith is excellent and Louise Solvang Rasmussen and Kim Christian Højmark are key. The team is invaluable.’
‘The team is highly qualified in environmental regulation in Denmark. They are able to find solutions to the most difficult and complex environmental legal problems. They think strategically and have been very valued partners in handling a number of complex cases.’
‘Kim Højmark is extremely pleasant to work with. He is good at communicating with employees at multiple levels.’
‘Britta Moll Bown stands out through her deep knowledge and experience as a litigator representing government authorities in environmental law matters.’
‘Josephine Fie Legarth Aggesen is a very skilled and knowledgeable juridical partner.’
Key clients
The Danish Environmental and Food Board of Appeal
The Danish Planning Board of Appeal
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency
Region Hovedstaden (Capital Region)
The Danish Business Authority
Rail Net Denmark (Banedanmark) (responsible for the Danish railway network)
The Danish Energy Board of Appeal
The Danish Road Directorate
The Danish Ministry of Environment
By og Havn (CPH City and Port Development)
Femern A/S
Hovedstadens Letbane (Greater Copenhagen Light Rail)
The Danish Ministry of Transportation
The Danish Energy Agency
The Danish Coastal Authority
The Danish National Agency for Housing and Physical Planning (Bolig- og Planstyrelsen)
Frederiksberg Municipality
Danish Veterinary and Food Administration
Aarhus Municipality
Gentofte Municipality
Work highlights
- Representing the Danish Ministry of Transportation in a case before the Danish Eastern High Court concerning the creation of Lynetteholm, a new peninsula in the Port of Copenhagen.
- Advising the Danish Energy Agency on planning the Danish energy islands.
- Representing the Danish Environmental and Food Board of Appeal in a leading case before the Danish Supreme Court, concerning ammonia from stables.
Denmark > Information technology Tier 1
Poul Schmith‘s team consists of ‘dedicated and highly qualified specialists‘ advising on contractual matters within an EU public procurement context. As primary adviser to the Danish government, the team acts on IT projects of national importance, in addition to serving municipalities and regional authorities. Tom Holsøe, Anni Noes Westergaard and Thomas Dithmer jointly lead the IT and digitisation practice; Holsøe and Westergaard both possess extensive knowledge of digitsation and transformation projects, and Westergaard focusing on IT issues within the healthcare sector and acts in digitisation disputes. The ‘very professional and extremely skilled‘ Dithmer is an IT specialist, who often advises public and private clients on systems acquisitions and cloud projects. Anders Bossen is ‘extremely competent‘ in advising on the procurement of cloud-based systems and agile IT developments.Practice head(s):
Tom Holsøe; Anni Noes Westergaard; Thomas Dithmer
Other key lawyers:
Peter Hedegaard Madsen; Rasmus Holm Hansen; Milena Anguelova Krogsgaard; Anders Bossen; Emil Bisgaard
Testimonials
‘Deep knowledge of public sector with regard to laws and regulations.’
‘Poul Schmith is manned with dedicated and highly qualified specialists, namely, Anders Bossen and Anni Noes Westergaard.’
‘Anni Noes Westergaard and Anders Bossen are extremely competent and professionally skilled, and stand out as being reliable and trustworthy. They both go above and beyond and are pleasant to work with.’
‘It is a great pleasure to work with any individual from the team as they are highly skilled and have good insight. The team is proactive, solution-oriented and has great knowledge, they truly are trusted advisers.’
‘Emil Bisgaard shows very deep understanding of the crossroads between law, technology and commercial challenges and manages to combine them on a very high level.’
‘The partners in the tech-team deliver a competent and solution-focused service.’
‘Milena Anguelova Krogsgaard has outstanding legal and technical knowledge.’
‘Thomas Dithmer is a very professional and extremely skilled IT lawyer, he is also an incredibly pleasant person, from whom you can learn a lot, and who is willing to learn from others.’
Key clients
The Capitol Region
The IT and Development Agency of the Danish Ministry of Taxation
Agency for Public Finance and Management – Ministry of Finance
Agency for Governmental IT Services
Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation
The Region of Zealand
Danish Agency for Digitisation
Andel Holding A/S
DSB (Danish State Railway)
The Ministry of Immigration and Integration
Banedanmark (Ministry of Transport)
Danish Agency for Data Supply and Efficiency
The Danish Court Administration (Domstolsstyrelsen)
Statens og Kommunernes Indkøbsservice A/S (SKI)
Ministry for Interior and Housing
The Five Danish Regions
Work highlights
- Advised Statens og Kommunernes Indkøbsservice A/S (SKI), a central Danish procurement organisation on a number of framework agreements, including framework agreement 02.19 SaaS – Cloud, offering supplier SaaS solutions to Danish governmental and municipal authorities, being able to conduct and perform the relevant administration tasks.
