Advokatfirmaet Haavind AS

haavind.no

Partner Aksel Tannum is the head of Haavind’s renewable energy team and one of Norway’s leading specialists in the sector, having worked with this area throughout his entire career. His background from the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy gives him in-depth knowledge of the central regulatory authorities in the sector. He has extensive experience with issues related to power generation (wind and hydropower), grid, power sales and transactions within the energy sector. He counts among his regular clients several of Norway’s largest power companies and energy-intensive industries, as well as the largest Norwegian and foreign companies operating in the renewable sector in Norway. Tannum regularly litigates energy cases and has experience before all the courts, including arbitration and the Supreme Court. Among his highlights, he has litigated some of the principled energy cases before the Supreme Court, such as the “Force Majeure”-case on concession power. He is an author of the legislative energy commentaries, co-author of the Interlaw Book on Renewable Energies (2015) and a member of the Norwegian Bar Association’s energy law committee. The 2021 survey of law firms conducted by the financial daily Finansavisen rated Tannum among the top 4 attorneys in “Energy and climate”.

Partner Andreas Bernt advises companies within the media and technology sectors, and is specialised in intellectual property rights and media law, including IT contracts as well as copyright, licensing and distribution relation to TV and film. He is one of the country’s leading experts on copyrights in the digital age, and a litigator in IPR and IT disputes. He has prior experience of having served as a judge at the district court level. He often works closely with the top management in both Norwegian and international businesses in matters relating to strategy and general policy, and in negotiation and drafting of contracts. He has extensive experience with dispute resolution and litigation, especially in matters relating to copyright and other intellectual property rights. Clients have particularly appreciated Partner Bernt’s industry knowledge and have described him as very skilful in his work.

Andreas Rostveit

Partner Andreas Rostveit is among Norway’s most experienced construction and infrastructure lawyers, with extensive prior experience from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and as department head of the construction department at another Norwegian law firm. At Haavind, Rostveit has continued to be among Norway’s most respected lawyers in construction law, litigation and arbitration. He has extensive experience and special expertise in project follow-up, negotiations and dispute resolution. He has pleaded an exceptionally large number of construction and infrastructure cases, including several of the largest onshore conflicts in Norway, among which is the single largest onshore construction litigation in Norway to date. His specialised expertise and unique experience have made Rostveit one of the sharpest litigators in his fields of expertise, and he is a trusted advisor and representative for leading clients both foreign and domestic; he counts a particularly large number of administrations and governing bodies among his clients. Rostveit is also a frequent lecturer (Center for Continuing Legal Education, The Norwegian Society of Graduate Technical and Scientific Professionals and the Norwegian Public Road Administration).

Anne Hesjedal Sending

Anne Hesjedal Sending has extensive experience within litigation, mediation and dispute resolution over the last 20 years, including more than 12 years at the Attorney General's office, Civil Affairs, where she represented the Norwegian Government and underlying entities in a three-digit number of cases. She continues to litigate complex and high value disputes, focusing on public procurement and commercial contract cases within various industries, including major construction and infrastructure projects. Anne has been admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court since 2009. She also has experience with arbitration including sitting as an arbitrator. She is ranked within her fields of specialization in Chambers Europe (Public Procurement) and Legal 500 (Dispute Resolution).

Arve Martin Hyldmo Bjørnvik

Partner Arve Martin Hyldmo Bjørnvik is a respected leader in his fields of expertise, having more than 20 years of experience in legal practice. He is specialized in contract and construction law, litigation and arbitration. He is particularly renowned for his expert handling of complex construction and fabrication projects, both onshore and offshore, for Norwegian and international clients. In recent years he has been leading several of Haavind’s largest and most important cases, particularly large and complex infrastructure and construction projects. Partner Bjørnvik is in-demand for his dispute resolution skill and experience and he is regularly selected as an arbitrator, particularly in contract and construction disputes, in addition to regularly representing clients in both domestic and cross-border arbitrations. He is also among Norway’s foremost litigators, admitted to appear before the Supreme Court and experienced as a judge at both the district court and appeals court levels. Among his professional activities, Partner Bjørnvik is network leader in JUC’s network for construction law and regularly selected as a speaker on legal topics in various settings.

