Firm Profile > Kvale Advokatfirma DA > Oslo, Norway

Insolvency and corporate recovery Tier 1

Kvale Advokatfirma DA’s ‘strong, hardworking team’ is a key name in the market for Nordic financial institutions and regularly handles bankruptcies, insolvencies, restructuring mandates and contentious work. The practice counts Danske Bank, Sparebank and DNB Bank as clients, and recently handled the bankruptcy estate of five companies in the Norske Skog group of companies; the group has also recently been involved in the bankruptcy proceedings of Top-Toy Norge, which owned and operated the Norwegian Toys 'R' Us stores. Department head Thomas Piro focuses on bankruptcy and insolvency work, Tom Hugo Ottesen and Stine Snertingdalen are noted for their insolvency expertise, and Espen Hamar handles restructuring issues. in 2020, the practice gained Jon Skjørshammer and Robert Jensen from SANDS.

Oil and gas Tier 1

At Kvale Advokatfirma DA, Jens Brede and Yngve Bustnesli jointly lead the group and specialise in oil and gas litigation and petroleum law respectively; Bustnesli is also experienced in contractual issues and transactional work. The team also includes oil services specialist Gry Bratvold, who recently joined from Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS; Andreas Stang Lund, who focuses on contentious work; and corporate team head Jostein Moen. The practice’s client roster includes Marsk Drilling and Equinor; Brede is currently defending the latter in a dispute against COSL Innovator relating to the termination of a drilling contract following damage to a rig on the Norwegian continental shelf caused by a wave. Erik Brannsten moved in-house at Bane Nor.

Dispute resolution Tier 2

Per Conradi Andersen heads up the department at Kvale Advokatfirma DA, which is singled out for its expertise in the offshore and energy sectors with a client roster including Holship Norge, Dong E&P Norge and Statoil. The practice also recently acted for Standard P&I in a dispute with Grad and Stolt Nielsen relating to a fatal ship collision. Andersen is also active in IP, construction and corporate disputes; Jens Brede focuses on the oil and gas sector, Andreas Stang Lund has notable strength in the financial services, consumer products and real estate sectors; and Kristian Lindhartsen handles marine insurance disputes. Ingvild Hanssen-Bauer is also recommended for IP litigation.

Electricity and renewable energy Tier 2

Kvale Advokatfirma DA advises on the full spectrum of transactional, regulatory and contentious mandates for clients at a regional, domestic and international level; notable examples include Hafslund, TrønderEnergi, aventron and Tafjord Kraft. Group leader Christian Poulsson has substantial expertise in regulatory matters, commodities and derivatives trading and real estate issues; the practice also counts Per Conradi Andersen, who handles transactions, restructurings and disputes, as a key practitioner. The practice also gained Sverre Tysland from SANDS in 2020.

EU and competition Tier 2

Kvale Advokatfirma DA is a key name in the market for clients in the telecoms, media and technology sectors and recently acted for e-book distributor VB Bok in a complaint against Cappelen Damm before the Norwegian Competition Authority; the group also acts for energy and natural resources, and life sciences companies including Pfizer and Bunker Oil. The ‘highly professional and intelligent’ Kristin Hjelmaas Valla leads the practice and handles merger clearance work, cartel issues, dominance matters and compliance mandates; while Henrik Svane is singled out for his litigation experience and expertise in the life sciences, food and beverage sectors.

Intellectual property Tier 2

Kvale Advokatfirma DA is a key name in the market for matters in the life sciences, technology, consumer goods and retail sectors; it counts Tine, Sandoz and Siemens as clients. The group advises on all IP issues with notable expertise in trade marks, patents and IP disputes. Anne Marie Sejersted heads up the department and is praised as ‘one of the most experienced IP litigators in Norway’, Ingvild Hanssen-Bauer is noted for her pharmaceutical patent litigation expertise, Marie Vaale-Hallberg handles retail and food-related matters, and Lars Trygve Jenssen has experience in copyright, trade mark, unfair competition and licensing mandates.

Maritime law Tier 2

Marine insurance expert Kristian Lindhartsen leads the shipping practice at Kvale Advokatfirma DA, which advises on a broad range of issues including charter parties and marine contract law, pollution law, marine litigation, restructuring matters and transactional work. Lasse Hagen is the key contact for contentious mandates, Jostein Moen focuses on shipping transactions and restructurings, and senior lawyer Lilly Kathrin Relling handles commercial matters. Gry Bratvold joined the group in mid-2019 from Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS, and Snorre Nordhus moved in-house at Aker Energy.

Offshore construction and shipbuilding Tier 2

Jens Brede and Yngve Bustnesli co-head the department at Kvale Advokatfirma DA, which has notable strength in the oil and gas sector and counts oil companies, contractors, subcontractors, manufacturers and distributors as clients. The group handles the full range of offshore projects and disputes; Brede and Andreas Stang Lund are key names for litigation, Bustnesli is experienced in petroleum law and offshore contracts, and Gry Bratvold, who joined from Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS in mid-2019, acts for clients in the oil services sector.

TMT Tier 2

Per-Kaare Svendsen leads the group at Kvale Advokatfirma DA, which is a key contact for telecoms clients including Telia, TDC/Get and Broadnet. Other areas of expertise for the team include data protection and GDPR mandates, digitalisation projects, big data issues and e-commerce work. Svendsen focuses on telecoms work, Lars Trygve Jenssen handles technology mandates including contracts, e-commerce issues, marketing work and data protection matters; Thomas Farhang specialises in transactional work, and Ingvild Hanssen-Bauer and Jens Christian Gjesti are active in the privacy space.

Banking and finance (including shipping finance) Tier 3

Kvale Advokatfirma DA’s client roster spans a range of Norwegian financial institutions including DNB, GIEK and Bank2, and has also recently been active handling bankruptcy-related work, including assisting the bankruptcy estate of Norske Skog. Under the leadership of restructuring specialist Stine Snertingdalen, the group leverages its transactional, banking regulatory and banking litigation expertise to also stand out for shipping finance matters and financial restructuring work. Christian Stang Våland regularly handles corporate transactions for banks and Jostein Moen focuses on shipping transactions. Hillevi Torngren Myhre joined from SANDS in 2020.

Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 3

Jostein Moen heads up the department at Kvale Advokatfirma DA, which handles domestic and cross-border mandates for a roster of clients spanning the technology, financial, industrial, energy and pharmaceuticals sectors; notable examples include Danske Bank, Compsoft, Telia and Pandion Energy. Moen also has substantial expertise in the shipping sector, Marius L Andresen focuses on cross-border work and Thomas S Farhang is a key name for technology clients. Other key names include maritime, technology and fintech specialist Susanne Schneider, oil and gas expert Yngve Bustnesli and Trygve Norum, who regularly acts for Norwegian and international investors. Carl Christian Marthinussen made partner in 2019, and the group recruited Anne Kjølseth Ekerholt, Henrik Grung, Kristin Nyhus Halvorsen and Sverre Tysland from SANDS in 2020.

Employment Tier 3

At Kvale Advokatfirma DA, practice head Nicolay Skarning is experienced in data privacy issues, competition work and employment-related arbitration, while Jan-Erik Sverre handles employment litigation, which is a key area of strength for the wider team. In a recent highlight, the group represented Bravida in litigation relating to the seniority principle as it relates to downsizings; other key clients include Coca-Cola, Dong Energy and Ikea. Monica Gjerde Sperre joined from SANDS in 2020.