- Advising the Danish Agency for Digitisation on the provision of a new national identity and authentication solution (called MitID) for the identification of persons and the issue of digital identities.
- Advised The Capitol Region on procuring a comprehensive RIS/PACS solution for the specialities radiology, clinical physiology and nuclear medicine as well as breast cancer screening at the regions hospitals.
Denmark > Insolvency Tier 1
Poul Schmith‘s ‘first-class‘ team is ‘second to none‘ in advising on the full spectrum of insolvency matters, including intercreditor agreements and debt restructurings. The team continues to broaden its client base while maintaining its position as a trusted adviser to the Danish State. Practice head Boris Frederiksen is a ‘superb legal strategist‘ who primarily handles matters concerning the protection of creditor interests, fraud schemes, and the negotiation of reorganisations, and often acts for the Danish tax authorities and the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority. ‘Extremely talented lawyer‘ Cathrine Wollenberg Zittan has notable experience in advising on asset tracing work, debt collections and cross-border insolvencies.Practice head(s):
Boris Frederiksen
Other key lawyers:
Jesper Saugmandsgaard Øe; Rune Tandgaard Derno; Morten Plannthin; Cathrine Wollenberg Zittan; Anne Christine Kjær Egholm
Testimonials
‘The pre-eminent practice in the region. They provide very sophisticated advice. Strong communications skills and a commercial approach to the cases. Not afraid of challenging big creditors.’
‘Boris Frederiksen is a superb legal strategist; unflappable; one of the best lawyers I have ever worked with, anywhere.’
‘Cathrine Wollenberg Zittan is excellent all round – clear, smart, easy to work with as a lawyer or an administrator.’
‘Poul Schmith’s understanding of the restructuring and insolvency arena is also second to none. They have expertise, professionalism, and nothing is too much to handle. A first-class firm.’
‘Cathrine Wollenberg Zittan is an extremely talented lawyer at the top of her game. She always impresses, considers alternative approaches. Knowledge and strategy skills are always demonstrated.’
‘Boris Frederiksen is a brilliant lawyer. No stone is left unturned and he has pin point accuracy. Completely unflappable and always solid in any difficult situation. Definitely the one you want on your side.’
‘Anne Christine Kjær Egholm is a great lawyer, clients love her and its easy to see why.’
Key clients
The Danish Tax Authorities
The Employees’ Guarantee Fund
The Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs
Jyske Bank
Nykredit Bank
Nordea A/S
The Danish Guarantee Fund for Non-life Insurers
The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority
Vækstfonden
Danske Bank A/S
Sydbank A/S
The Travel Guarantee Fund
Work highlights
- Advising the Danish tax authorities on the recovery of unjustified refunds of withheld dividend tax for a total amount of DKK12.7bn.
- Appointed as a liquidator by the Danish FSA in 2018 to continue the business of Qudos Insurance and minimise its debt.
- Appointed as a liquidator by the Danish FSA for Alpha Insurance A/S in bankruptcy.
Denmark > Real estate and construction
Poul Schmith‘s ‘outstanding‘ real estate and construction team is known for its strength in advising on the establishment of joint ventures for urban development projects. ‘Skilled and structured‘ real estate expert Rikke Hoffensetz Andresen and construction specialists Rasmus Holm Hansen and Kasper Mortensen lead the team. Andresen assists pension funds and municipalities with property transactions and financings, Hansen advises consultants and contractors on both non-contentious and contentious matters, and Mortensen often represents the Building and Property Agency, among other government bodies, in disputes. Henrik Puggaard focuses on advising private bidding consortia on risk allocation issues and the PPP market.Practice head(s):
Rikke Hoffensetz Andresen; Rasmus Holm Hansen; Kasper Mortensen
Other key lawyers:
Henrik Puggaard, Philip Prochownik; Tony Lund-Burmeister; Bo Schmidt Pedersen; Magnus Bjerre Clausen; Kristian Hartlev
Testimonials
‘Highly skilled and professional team with a pragmatic and friendly approach. The team is very talented and has an excellent understanding of the public sector. They are structured and thorough and deliver high quality. They are outstanding.’
‘Rasmus Holm Hansen provides high quality legal advice and is not afraid to give a clear answer to any given question.’
‘Rikke Hoffensetz Andresen is a skilled and structured lawyer with a very valuable and strong awareness and understanding of the industry.’
‘Magnus Bjerre Clausen is a highly and exceptionally service-minded lawyer with unique professional competences, highly recommended.’
‘Philip Prochownik is highly professional and is a highly respected lawyer.’