Bård Sandstad is a Corporate M&A partner, focusing on transactions within the oil, offshore and shipping industries. He has extensive experience with advising in private and capital market transactions, and works with both industrial and financial parties on domestic as well as cross border transactions. Bård has over the years been a key legal and strategic advisor to several of the key players in the oil and offshore industry in many major transactions, mergers and stock exchange listings. Bård has also worked with transactions, corporate litigation and cross border JVs in i.a. USA, U.K., Russia and West Africa.

Bjørn Sørgård

Partner Bjørn Sørgård is co-head of Haavind’s fisheries and aquaculture practice team and one of Norway’s foremost experts in the field. For a number of years, he has been advising commercial companies and trade associations in the fisheries and aquaculture industry. He is a versatile practitioner handling a broad range of cases involving business law and administrative law, as well as transactional and litigious matters. Sørgård is particular renowned for his unique knowledge of regulatory matters concerning fisheries and aquaculture. A wide range of clients appreciates his experience in handling cases involving public authorities. He is further recognised for his business acumen and regularly assists companies on commercial contracts within the industry. Sørgård’s extensive knowledge has been recognised by his peers in the Norwegian Finance Daily’s annual survey, where he for a number of years has been ranked as one of the top lawyers within fisheries and aquaculture.

Bjørn Olav Torpp

Bjørn Olav Torpp serves as head of Haavind's corporate practice. He specializes in M&A and private equity and has a strong track record of advising on major M&A transactions and corporate governance matters. His practice includes international and domestic transactions, strategic investments and cooperation between shareholders. Bjørn Olav has a particular focus on the real estate, renewable energy, IT/technology and retail sectors.

Christopher Sveen

Partner Christopher L Sveen is a trusted advisor to the oil- and offshore and related industries and is a frequently used advisor and negotiator in both domestic and cross-border matters, transactions and disputes. He has extensive domestic and international experience from the establishment, execution and completion of oil and gas projects, large industry facility projects and various other complex supply- and construction matters. Sveen also has extensive experience in acquisitions, divestments and restructuring of corporations. He has acted as a strategic and commercial advisor to the executive management and board of directors of numerous businesses within the oil and gas and infrastructure industry and serves as a strategic advisor to the Norwegian oil-services contractor’s assembled under The Federation of Norwegian Industries. Sveen headed the negotiations for the contractors for the new Norwegian standard offshore contracts – NTK15/NF15 – and has been central as a co-drafter and moderator in the establishment of the new Norwegian Conditions for Purchase (NIB 16). Sveen is also Norway's representative in the legal working groups developing and managing the Orgalim industry contracts and publications (such as S 2012 and SI14) and the associated Nordic terms and conditions (such as NL17 and NLM 19). He is currently involved, inter alia, in various initiatives involved in electrifying the Norwegian Continental Shelf and preparing the Norwegian oil and offshore industry for the transition to renewables and CO2-neutral solutions.

Cornelius Sogn Ness

Partner Cornelius Sogn Ness is the head of Haavind’s capital markets team. With more than 16 years of experience from handling both DCM and ECM mandates, he is highly recognised in the market for his broad knowledge of capital markets transactions. He has valuable prior experience from the Verdipapirmarkedslovutvalg secretariat and the Ministry of Finance’s financial markets department. His work has had a particular focus on private placements of high-yield bond issues, listings on Oslo Børs, in addition to advising on ECM transactions and public takeovers. He has advised on almost all of the largest public takeovers completed in the Norwegian market the last ten years. In recent years, he has advised on several of the largest capital markets transactions in Norway, including several private placements of high-yield bond issues and subsequent listings of the bonds on the Oslo Stock Exchange. In addition to his capital markets expertise, Partner Ness is experienced in M&A and corporate law issues. Partner Ness is consistently ranked and recommended as a leading capital markets lawyer in Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 and in the Norwegian Financial Daily’s (Finansavisen) annual Norwegian lawyer and law firm rankings.

