Landslog – Law Offices > Reykjavik, Iceland > Firm Profile
Landslog – Law Offices Offices

BORGARTÚN 26
105 REYKJAVIK
Iceland
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Landslog – Law Offices > The Legal 500 Rankings
Iceland > Dispute resolution Tier 2
Recognised for being ‘professional, experienced, and highly qualified’, Landslog – Law Offices stands out in litigation across diverse legal fields. The practice is jointly led by seasoned litigators Grímur Sigurðsson, Áslaug Árnadóttir, and Viðar LúðvíkssonPractice head(s):
Grímur Sigurðsson; Áslaug Árnadóttir; Viðar Lúðvíksson
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Very good knowledge and experience.’
‘Professional, experienced, and highly qualified.’
‘Collaboration has been great. Personal and quick services.’
‘Jón Gunnar Ásbjörnsson has unique knowledge, very quick reaction, able to work within a tight timeframe.’
t‘Professionalism, quality of the principals. I use top rated law firms worldwide and This team matches or is superior in quality and professionalism to any team at another law firm I work with.’
‘I would single out Viðar Lúðvíksson. He is one of the very best lawyers you will find anywhere, razor sharp, knowledgeable, and thorough. Extremely professional and efficient to work with.’
‘Jón Gunnar Ásbjörnsson is a top lawyer and litigator, sharp, knowledgeable and very through. Professional and efficient.’
Key clients
Central Bank of Iceland
Hagar hf.
Isavia (Icelandic Airport and Air Traffic Management)
University of Iceland Lottery
Islandsbanki – bank
Icelandic Prime Contractors – IAV
Bru II Island
Iceland > Real estate and construction Tier 2
Landslog – Law Offices specialises in complex construction and development projects in Iceland, including dams, power plants, heavy industrial facilities, conference and concert halls, sports arenas, and other large-scale projects. The practice is co-led by Jóhannes Karl SveinssonPractice head(s):
Jóhannes Karl Sveinsson; Jóhannes Bjarni Björnsson
Other key lawyers:
Magnús Ingvar Magnússon
Testimonials
‘Magnús Ingvar Magnússon is a very strong lawyer in the field. He has what is nowadays very rare in a lawyer, he has practical experience from the contractor field. He is also a strong communicator and good team player.’
Key clients
The Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration
Icelandic Prime Contractors
Alma
Icelandic Regional Development
Work highlights
- Advised the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration in connection with major traffic structures which is planned to be built on the basis of the newly approved Act on Public-Private Partnerships.
- Advised the municipality of Kópavogur in a high-profile arbitration case against Italian contractor Rizzani De Eccher concerning the termination of a €30m construction contract for a large school project, successfully securing a tribunal decision in September 2024.
Iceland > Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 3
Landslog – Law Offices specialises in bankruptcy and financial restructuring work, offering comprehensive legal services in these areas. The firm’s attorneys have extensive experience representing bankrupt companies and winding-up estates in court, advising creditors, and assisting company executives with various financial restructuring matters. The department is led by Jóhannes Karl SveinssonPractice head(s):
Jóhannes Karl Sveinsson; Jóhannes Bjarni Björnsson; Viðar Lúðvíksson
Key clients
Isavia (Icelandic Airport and Air Traffic Management)
Hagar hf. (largest retailer in Iceland, a listed company)
Syn hf./ Vodafone Iceland
Central Bank of Iceland
Hekla (Audi, VW, Mitsubishi dealership)
Islandsbanki – bank
Arctic Fish
The Icelandic Housing and Construction Fund
Alma
Lifsverk Pension Fund
Work highlights
- Advised Isavia (The Icelandic Airport and Air Traffic Management) on a private note placement (issue and sale of notes) in the US in the amount of €175m.
- Advised Arctic Fish group during the initial refinancing and both amendments. The lenders are the Arion Bank hf. and the Norwegian bank DNB Bank ASA.
Iceland > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 3
Landslog – Law Offices advises major corporations, large entities, and the Icelandic government on commercial, corporate, and M&A matters. Practice leader Viðar LúðvíkssonPractice head(s):
Viðar Lúðvíksson
Other key lawyers:
Grímur Sigurðsson; Jóna Björk Helgadóttir; Hlynur Halldorsson; Jón Gunnar Ásbjörnsson
Key clients
Isavia (Icelandic Airport and Air Traffic Management)
DeCode Genetics
Icelandic Regional Development
The National University Hospital
Islandsbanki
Alvogen Pharmaceuticals
Work highlights
- Advised the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration on major traffic structures planned to be built on the basis of the newly approved law on Public-Private Partnerships.