‘Strong legal competence within construction law, contract law and public procurement law. Extensive experience within construction and infrastructure projects.’
‘Both Bo Schmidt Pedersen and Kristian Hartlev are excellent. They are both very innovative and have very good understanding. They both have winning personalities and are very easy to work with. I can highly recommend both lawyers.’
Key clients
1927 Estate Holding ApS
ATP Ejendomme A/S
Barslund A/S / Barslund A/S
Billund Airport (Billund Lufthavn A/S)
Birch Ejendomme A/S
Blue Capital A/S
Bostad A/S
By & Havn
Clean-Vent ApS
CNG 17 P/S
CPHInvest ApS
DAI A/S
Danbolig Lyngby
Danske Funktionærers Boligselskab
Domea.dk
Ejendomsselskabet Blegdamsvej 104 A/S
Emcon A/S
Espersen A/S
Femern Bælt A/S
Frederiksberg Gymnasium
fsb
KAB
Kliq A/S
KPC København ApS
Metroselskabet I/S
Municipality of Ballerup
Municipality of Frederiksberg
Municipality of Greve
Municipality of Helsingør
Municipality of Køge
Municipality of Aarhus
Nectar Invest A/S
NIRAS A/S
Norconsult A/S
Nordarken Holding A/S
OK-Fonden
Oskar Group
Proink International AB
Tasfo Investments A/S
The Danish Building and Property Agency
The Danish Ministry of Defence Estate Agency
The Danish Road Directorate (DRD)
The Region of Southern Denmark
Udviklingsselskabet By & Havn I/S
Velliv, Pension & Livsforsikring A/S
Vision Ejendomme A/S
Work highlights
- Advised the Danish pension fund PenSam Pension forsikringsaktieselskab on a series of transactions, including joint ventures, purchase agreements and real estate acquisitions.
- Advising Birch Ejendomme A/S, part of the Lessors of Real Estate Industry, on the sale of six development projects consisting of 395 rental units situated in Silkeborg, Holbæk, Roskilde and Næstved.
- Assisting Femern Bælt A/S with the construction of the “Fehmarn Belt Link”, which is one of Europe’s biggest infrastructure projects.
Denmark > Data privacy and data protection Tier 2
Poul Schmith‘s team of ‘brilliant‘ and ‘relentlessly focused‘ practitioners handles public sector data processing mandates, and often serves clients in the healthcare sector on the use and regulation of health-related data. Practice head Jakob Kamby handles matters relating to compliance within organisations, while Martin Sønnersgaard advises on the use of AI in automated decision making and privacy by design. Praised by clients for being ‘creative and wise beyond her years‘, associate Kirsten Marie Donato focuses on advising clients in the financial sector on special conditions relating to data processing.Practice head(s):
Jakob Kamby
Other key lawyers:
Martin Sønnersgaard; Kirsten Marie Donato; Jesper Nørøxe
Testimonials
‘When it comes to Data Privacy and Data Protection, the team is outstanding in bringing trustworthy intelligent legal advice to complicated international data sharing challenges.’
‘The team has an excellent understanding of the challenges and possibilities in an organisation, and high levels of academic knowledge and interpersonal skills. They are brilliant lawyers – very creative and relentlessly focused on what the client needs.’
‘Kirsten Marie Donato has brilliant subject matter knowledge, applied in a no nonsense, practical way. She is very creative and wise beyond her years. Clients love working with her.’
‘What makes the team stand out is their ability to be highly specialised individually and as a team; and that they are very efficient and complement each other very well.’
‘The team is very competent and possesses extensive knowledge of data protection.’
‘Martin Sønnersgaard possesses in-depth knowledge of data protection legislation, good technical understanding, and great experience in larger tech projects.’
‘Poul Schmith is a very competent and pleasant business partner. You feel well treated as a customer and the team you meet are welcoming and skilled at what they do.’
‘Kirsten Marie Donato and Jesper Nørøxe are both very skilled and very pleasant. They are both very honest and trustworthy.’
Key clients
Danish Life Science Cluster
Agency for Digital Government
The Danish Agency for Data Supply and Infrastructure
The Danish Committee for Health Education
Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs
Statens Serum Institut
Innovation Fund Denmark
Danish Patient Safety Authority
University of Aarhus
Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science
The Royal Danish Theatre
Statens og Kommunernes Indkøbsservice A/S
Rejsekort & Rejseplan A/S
Coinify ApS
The IT and Development Agency of the Danish Ministry of Taxation
Work highlights
- Advised the Danish Life Science Cluster and Danish Ministry of Health on an extensive report and legal analysis on the regulatory framework for the use of health data for the development and testing of innovative solutions based on data driven technologies, including AI.