Elin Mack Løvdal

Elin Mack Løvdal’s main focus and expertise is relating to real estate; transactions, development, leases, financing and investment structuring. She is specialized in M&A, with a clear focus on all types of real estate transactions, including sale lease back transactions, forward transactions, and syndicated investment structures with tailor-made fee arrangements. She also has extensive experience in both property development and property management, including setting up joint venture structures and negotiating lease agreements. In addition she advises on corporate law including advising board members and management on risk and leverage for distressed companies. Elin Mack Løvdal is also assisting clients with financial transactions, including high yield bonds, bank loans and hybrid capital, and assessing possible capital structures from a legal perspective. Mack Løvdal is recommended by all major international rankings, including Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and Who’s Who. She is listed as one of the ten best real estate lawyers in Norway by the newspaper Finansavisen.

Ellen Schult Ulriksen

Partner Ellen Schult Ulriksen heads Haavind’s restructuring and insolvency practice team. Ulriksen is a court-appointed trustee in bankruptcy and has handled many of the largest and most complex matters in Norway in recent years - including for companies operating on a global scale – which benefited from her considerable experience of cross-border insolvency issues. She regularly represents debtors and creditors in many of Norway’s most complex restructuring proceedings. Ulriksen is one of very few practitioners to be appointed to lead proceedings under the new temporary Act on Reconstruction which was introduced to remedy the financial distress caused by Covid-19. Ulriksen is a board member of the Norwegian Bar Association’s legal committee on the legal area of Bankruptcy, Debt Negotiations and Security. She is also a board member of the Norwegian Legal Education Association (“JUS”) for the legal areas of Bankruptcy, Debt Negotiations and Security. She is a recognised speaker within her area of law, both domestic and abroad. Her peers have voted Ulriksen to a 6th place in the 2020 rankings performed by the Norwegian Financial Daily's law firm review.

With more than 20 years of experience, Partner Erling Timm is a respected specialist in real estate law, focusing on property development, transactions and leasing of commercial property. His experience includes development and structuring of large residential and commercial projects for property developers and real estate companies, purchase and sale of industrial and retail properties and property portfolios, syndication of real estate projects and leasing of commercial property and PPP within real estate. Partner Timm is often invited as a guest speaker on tenancy law and real estate development issues and is regularly retained by private companies. Clients have particularly praised his skill as a negotiator, noting that he is good at establishing good relations with the other side and advancing his client’s interests.

Partner Espen Nordbø is head of Haavind’s tax team and a well-respected practitioner with a strong focus on cross-border tax issues, M&A tax and tax in real property transactions. He has extensive experience in corporate taxation, international tax, taxation of high net worth individuals, and tax-related aspects of transactions, restructurings, investment funds, real estate development, incentive programs and earn-outs. Nordbø has worked at the Tax Law Department of the Norwegian Ministry of Finance and as a lawyer and senior manager at KPMG Law. He has earned particular praise recently for his ability to quickly understand complex issues and identify the client’s interests, thanks to his wealth of experience in advising on the tax aspects of cross-border transactions and corporate restructurings.

Partner Gaute Krokann is head of Haavind’s labour, employment and corporate governance practice team. With more than 20 years of experience, Krokann is widely recognised as one of the most capable employment law practitioners in Norway. His previous work includes being Head of the section for legal proceedings at the large employer organisation Virke, and a deputy judge at the district court level. Advisor to many of the market’s most significant clients, Krokann has extensive experience in restructuring and downsizing processes, collective labour, supervision of employees and individual employment protection matters, transfer of undertaking and dispute resolution. In recent years, he has established himself as one of the leading counsels for labour and employment law in the public sector and state-owned companies, handling several of the most important and complex disputes of recent years and having litigated several cases in the Labour Court. Krokann is a well-respected thought leader and frequently holds lectures and seminars in management and various employment law issues. He also has an international presence through being Co-Chair of Top Ranked Elite Law Network Interlaw’s Special Business Team for Employment and Labour law.