- Advised Ljosleidarin on due diligence, financing of the core telecoms network sale, drafting a long-term service agreement for network and wholesale telecoms services, and managing regulatory notifications to the Icelandic Competition Authority and the Electronic Communication Office of Iceland.
- Advised Norvik on the company’s takeover bid for all shares of Bergs Timber AB (a company registered in Nasdaq Nordic Stock Exchange), for a total amount in excess of ISK19bn.
Landslog – Law Offices > Firm Profile
The firm: Landslog – Law Offices has an extremely strong presence in Iceland and comes highly recommended. The firm provides clients with high-level one-stop legal services. The firm’s lawyers are well recognised in the Icelandic market for their fine-tuned expertise and personal services. Landslog has one of the strongest presences in Iceland in dispute resolution and has recently handled many of the largest transactions in Iceland over the past years.
The legal landscape in Iceland has slowly been emerging over the past years, shifting from legal work pertaining to insolvency, restructuring, insurance, creditor composition and other “clean-up work” following the banking crisis in 2008, over major transactions, M&A work, banking advice, industry specific transactions and corporate work.
Areas of practice
Banking and finance: In August 2019 Hagar hf. (Iceland´s largest retail chain and one of Iceland’s largest companies), a listed company, retained Vidar Ludviksson, partner at Landslog, to handle the prospectus and legal issues in relation to the company’s bond issue in the amount of 8 bn ISK, i.e. around 53 million GBP. The issue, which was completed in February 2020, was the first asset-backed bond issue in Iceland since the crash in 2008.
Landslog currently does work for all the major banks in Iceland on various assignments and the Icelandic Financial Supervisory Authority. Landslog has advised Kaupthing bank hf. on various issues relating to the bank’s winding-up, regarding bankruptcy law, derivatives, set-off and other issues. The firm represented Islandsbanki in a case regarding the legality of indexation provisions on consumer loans and numerous other cases. Landslog advised Landsbankinn in its negotiations with the ‘old’ Landsbanki Íslands hf. and on drafting the necessary agreements in relation to the compensation instruments for the assets which were transferred to Landsbankinn following the collapse of the ‘old’ Landsbanki Íslands hf. in 2008.
M&A: Grimur Sigurdsson, partner at Landslog, acted as a legal advisor for HS Orka when its largest shareholder, Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. sold its entire shareholding to Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets for approx. US$305m in March 2019.
Partner Aslaug Arnadottir worked for Iceland’s third biggest retail chain Samkaup on their merger with parts of the retail chain Basko. The deal involved Samkaup buying 14 stores from Basko, all “Iceland” stores in Iceland and 7 10-11 stores. The Icelandic Competition Authority was notified of the merger in June 2018. The Icelandic Competition Authority approved Samkaup’s acquisition of 12 stores in the Reykjavik area from Basko verslanir in late 2018. In May 2019, however, the Icelandic Competition Authority annulled a merger, which concerns Samkaup’s acquisition of two stores owned by Basko verslanir in Akureyri and Reykjanesbær. Landslog also performed a due diligence review in relation to the merger.
Vidar Ludviksson was sole legal advisor to FAST-1 slhf. in the signing of heads of terms for the sale to Reginn hf. (a listed company) of two real-estate companies with an enterprise value of €185m. This was the single largest real estate transaction since the banking crisis in 2008.
Vidar Ludviksson advised Vodafone Iceland (i.e. Fjarskipti hf., listed on the Icelandic Nasdaq stock exchange) on the purchase of almost all assets and operations (including TV content agreements with foreign providers) from 365 midlar hf. This is the largest telecom and broadcasting asset purchase transaction ever in Iceland, with a value of around €69m.
Vidar Ludviksson and Jona Bjork Helgadottir advised Hagar hf. (Iceland’s largest retailer – listed on the Icelandic Nasdaq stock exchange) on the purchase of all shares in the oil company Oliuverzlun Islands hf. – a landmark in M&A deals in Iceland. The value of the deal is around €133m.
Vidar Ludviksson advised SMI ehf. on the purchase of all shares in Korputorg ehf. (the owner of the 45,000m sq Korputorg Shopping Center in Reykjavík).