- Advising the Danish Agency for Data Supply and Infrastructure on the provision of a new data distribution platform for the distribution of fundamental register data from several public authorities via one platform.
- Advising the Danish Agency for Digital Government on the provision of a new national digital post solution for public authorities to communicate securely and digitally with citizens and businesses.
Denmark > Employment Tier 2
Rated by clients as having the ‘the best employment law team in Denmark‘, Poul Schmith is both ‘thorough and reliable‘ and handles the full spectrum of employment issues, including acquisitions, restructurings, labour clauses, and working condition issues. Jonas Blegvad Jensen and Marianne Lage jointly head up the practice from Aarhus and Copenhagen respectively. Jensen primarily advises government bodies and public companies across the energy sector on the recruitment and dismissal of senior employees, while Lage is a ‘brilliant‘ collective labour law expert who often acts for employers in the negotiation and renewal of collective agreements.
Practice head(s):
Jonas Blegvad Jensen; Marianne Lage
Testimonials
‘Marianne Lage has enormous experience and great knowledge. She is a highly respected practitioner with extensive experience in both collective and individual employment mandates.’
‘The best employment law team in Denmark. They are very thorough and reliable.’
‘Marianne Lage is a brilliant employment law lawyer. She is friendly, competent and tough when she needs to be.’
‘Excellent staff with high competence, they have superb knowledge and are a great team.’
Key clients
Norwegian (Norwegian Crew Resources Denmark ApS)
Exerp ApS
People 2.0
APM Terminals A/S
Dansk Teater
TPI Composites Inc.
NTG Nordic Transport Group A/S
Brainnet B.V.
ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum
The Schools of Visual Arts
Ligebehandlingsnævnet
Work highlights
- Advised Norwegian Crew Resources Denmark ApS on all legal issues regarding its employees and the handling of its collective bargaining agreements.
- Assisted People 2.0 with the handling of complex tripartite situations and the transfer of employees.
- Advised Exerp ApS post-acquisition on the restructuring of Exerp’s activities in Denmark.
Denmark > Energy Tier 2
Poul Schmith‘s team exhibits ‘vast and unmatched experience‘ when advising public sector and private sector clients on energy supply issues, project developments, and bids for large wind farm projects. The ‘exceptionally good‘ Klint Klingberg-Jensen focuses on advising international offshore wind developers, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. Sune Fugleholm has advised the Danish government for over 30 years on energy and utility projects; and Jesper Nørøxe handles both contentious and non-contentious matters concerning energy and environmental law.Practice head(s):
Klint Klingberg-Jensen; Sune Fugleholm; Jesper Nørøxe
Other key lawyers:
Sara Due Ilsøe
Testimonials
‘Klint Klingberg-Jensen and Sara Due Ilsøe provided us with a strong legal foundation. Working with Klint and Sara, we experienced a very high degree of professionalism combined with a strong legal and commercial skillset.’
‘Klint Klingberg-Jensen’s extensive experience and knowledge within the renewable energy sector is evident.’
‘Extremely strong team with a very broad insight to the wind industry, contract regime, and not least the business perspective. They take a professional and very practical approach.’
‘The team is highly qualified on a broad array of issues related to oil and gas regulation and agreements between oil and gas concession holders and the Danish state. The team has vast and unmatched experience.’
‘Poul Schmith is a very well renowned practice with an exceptionally competent team who are there when needed.’
‘Klint Klingberg-Jensen is extremely approachable with good commercial knowledge coupled with exceptional legal expertise. He is exceptionally good and has a sense of humour.’
Key clients
FORCE Technology
Bladt Industries A/S
Bel Air Aviation A/S
BMS Heavy Cranes A/S
Norlys Energi A/S
Horisont Energi AS
Dansk Ingeniør Service A/S
Creadis Wind Solutions A/S
Better Energy A/S
ISC Rådgivende Ingeniører A/S
North Sea Fund (Nordsøfonden)
Niras A/S
Kongsberg Maritime A/S
Danish Energy Agency
Danish Utility Regulator
Work highlights
- Advised the Danish Energy Agency on the development of a wind energy hub which will be constructed as an artificial island in the North Sea to become the hub of more than 10GW of offshore wind.
- Advised Shelf Drilling C on a transaction aimed at acquiring Noble Drilling and Maersk Drilling for the rigs, including all related support and infrastructure that will be needed to run the rigs as an effective standalone business.
- Advised a technology supplier within offshore energy on the drafting and negotiating of a contract with Chevron (Angola) for the provision of novel technology solutions for asset maintenance and operation for a wide range of Chevron offshore oil and gas assets in Angola.