Partner Goud Fjellheim specialises in litigation, public procurement and contractual law and is well-known for his unique expertise in these areas. He has vast experience from the office of the Attorney General for Civil Affairs and has been admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court since 2007. He counts among his clients many of Norway’s state entities, including the Government, Tax Authority and the Complaints Board. To date, Partner Fjellheim has litigated more than 220 cases in a wide variety of legal areas, particularly within the fields of public procurement, contracts and tax. He has argued 12 cases before the Norwegian Supreme Court and 2 cases before the EFTA-court. He has extensive experience from advising on all stages of a procurement process, including the procedure for preliminary injunction and damages for positive and negative contractual interest. He also has significant experience advising on contractual issues and he litigates contract disputes and tax matters before all instances of the courts of law. Among recent highlights, he is representing the Norwegian Government in an IT-contract dispute which is by far the biggest such dispute brought before the Norwegian courts to date, with a total disputed amount of NOK 510 million.

Partner Håkon Bleken has extensive experience representing clients in litigation and arbitration in all levels of the courts and tribunals and experience as a judge at the district court and appellate court levels. He has recently prosecuted cases in the areas of contract/energy, IPR/trademark and contract/ European Convention on Human Rights before the Supreme Court. Fluent in English and Norwegian, Partner Bleken represents both Norwegian and international clients and is experienced in cross-border litigation and procedural challenges related to cross-border processes. He is particularly renowned for his expert handling of contentious patent cases, especially within the pharmaceutical field. Among recent highlights, he successfully litigated precedent-setting matters before the Supreme Court, including the landmark Donepezil case which is a keystone decision is a in the Norwegian law on the doctrine of equivalence, determining the scope of patent protection. In addition to his well-respected patent work, Partner Bleken has a diverse and experienced practice in dispute resolution, including special focus in contract/offshore fabrication and energy issues. He also advises on terms of entry into contracts and cases of default, and has considerable experience with contracts in the area of transactions bordering on corporate law.

Hans-Christian Donjem

Partner Hans-Christian Donjem is head of Haavind’s banking & finance practice team. He focuses on acquisition financing, corporate financing, bond financing and restructuring, where he typically assists private equity firms, financial institutions and public and private companies. He also has considerable experience of other debt structures such as asset-based financing and project financing (renewables and real estate), as well as with corporate law and commercial contracts. Donjem also has extensive experience in negotiating complex agreements and contract law. He supports clients with strategic consulting, business development and legal- and operational compliance. Both domestic and international clients appreciate Donjem’s solution-oriented, pragmatic approach and his dedication to providing seamless and comprehensive service. Drawing from his extensive experience and broad knowledge of banking & finance matters for clients across a wide range of industries, Donjem has gained the respect and appreciation of his peers; he was listed as number 2 of the "Up & coming" in Banking & Finance in the annual peer-rankings in the Norwegian newspaper Finansavisen in February 2020.

Henning Nordtvedt

Henning Nordtvedt is the head of Haavind's Construction department and the Haavind dispute resolution team, and is admitted to appear before the Supreme Court. He has extensive experience with all phases of multimillion construction projects, including drafting, negotiations, assistance during project execution, mediation, litigation and dispute resolution over the last 23 years (including eight years at the Attorney General’s office – Civil Affairs). He has represented, among others, the Norwegian Government in a large number of major construction projects, including within the infrastructure sector. Nordtvedt is the main author of Haavind’s commentary on the standard EPC-contract “General conditions of contract concerning design and building” (NS 8407).

