Mr Gaute Gjelsten > Wikborg Rein > Oslo, Norway > Lawyer Profile
Wikborg Rein Offices

Dronning Mauds gate 11
P.O.Box 1513 Vika
NO-0117 Oslo
Norway
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Mr Gaute Gjelsten

Work Department
Shipping offshore.
Position
Gaute Gjelsten is a Partner at Wikborg Rein’s Oslo office and Global Head of the firm’s Shipping Offshore practice. Gjelsten specialises in international shipping and offshore law, including maritime, energy, insurance and conflict of laws. He has extensive litigation experience before Norwegian courts and in arbitration proceedings. Gjelsten is an examiner and lecturer for the Nordic Institute of Maritime Law and the Institute of Private Law in Oslo, Norway. He has worked at Wikborg Rein’s office in London and later managed the firm’s office in Kobe, Japan for three years, whilst also acting as Norwegian Consul General for Kobe/Osaka. Gjelsten is recommended by Legal 500 in Dispute Resolution and Maritime Law (including insurance); and Chambers and Partners as “Leaders in their field” in the category: Shipping, Litigation.
Career
2005- Partner, Wikborg Rein, Oslo. 2003-2004 Senior Associate, Wikborg Rein, Oslo. 2000-2002 Norwegian Consul-General, Kobe/Osaka, Japan. 2000-2002 Japan Representative, Wikborg Rein, Kobe, Japan. 1998-1999 Associate, Wikborg Rein, Oslo. 1995-1997 Lecturer, lectures on sale of goods law, contract law and administrative law, University of Oslo. 1994-1995 Assistant Lecturer, Institute of Civil Law, University of Oslo.
Memberships
Norwegian Bar Association.
Education
2000 Practising Certificate. 1997 Cand. jur., University of Oslo.
Lawyer Rankings
Norway > Maritime law
(Leading individuals)Wikborg Rein has ‘an impressive group of lawyers working on maritime law matters‘. The ‘excellent‘ team is highly regarded for its capabilities in handling contentious work; practice head Gaute Gjelsten is well known for being ‘very experienced in marine and offshore insurance related issues and complex claims‘. Deputy head Øyvind Axe, who is based in the Bergen office, is sought out for his expertise in restructurings, financings and transactional matters. Additionally, the group has noted strength in offshore and maritime emergencies – this sub-team is led by Morten Lund Mathisen, who garners praise as ‘one of the most experienced casualty response lawyers globally‘. The ‘very able‘ Herman Steen advises on international maritime disputes pertaining to maritime casualties, and, in Oslo, Andreas Fjærvoll-Larsen is the key contact for shipping offshore transactional work.
Norway > Insurance
Wikborg Rein‘s team ‘has a solid understanding of insurance‘ and provides ‘excellent advice‘ on a broad range of marine and non-marine insurance work, with portfolio transfers and acquisitions, coverage issues and marine insurance litigation included in the group’s recent workload. Department head Anders Færden is ‘a skilled negotiator and particularly strong in insurance contract law,’ and litigator Gaute Gjelsten is the main name for shipping and offshore work. Specialist counsel Anne-Karin Nesdam‘s practice focuses on gas sector matters, while Herman Steen is very experienced in handling disputes relating to marine P&I, war and cargo insurance.
Norway > Offshore construction and shipbuilding
The practice at Wikborg Rein is distinguished by its ‘incredible knowledge of the industry‘. Jointly led by the firm’s deputy head of the global shipping and offshore group Øyvind Axe and Gaute Gjelsten, who is highly regarded for his litigation and arbitration expertise, the team has been kept busy handling shipbuilding contracts, transactional mandates and contentious matters. Andreas Fjærvoll-Larsen is the key contact for shipping and offshore projects, and Bergen-based Morten Valen Eide advises on the construction, operation, financing and sale/purchase of ships and rigs. Christian James-Olsen is another name to note in Bergen. Øystein Meland moved to BAHR in 2021.
Lawyer Rankings
- Leading individuals - Norway > Maritime law
- Maritime law - Norway
- Offshore construction and shipbuilding - Norway
- Insurance - Norway
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Banking and finance (including shipping finance)
- Capital markets
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution
- Electricity and renewable energy
- EU and competition
- Fishing and aquaculture
- Insolvency and corporate recovery
- Intellectual property
- Maritime law
- Offshore construction and shipbuilding
- Public procurement
- Real estate
- Regulatory, compliance and investigations
- Tax