Denmark > EU, competition and public procurement Tier 2
Jacob Pinborg, Kristian Hartlev and Rass Holdgaard jointly lead the ‘excellent‘ team of ‘true experts‘ at Poul Schmith. The practice continues to act as key counsel to the Danish state on state aid matters, and provides assistance to private equity funds, insurance companies and players in the defence and security industries. The ‘brilliant‘ Pinborg handles a number of contentious competition matters for the Competition Counsel and property developers, and frequently appears before the Maritime and Commercial Court. Hartlev makes use of his ‘great experience‘ in renewable energy and infrastructure projects to advise on procurement processes; and Holdgaard often advises public authorities on matters concerning EU law, and represents the Ministries of Culture, Finance, and Transport before national and EU courts. Christina Heiberg-Grevy frequently assists international companies with tenders and the implementation of contracts.Practice head(s):
Jacob Pinborg; Kristian Hartlev; Rass Holdgaard
Other key lawyers:
Andreas Estrup Ippolito; Christina Heiberg-Grevy
Testimonials
‘The Poul Schmith team has vast knowledge of EU and procurement issues. Their deep knowledge allows them to draw on experience so they can provide excellent legal advice.’
‘Rass Holdgaard is a stand-out individual. He is fast to understand both legal, business and political needs for the projects. He is brilliant.’
‘Jacob Pinborg is brilliant, an analytical strong lawyer, and one of the best practitioners in the market.’
‘The EU, competition and public procurement team at Poul Schmith law firm consists of true experts with a very profound knowledge in their field of law. They are excellent and they never compromise on quality.’
‘Andreas Ippolito has an extraordinary knowledge and capacity to identify and solve the legal issues, while having an extremely kind and calm personality.’
‘The team is extremely competent and has unique top-class knowledge within competition law. In addition to extremely high specialist knowledge, the level of service and friendliness is top class. The team has the most depth and width in terms of both talent and experience.’
‘Kristian Hartlev is a trusted adviser when preparing and running public procurement procedures. His great experience and calm approach ensures the best decision is reached. Kristian has deep understanding and a high degree of business acumen, he is also extremely pleasant to work with.’
‘Christina Heiberg-Grevy stands out for her commercially sound and pragmatic approach. She understands the commercial side of things and is brilliant at finding solutions.’
Key clients
Danish Competition and Consumer Authority / Competition Council
Eurostar A/S
Demant A/S
Nutreco International B.V.
DSB
Danish Central Government
Verdo Holding A/S
Sund og Bælt Holding A/S
Femern A/S
A/S Øresund
Billund Airport A/S
Aarhus Airport A/S
Babcock International Group
Andel Holding A/S
Frederiksberg Forsyning A/S
Norlys A/S
ARC (I/S Amager Ressourcecenter)
I/S Vestforbrænding
Rejsekort & Rejseplan A/S
SKI A/S
Work highlights
- Representing the Danish Competition Council in a case before the Commercial and Maritime Court about an investigation against Forbruger-Kontakt A/S for abuse of dominance (tying) in the market for distribution of non-addressed mail.
- Represented Eurostar Danmark A/S in the follow-up criminal proceeding following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in December 2019 in the so-called road marking case concerning the legality of a consortium agreement between two competitors.
- Advised Nutreco N.V. on the acquisition of Nutrimin A/S, one of the leading Danish producers of farm minerals, concentrates and piglet feed.
Denmark > Insurance Tier 2
Poul Schmith‘s team utilises its ‘strength in depth‘ to advise on the full gamut of insurance matters, including the establishment of insurance companies, acquisitions and outsourcing issues, in addition to handling coverage, building damage insurance, and contractor’s all risk insurance disputes. Inge Houe advises clients in both the public and private sectors on professional liability claims involving insurance fraud, particularly relating to municipal and regional departments. Sigrid Majlund Kjærulff left the team in February 2022 and former practice head Henrik Nedergaard Thomsen departed in late 2022 to Neugebauer Clan.Other key lawyers:
Inge Houe; Jeanette Løfberg
Testimonials
‘The team appears professional and they always approach work with a positive attitude. All employees appear welcoming and professional. They have great competence in handling complicated insurance cases, and we have very constructive discussions on significant legal issues.’
‘The team are extremely well coordinated and well resourced. It is comprised of strong and experienced lawyers. They have excellent advocates who provide solid legal advice in a very commercial manner.’
‘Jeanette Løfberg is particularly good.’
‘Poul Schmith has strength in depth, with experience and expertise in the insurance sector, they are proactive and knowledgeable.’
‘Competent and understandable, we commend them for their reliability, professionalism, high level of expertise, and credibility.’
‘ Jeanette Løfberg is very easy to work with, clearly very knowledgeable, dedicated and pragmatic.’