Partner Herman Roksund is one of our leading partners within real estate transactions and commercial property leases. He has extensive experience from his 15 years of practice within our corporate real estate group. His practice area covers legal advice related to all corporate real estate matters, and with main focus on assisting leading real estate companies and funds with transactions. He assists a broad spectrum of real estate companies, including project finance advisors, covering all phases of the transactions from structuring, leases and lease back, financing and property development. His versatile experience and his dedicated, customer-centric approach to practice have made Herman Roksund a recognized name among some of Norway’s largest real estate players and he has served as a trusted advisor in many significant real estate matters in Norway. Over the last years, his work has seen a particular focus on structuring for transactions of real estate portfolios and funds, including cross-border transactions. Our clients say that he has "a keen eye for detail and is good at boiling complex legal issues down to their commercial ramifications" and “He often acts on the sale, purchase and restructuring of real estate portfolios”.

Ida Espolin Johnson

Partner Ida Espolin Johnson is co-head of Haavind’s fisheries and aquaculture practice team and one of Norway’s foremost experts in the field. She regularly assists commercial companies and trade associations in the fisheries and aquaculture industry. She is a versatile practitioner handling a broad range of cases involving business law and administrative law, as well as transactional and litigious matters. Johnson also has considerable experience from the finance sector and holds numerous positions of trust on governing boards of public bodies and finance institutions. Johnson is particularly renowned for her dispute resolution skills. In recent years she has been in charge of several high-stake litigation cases involving the fisheries and aquaculture industry. She is also a valued advisor in matters involving finance and transactions. Her expertise has been recognised by her peers in the Norwegian Finance Daily’s annual survey, where she is ranked as one of the top lawyers within the industry.

Johan Fredrik Remmen

Partner Johan Fredrik Remmen is among the most respected senior figures in civil legal practice in Norway, having been in practice since 1972. He has lengthy experience from the office of the Attorney General for Civil Affairs and is admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court, where he has litigated numerous high-profile cases. He specialises in energy law and matters related to water and construction. He primarily works with rights issues, contracts and transactions within the abovementioned sectors, as well as legal issues in power generation, grid development, aquaculture, sports law and real estate. Among his recent work, he has been representing clients in disputes dealing with issues of appropriation of land for public use, issues of human rights in the context of energy construction and several matters involving construction disputes in the context of infrastructure construction. Remmen's long and varied experience in the practice of law, and his deep familiarity with the challenges presented by the sectors he specialises in, make him an exceptionally insightful and strategic negotiator and litigator, and he is well respected as one of the most eminent practitioners in Norway.

Johnny Johansen

Partner and chair of the board Johnny Johansen is among Norway’s most respected legal practitioners. He has substantial experience in litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution, and is admitted to the Supreme Court. He is particularly renowned for his work in large and complex construction and infrastructure projects, including buildings, roads, railways, power plants, and onshore aquaculture farms. Johansen is recommended and referred to within his practice areas by inter alia Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 and Finansavisen (Norwegian Financial Daily's). In the latter, he has over the last years been ranked as the leading construction lawyer in Norway. Johansen frequently sits as an arbitrator in international and domestic contract disputes. He is a member of the Norwegian Bar Association’s contract law committee, regularly lectures on his areas of specialisation and is the author of several respected legal books and articles.

Partner Jøran Sandvik is one of Norway’s foremost experts in renewable energy and energy transactions, with more than 20 years of experience in these fields, including from the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. His public and private practice has given him leading regulatory expertise, both within hydropower and wind power, and grid-issues, rendering him a key adviser in both project development and transactions. His practice covers all areas of the electricity sector, including power generation, network operations and power sales, and he has gained an exceptional amount of experience from some of the largest hydropower and wind farm projects carried out in Norway. Among Norway’s most respected legal practitioners, Sandvik is a trusted adviser to many notable domestic and international clients, and he has worked for several of the largest power companies, energy-intensive industrial companies, and investment firms, both Norwegian and international. Clients have particularly praised his expertise in regulatory issues of the renewable energy sector and the thoroughness of his understanding of the issues facing projects in the sector.