Bankruptcy, reconstruction, receivership and more: Landslog specialises in bankruptcy and reconstruction and the courts have repeatedly appointed Landslog’s attorneys as receivers to manage many of the largest bankruptcy and reconstruction cases in Iceland, such as Milestone, Mosaic Fashion, V&Þ and numerous others. Furthermore, one of the largest bankruptcy estates in the world, Kaupthing bank hf., hired Landslog to take around 50 rescission cases to court on behalf of the estate.
Corporate and commercial: Landslog has acted for the largest companies in Iceland. Clients include Hagar, Iceland Prime Contractors, various ministries in Iceland, the National Power Company in Iceland, the Reykjavik Power Company, Bauhaus, Norvik Group, HB Grandi and various municipalities in Iceland, including Reykjavik.
Dispute resolution: the Icelandic government instructed partner Johannes Karl Sveinsson to represent it in various disputes in the wake of the Icelandic banking crises.
English insurers hired Vidar Ludviksson to handle claims made against them under D&O policies purchased by Landsbanki Islands hf., which entered under winding-up proceedings following the banking crash in 2008. The ongoing cases (which were lodged in 2011 and 2012) are landmark cases with regard to D&O insurance practice in Iceland and are among the largest and most complex in Icelandic civil procedure. They have been followed closely by the U.K. insurance market.
Landslog successfully defended the insurance company Tryggingamidstodin hf. in several legal proceedings pertaining to D&O policies.
Landslog handles a 250-participant class action, lodged in October 2015, the first of its kind in Iceland, against the former largest owner of the Landsbanki Islands bank.
EEA, competition and state aid: Landslog represented the Icelandic government in state aid cases before the EFTA Surveillance Authority regarding the restructuring of the Icelandic banks.
Landslog represented Kortathjonustan (a card acquirer in Iceland) in the largest civil settlement relating to competition in Iceland which was reached on the payment of damages to Kortathjonustan due to Valitor‘s (VISA Iceland) and Borgun‘s (MasterCard Iceland) breaches against the Icelandic competition/antitrust rules.
Data protection and IT law: Landslog is the leading Icelandic law firm on issues pertaining to processing of personal data and the EU Data Protection Directive. One of Landslog’s partners was Iceland’s Data Protection Commissioner from 2013 to 2014. Landslog specialises in IT-related issues, including IP, telecommunications, software procurement contracts and electronic forensics. Among Landslog’s clients are Advania, Iceland Post and The Icelandic Data Protection Authority.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Banking and finance | Johannes Karl Sveinsson | [email protected] | (+354)5202900 |
Restructuring | Grimur Sigurdsson | [email protected] | (+354)5202900 |
Corporate and commercial | Johannes B Bjornsson | [email protected] | (+354)5202900 |
M&A, Insurance, Dispute resolution | Vidar Ludviksson | [email protected] | (+354)5202900 |
EEA, competition and state aid | Aslaug Arnadottir | [email protected] | (+354)5202900 |
EEA, competition and state aid | Jona Björk Helgadottir | [email protected] | (+354)5202900 |
Data protection and IT | Hordur Helgi Helgason | [email protected] | (+354)5202900 |
Construction, Development, Fisheries | Gardar Gardarsson | [email protected] | (+354)5202900 |
Corporate, Competition | Hlynur Halldorsson | [email protected] | (+354)5202900 |
Administrative, Zoning and Planning | Ivar Palsson | [email protected] | (+354)5202900 |
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
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Mrs Aslaug Arnadottir | Partner. | View Profile |
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Mr Johannes Bjarni Bjornsson | Partner. | View Profile |
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Mr Gardar Gardarsson | Partner. | View Profile |
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Mr Hlynur Halldorsson | Partner. | View Profile |
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Mrs Jona Bjork Helgadottir | Partner. | View Profile |
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Mr Hordur Helgi Helgason | Partner. Recent work: Hörður Helgi was the Data Protection Authority’s (DPA’s) first… | View Profile |
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Mr Viðar Lúðvíksson | Partner at Landslog Law Offices. Main focus on Corporate and Commercial Law,… | View Profile |
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Mr Ivar Palsson | Partner. | View Profile |
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Mr Grimur Sigurdsson | Partner. Recent work: Grimur acted as a legal advisor for HS Orka… | View Profile |
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Mr Johannes Karl Sveinsson | Partner. | View Profile |