Key clients
AIG Europe
AP Pension
Aviva
AXA XL, a division of AXA
Brookfield Underwriting
Canopius Managing Agent Limited
Chubb European Group
CNA Hardy
Codan Forsikring A/S
First Forsikring
Garantifonden for Skadesforsikringsselskaber|(Guarantee Fund for Non-Life Insurers)
Gjensidige
Lloyds Insurance Company
Penni.io
Real Garant Versicherung (by Zurich)
RiskPoint
Sedgwick Leif Hansen
Sedgwick in Ireland
The Travelers Indemnity Company
Topdanmark Forsikring
Tryg Forsikring
Bo-Vest
Dagrofa
DSB|(Danish State Railways)
Force Technology
Danish Technical University
University of Copenhagen
University of Southern Denmark
Municipality of Ballerup
Municipality of Frederiksberg
Municipality of Federikssund
Municipality of Hillerød
Municipality of Mariagerfjord
Municipality of Norddjurs
Municipality of Ringsted
Municipality of Slagelse
Ankenævnet for Patienterstatningen (Patient Complaints Board)
Ankestyrelsen (Social Appeals Board)
Arbejdsmarkedets Erhvervssikring (Labour Market Insurance)
Banedanmark (Rail Net Denmark)
Bygningsstyrelsen (Danish Building and Property Agency)
Civilstyrelsen (Civil Affairs Agency)
Direktoratet for Kriminalforsorgen (The Department for Prison and Probation Service)
Domstolsstyrelsen (Department of Danish Court Administration)
Erstatningsnævnet (Victims’ Compensation Board)
Finanstilsynet (Danish Financial Supervisory Authority)
Forsvarsministeriets Personalestyrelse (The Danish Ministry of Defence Personnel Agency)
Forsvarsministeriets Materiel- og Indkøbsstyrelse (The Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation)
Nationalmuseet (National Museum of Denmark)
Justitsministeriet (Department of Justice)
Naturstyrelsen (Danish Nature Agency)
Patienterstatningen (Patient Compensation Association)
Politiet (Danish National Police)
Styrelsen for Patientklager (Danish Agency for Patient Complaints)
Work highlights
- Representing US-based Travelers in a high-value product liability related cross-border recourse claim regarding the failure of ceramic capacitors causing malfunction and recall of a substantial number of vehicles in the US market.
- Representing Norway-based Gjensidige in a high-value highly complex insurance coverage dispute regarding defects related to the high-profile prestige development project, the Carlsberg City District in Copenhagen.
- Representing UK-based Canopius and Belgium-based Lloyd’s Insurance Company in an increasing number of high-value disputes regarding building damage insurance, including coverage disputes brought by the insured against the insurer and recourse claims brought by the insurer against the developer.
Denmark > Banking and finance Tier 3
Poul Schmith‘s ‘agile‘ team consists of a ‘open-minded, hard-working people‘ who advise portfolio companies and private equity funds on acquisition financings, the refinancing of bank debt, and bond issuances. Practice head Peter Hedegaard Madsen is proficient in financial regulation and funds work, and advises domestic pension funds on structuring and design issues, in addition to the use of investment tools. Jakob Bernhoft and Kim Rasmussen joined from Kromann Reumert in August 2023, and Flemming Pristed joined from SIRIUS advokater in July 2023, while Kristoffer Lund Poulsen joined in late 2023 from Moalem Weitemeyer.Practice head(s):
Peter Hedegaard Madsen
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Great bunch of open-minded, hard-working people with tremendous attitude to work together on cross-border transactions.’
‘An agile team, defined by hard work, high level legal skills and persistency. They are great people with great dynamics.’
‘They are responsive, available almost around the clock, any transaction issue requiring attention is taken care of with very pragmatic approach and in a quick manner.’
Key clients
Sydbank
Jyske Bank
Nordea
The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority
Nationalbanken (the Danish Central Bank)
AP Pension
Copenhagen Airports
Danske Bank
Vækstfonden
Danmarks Grønne Investeringsfond
Work highlights
- Advised the Danish Green Investment Fund on its subordinated loan to UN17 Village, the first building in the world that through an innovative method addresses and incorporates the 17 UN Global Goals in one complete solution.
- Advised Waterland Private Equity and its portfolio company, Global Equestrian Group, on acquisition financing in relation to a major acquisition in the US and a refinancing of the group’s existing bank debt.
- Advised Copenhagen Airports on a general waiver process following the Covid-19 crisis across its complex financing arrangements which include USPP notes, consortiums of Nordic banks, the European Investment Bank and the Nordic Investment Bank.