Kari Sigurdsen has more than 15 years of experience within litigation and dispute resolution, including five years at the Office of the Attorney General for Civil Affairs. She has pleaded a significant number of cases before Norwegian courts, including cases before the Norwegian Supreme Court. In 2019 she was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court. She also has experience with ad hoc arbitration under the Norwegian Arbitration Act. Sigurdsen handles complex disputes and mediations for some of Norway’s leading companies within a wide range of topics within business law, including contract law, company law, tort law and employment law. Sigurdsen also has extensive experience with dispute resolution for clients from the State and Public Sector, such as the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice. She also regularly litigates tax and VAT cases for the Norwegian Tax Administration.

Kari Gimmingsrud

Kari Gimmingsrud is head of the Technology, Media and IPR practice and also leads Haavind`s data protection team. Kari specialises in data protection, cyber security compliance and technology law. She advises companies and public authorities within a variety of sectors, and has long experience with large projects in the intersection between data protection, commercial agreements and legislation covering national security, employment, health, finance and consumer protections. Her practice also include assisting clients with other regulatory and ICT issues such as artificial intelligence, electronic marketing and e-privacy. Kari also has extensive experience with employment law and assists clients with employment law matters, compliance and governmental or internal investigations,. Kari has previously worked as a compliance manager and legal advisor in Telenor. She applies her experience by assisting several major Norwegian and global technology companies in Haavind’s client portfolio. She is active in the Norwegian Bar Associations committee for ICT and privacy and is a co-author in the commentary edition of arbeidrett.no. She is both supervisor and examinator at the Faculty of Law, University of Oslo and often holds lectures for the Lawyers’ Education Center.

Karianne Evje Skiaker

Karianne Evje Skiaker is part of Haavind’s restructuring and insolvency team. In 2017, she was recognised and appointed as a trustee by Oslo Bankruptcy Court. Skiaker has since received several appointments as trustee of bankruptcy estates, Her recent appointments demonstrate her recognition and trust of the Oslo District Court as trustee for more extensive and complex cases. In addition to restructuring and insolvency, Skiaker specialises in debt recovery, debt negotiations and enforcement proceedings. She regularly acts on behalf of major real estate developers in such matters and handles insolvency-related liability claims and litigation.

Partner Kjetil Hardeng is head of Haavind’s M&A practice team and his cross-border experience is among the most extensive of any M&A practitioner in Norway. He has assisted in major acquisitions and joint ventures in the U.S., Asia and Africa, as well as in public-to-private transactions. His exceptional expertise in cross-border M&A is confirmed by his client list, which includes many world-leading companies and investments firms, as well as many market-leaders in Norway. Technology and energy remain the areas closest to Partner Hardeng’s heart and he handles numerous matters in these areas each year. He has particularly extensive experience with renewable energy issues. Aside from transaction work, he also advises boards in public companies on deal-related compliance issues, where he provides clients with the benefits of his experience from having been a key adviser in transactions outside Europe. Partner Hardeng has been repeatedly recognized for having a solution-oriented way of working and his ability to master complex issues, interests and people, and use those skills to get the deal done have earned praise from clients.

Partner Lars Kokkvold is among the most well-known and respected employment and pension lawyers in Norway, and counts numerous high-profile domestic and international businesses among his clients. His exceptional expertise allows him to handle a wide range of employment matters, including both contentious and advisory mandates. His areas of expertise include, for example, restructuring, relocating and downsizing, transfer of undertaking, outsourcing, individual employment protection matters and pension and protection of privacy. A particular specialty of his is handling the labour law aspects of reorganisations and restructurings. Partner Kokkvold has extensive experience and often works closely with company management through complex transformation processes. Lars has been the responsible attorney for legal and strategic assistance in several major corporate reorganisations and downsizings. Clients have praised his hands-on approach and business acumen, citing him as a trusted advisor who gets involved and provides solid support in business-critical matters. He has also frequently been ranked among the Top 10 Employment lawyers in Finansavisen (Norwegian financial daily newspaper), based on votes from peers in Norway.