Denmark > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 3
Poul Schmith‘s growing, ‘trustworthy and extremely competent‘ practice counts banks, pension funds, and private equity funds as clients, and regularly dispenses advice on transactional and structural joint venture issues. Practice head Ronnie Kandler advises transport, and logistics companies on public and private deals and cross-border transactions, while Carina Vang Kristoffersen acts for domestic and international clients on carve-out transactions and joint ventures.Practice head(s):
Ronnie Kandler
Other key lawyers:
Carina Vang Kristoffersen; Thomas Bento-Nystad; Jacob Bier
Testimonials
‘Ronnie Kandler and his team offers a unique blend of professionalism, personal approach and availability. It is always a pleasure to work with them on new projects.’
‘Very knowledgeable in ESG. Legal ESG frontrunner in Denmark.’
‘Poul Schmith is our preferred law firm. They are trustworthy and extremely competent. Everyone delivers counselling at an extremely high level.’
‘Competent, friendly and relaxed.’
Key clients
NTG A/S
Delfin Holding ApS
Verdo Holding A/S
Cylindo ApS
Nutreco International B.V.
PenSam Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab
ROI Media Ltd.
Celik Software ApS and LRI Software ApS
AddPro Danmark A/S
Worksome ApS
Oleter Group AB
Shelf Drilling Holdings Ltd.
Work highlights
- Advised NTG in connection with the acquisition of LGT Group AB, a Sweden-based freight-forward business with significant presence in the Nordic markets.
- Advised the shareholders of Cylindo ApS on the sale of 100 % of the shares in Cylindo ApS and its subsidiaries.
- Advised Verdo Holding A/S on the sale of 75 % of the share capital in Verdo Tele A/S to Norlys Tele Service A/S.
Poul Schmith > Firm Profile
Firm overview: Poul Schmith is a full-service law firm, widely recognized as one of the largest and most experienced legal practices in Denmark with a rich history spanning over 80 years. From its offices in Copenhagen and Aarhus, Poul Schmith advises clients on the public and private market on all aspects of public, corporate, and commercial law.
Since 1936, Poul Schmith has served as the preferred legal advisor to the Danish government. Over this extensive period, the firm has provided comprehensive legal counsel within all aspects of the law to the government including corporate and commercial law.
Poul Schmith’s work often extends beyond national borders, reflecting the increasingly international nature of legal challenges. Poul Schmith has cultivated valuable relationships with leading law firms worldwide, allowing us to provide clients with a global perspective while maintaining our focus on local expertise.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Capital markets | Peter Hedegaard Madsen | hed@poulschmith.dk | |
IT and digitisation, telecommunications | Tom Holsoe | hol@poulschmith.dk | |
IT and digitisation, telecommunications | Anni Noes Westergaard | anwe@poulschmith.dk | |
Construction | Rasmus Holm Hansen | rhh@poulschmith.dk | |
Construction | Kasper Mortensen | kmo@poulschmith.dk | |
Contracts and tenders | Jens Bødtcher-Hansen | jbh@poulschmith.dk | |
Corporate compliance and investigations | Peter Hedegaard Madsen | hed@poulschmith.dk | |
Corporate matters | Ronnie Kandler | rka@poulschmith.dk | |
Corporate matters | Peter Hedegaard Madsen | hed@poulschmith.dk | |
Data protection and privacy | Jakob Kamby | jka@poulschmith.dk | |
Dispute resolution | Tomas Ilsøe Andersen | ils@poulschmith.dk | |
Dispute resolution | Sune Fugleholm | sfs@poulschmith.dk | |
Employment | Marianne Lage | lag@poulschmith.dk | |
Competition | Jacob Pinborg | pin@poulschmith.dk | |
EU and international, state aid | Rass Holdgaard | rho@poulschmith.dk | |
EU and international, state aid | Jacob Pinborg | pin@poulschmith.dk | |
Environment and energy | Klint Klingberg-Jensen | kkli@poulschmith.dk | |
Finance and financial regulation | Peter Hedegaard Madsen | hed@poulschmith.dk | |
Foundations | Peter Hedegaard Madsen | hed@poulschmith.dk | |
Infrastructure | Kristian Hartlev | har@poulschmith.dk | |
Insurance | Jacob Christian Sølling | jcs@poulschmith.dk | |
Life science | Carina Vang Kristoffersen | cavk@poulschmith.dk | |
MedTech | Jens Bødtcher-Hansen | jbh@poulschmith.dk | |
Mergers and acquisitions | Ronnie Kandler | rka@poulschmith.dk | |
Private equity | Ronnie Kandler | rka@poulschmith.dk | |
Private equity | Peter Hedegaard Madsen | hed@poulschmith.dk | |
Public | Jakob Kamby | jka@poulschmith.dk | |
Public | Sune Fugleholm | sfs@poulschmith.dk | |
Public-private partnership | Jens Bødtcher-Hansen | jbh@poulschmith.dk | |
Real estate | Rikke Hoffensetz Andresen | rian@poulschmith.dk | |
Real estate | Philip Prochownik | proc@poulschmith.dk | |
Restructuring and insolvency | Boris Frederiksen | bor@poulschmith.dk | |
Restructuring and insolvency | Rune Derno | der@poulschmith.dk |
Lawyer Profiles
Staff Figures
Number of partners : 94 Number of lawyers : 384 (including assistant attorneys) Staff : 840+ (all included)Languages
Danish EnglishOther
Other offices : AarhusDiversity
FOCUS ON GREEN TRANSITION
As a firm, we take on corporate social responsibility by contributing to the green transition and the am-bitions in the Danish Government’s Climate Act. We wish to reduce our own carbon footprint, and we would also like to contribute through our legal advice. As far as we know, we are the first Danish law firm that has presented a carbon footprint report. We are proud of this, and it is a testament to sus-tainability being very important to our top management and that sustainability is also one of the benchmarks of our board of directors.
PART OF THE COMMUNITY
As the first law firm in Denmark we joined the green think tank CONCITO in 2019. Our attorneys work pro bono in a number of working groups to drive the climate agenda.
We have also agreed to the ten principles of sustainability of the UN Global Compact and support the 17 sustainable development goals. We have consequently committed ourselves to report annually on our progress in the area of sustainability in the broad sense.
We are a member of AdvokatKODEKS where we have committed to report annually on how we work with sustainability and ethics in the broad sense, including anti-corruption, environmental and climate considerations, equal rights, diversity, etc.
CARBON FOOTPRINT REPORT
70% REDUCTION IN 2030
Based on our internal CO2 mapping that has resulted in a carbon footprint report, we have undertaken to reduce our total emission per employee by 70% by 2030. This is why our carbon footprint report does not only include our own direct emission but also our indirect emission, ie the emission from the means of transport that we use, the emission by our sub-suppliers from their production of the products that we buy from them, etc. We choose to be completely transparent about our baseline and progress with 2018 as the base.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THAT MAKES SENSE
WE ACT FROM DAY ONE, AND TAKE ON RESPONSIBILITY IMMEDIATELY
As a firm, we have launched a large number of initiatives to help us fulfil our ambition:
- increased separation of waste for biofuel
- focus on food waste in our canteens by introducing “The Surplus Box” where employees can buy surplus food to take home
- establishing a strategy for green purchases and green supplier management (utilities and build-ings, office expenses, furniture and equipment, merchandise, IT and server hosting, etc)
- focus on phasing out disposable packing
- more than 80% of our office space now receives power from wind turbines which means a reduc-tion in our carbon emission. The remaining areas are leased premises, and we are in dialogue with our landlord about a transition to green power
- reducing print and printouts
- starting the work of drafting an offsetting and transport policy
All the initiatives are employee-driven. Fulfilling our ambition of a 70% reduction by 2030 will be a long haul. But already from 2020, we have decided to offset, on an annual basis, the gap that we have up to the 70% target.
OFFSETTING DOES NOT REPLACE ACTION, BUT IS A SUPPLEMENT
It is our primary focus and firm position to concentrate on an organic (actual) reduction towards 2030, ie the long haul, so that only what cannot be reduced or cannot be reduced in the short run is offset. This is why we will also see a reduction over time in our offsetting as we start to see the effects of our organ-ic reduction initiatives.
THE OFFSETTING FOCUS WILL BE ON ENSURING AN EFFECT
As a principle, we will only invest in Gold Standard-certified offsetting projects that comply with our values of verification, transparency and “additionality” (the project had not been carried out if we had not invested in it). All this contributes to making sure that our offsetting has the biggest possible effect for the benefit of society.
FOUR DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY
As a firm, we deal with sustainability within four dimensions
- Responsibility for the environment and the climate
- Responsibility for humans. Governance code, equal rights, diversity, working conditions, supplier responsibility, etc
- Responsibility for data security and tech solutions
- Social responsibility.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY/CLIMATE RESPONSIBILITY
RESPONSIBILITY FOR HUMANS
RESPONSIBILITY FOR TECH/DATA
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Legal Briefings
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Corruption, procurement and self-cleaning in Denmark
In 2015 Denmark’s image as one of the world’s least corrupt nations came under scrutiny as Atea A/S, the Danish subsidiary of the Norwegian IT supplier Atea ASA, came under investigation for bribing several public officials employed in IT departments of various Danish public authorities, including the national police and the regional authority, Region Zealand. …