Mari Reitzel Bjerke

Mari specialises in renewable energy, contract law/construction law and litigation, and has ten years’ experience as adviser to players within the renewable energy sector. She advises on issues related to hydroelectric power production, district heating, grid development and wind power, especially related to regulatory issues and constraints, contractual matters, concession issues, establishment and development of power production, energy related transactions, acquisition of waterfall and land rights, government requirements and appraisement. She has extensive experience with complex energy transactions, especially within hydro power and wind power, as adviser to both seller side and buyer side. Mari also has extensive litigation experience, and significant construction law competence, especially from working with the development of power production facilities within hydro power and wind power.

Mikal Brøndmo specialises in arbitration and litigation, with a special focus on complex and international disputes. He has provided advice to a considerable number of Norwegian and foreign clients in respect of complex and high-value disputes before state courts and domestic and international arbitral tribunals. He advises on disputes within a wide range of legal areas, and he has especially experience from representing parties in international construction and energy disputes (both oil & gas and renewables), including offshore wind disputes subject to ICC and GMAA. His extensive experience also includes disputes concerning shipbuilding contracts, defence contracts, distribution contracts, insurance and post M&A. Brøndmo assists in all stages of a dispute – from early case assessments and claim letters to settlement negotiations, mediation and proceedings before courts and arbitral tribunals to enforcement proceedings. Brøndmo also acts as an arbitrator in international and domestic arbitrations, such as under rules of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC), the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and in ad hoc arbitration. Furthermore, Mikal is a lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo teaching contract law and civil procedure.

Nils Flesland Bull

Partner Nils Flesland Bull heads the indirect tax group of Haavind’s tax team and his practice integrates both tax law and real estate law, as a significant part of his work relates to the provision of tax law advice and tax-related structuring in development, operation and real estate transactions. He has a particular focus on VAT, customs and special duties. Bull works with a large number of high-profile corporations, both in Norway and abroad. His areas of expertise include real estate development, real estate transactions, VAT optimisation in real estate lease and property management, general advice related to VAT, assistance in customs and excise matters, assistance in indirect tax audit and indirect tax assessment cases and tax litigation. He frequently publishes articles and is a respected and in-demand speaker, frequently holding lectures on tax-related topics. He is praised for his ability to provide clear and solution-oriented advice on difficult legal issues.

Partner Pål Kvernaas is among the most renowned employment and pension law specialists in Norway who earns praise for his work from clients and colleagues alike. His skill and experience are confirmed by the fact that international law firms and clients frequently select him as local counsel in international matters, and that his client list includes many of Norway’s leading businesses. He has extensive experience with compensation & benefits matters, restructuring and workforce adjustment, outsourcing and transfers of undertaking, change and termination of individual employments, bonus schemes, collective labour issues, HSE and strategic consulting. Kvernaas also has experience from establishing and modifying collective and individual pension schemes. He was also a Co-founder and Chairman of Norsk Pensjonsrettslig Forum (the Norwegian Pension Legal Forum). He has written articles and contributed to books about employment and pension-related issues, including being an annual panel expert on major international employment conferences (i.e. International Bar Association (IBA), European Employment Lawyers Association (EELA) and American Bar Association (ABA)). He has also frequently been ranked among the Top 10 Employment lawyers in Finansavisen (Norwegian financial daily newspaper), based on votes from peers in Norway.

Partner Preben Brecke is the Managing Partner of Haavind and the head of our private equity practice team. He specialises in private equity, mergers, acquisitions and corporate issues. He has in-depth knowledge of the Private Equity sector from advising private equity clients (both Nordic and international funds) for more than a decade. He is particularly renowned for his work advising private equity and investment funds on purchase and sale of businesses, establishment of joint ventures and shareholder issues, especially in the technology and aquaculture sectors. He also continuously works for blue chip companies on complex M&A, international projects and restructurings. Partner Brecke is well known in the Norwegian market for his dedication, ability to drive projects forward and understanding of the commercial aspects of the matters. He has earned particular praise from clients who appreciate his analytical skill and ability to simplify complex structures and agreements.

Rasmus Asbjørnsen

With more than 25 years of experience, Partner Rasmus is one of the most renowned litigators in Norway. His practice routinely covers a broad spectrum of cases before courts and arbitration tribunals, such as disputes within M&A, real estate, labour law, claims for compensation, consultant’s and lawyer’s liability, EU law and tax law. He has litigated hundreds of cases before courts and arbitration tribunals at all levels during his career, including the EFTA-Court, and is one of the lawyers in Norway with the highest number of civil cases to have come before the Supreme Court, having tried 16 civil cases there in the past 17 years. In his early years, Asbjørnsen worked for almost three years as a judge in the District Court. His rhetorical abilities and discourse of reason have been singled out by clients, counterparties and judges as being his overarching strengths, along with his in-court examination skill. Asbjørnsen has achieved several noteworthy results in important and principled cases to which the market gives great respect. He is committed to cultivating the next generation of litigators, and he serves as a lecturer at the University of Oslo (UiO) and Juristenes Utdanningssenter (JUS).

Simen Klevstrand

Partner Simen Klevstrand heads Haavind’s EU/EEA & competition law practice team. He advises Norwegian and international clients across the full spectrum of competition law matters, including merger control and investment review, JVs and cooperation agreements, dominance issues, distribution agreements, competition litigation, investigations and leniency, as well as state aid matters. His experience within competition law includes merger filings in Norway and the EU, representing clients before Norwegian courts, as well as assistance during investigations by the Norwegian Competition Authority and the European Commission. Klevstrand has authored a number of articles published in national and international journals and is regularly invited to speak at competition law conferences in Norway.

Sofie Komissar has ten years of experience as a construction lawyer. She joined Haavind as a partner in the company’s construction department in March 2023. She has been involved in several disputes, primarily in the onshore construction sector, both in arbitration cases and before various city and appeal courts. She also has extensive experience in disputes concerning design and engineering contracts and assisted one of Norway’s largest engineering companies on a regular basis over an eight year period. Sofie has rapidly established a reputation as a prominent construction lawyer and often acts as speaker at seminars and presentations on construction contracts.

Partner Sten Foyn is head of the employment law expert group of Haavind’s labour, employment and corporate governance practice area. He has extensive experience related to transfer of undertaking/outsourcing, handling of personnel matters, working hours and working environment issues, whistleblowing, investigation, civil servants law, protection of privacy and international employment law. Partner Foyn also regularly handles a number of reorganisations/restructurings for Norwegian and international companies and recently has been lead partner in major restructurings necessitated by the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, during recent years Partner Foyn has established himself as one of the leading litigators in employment law in Norway, including having litigated two Supreme Court cases in the same year (2019). Recent years have also seen him selected by clients as lead lawyer in a number of high-profile whistleblowing cases and he has been appointed head of the 4-panel independent Whistleblowing body of Norwegian Lutheran Mission. He is a board member of the Norwegian Labour Law Association, the Norwegian Association of Employment Lawyers, and Norway’s Board member to the European Employment Lawyer’s Association (EELA) and has been a member of a reference group in the Ministry of Labour, assessing the rules on whistleblowing.

Stian Hultin Oddbjørnsen

Specialises within ICT/tech law (with focus on IT contracts), privacy law, general contract law, public procurement, intellectual property rights and administrative law/public law.

Vebjørn Krag Iversen

Partner Vebjørn Krag Iversens head of Haavind’s IP practice team and specialises in intellectual property (IPR) and media law, handling both contentious and non-contentious matters. His client list includes many of the world’s leading brands and his IP practice covers a wide range of matters, including patent litigations, trademark and copyright issues, know how/trade secrets, product imitation and strategic IP advice. He has particular expertise with patent litigations within the pharmaceutical/life sciences sector, and his litigation practice also comprises agreements on protection of know-how and trade secrets, technology development and licensing, agreements on research and technology development, enforcement of trademark rights and copyright issues. He has substantial experience within IP licensing, commercialization and R&D agreements, in particular for technology, offshore/maritime and life sciences companies, as well as M&A work specifically within the technology field. He also provides IPR advice to start ups from a variety of industries. He is also a trusted advisor to companies within the film and broadcast industry.