Firm Profile > MAGNA logmenn – Reykjavik Legal. > Reykjavik, Iceland

MAGNA logmenn – Reykjavik Legal. > Firm Profile

MAGNA / Reykjavik Legal is a well-established full service law firm based in Reykjavik, Iceland. Founded in 1960 the firm is a pillar in the Icelandic legal market, having in its alumni Supreme Court Justices, Judges, Professors, Deans of Icelandic University Law departments and many of Iceland’s finest lawyers and litigators. The current team is a mixture of seasoned veterans and highly motivated up and coming lawyers. Serving many of Iceland’s biggest companies, NGO´s and public entities as well as foreign companies, investors and governments, MAGNA / Reykjavik Legal operates at the highest level. The lawyers of MAGNA / Reykjavik Legal have in recent years delivered many of the biggest landmark cases in Iceland’s history and won many of the largest cases in the country’s history. The firm is a leader in the field of energy, procurement, competition/antitrust law, investment, fisheries, administrative- and corporate law. The firm also takes on many cases for individuals in a variety of fields.

Having operated since 1980 under the name Lögmenn Höfðabakka, the firm merged with Reykjavik Legal in 2019, changing its name to MAGNA Lögmenn and abroad as MAGNA / Reykjavik Legal. In our team of about 20 lawyers, of which 5 are supreme court attorneys, we have accumulated a vast knowledge and experience in regards to Icelandic and international law.

Þórður Bogason, Supreme Court Attorney, Managing Partner, is one of Icelands best known lawyers. He is an industry leader in the field of energy and administrative law. Þórður serves on several administrative committees, is a lecturer and a prominent member of the Icelandic Bar.

Flóki Ásgeirsson,  District Court Attorney, LL.M, Partner. Flóki is a Harvard graduate and one of Iceland’s finest litigators. Flóki has in the past few years presented many landmark cases the concerns Taxation, Human Rights and Constitutional Law.

Unnur Ásta Bergsteinsdóttir,  District Court Attorney, Partner. Unnur specialices in family and inheritance Law, Real Estate, Electronic Telecommunication Law and Litigation.

Bjarki Þór Sveinsson, Supreme Court Attorney, Partner. Bjarki is best known for his work in construction and procurement law. In the past decade Bjarki has work on many of the biggest construction projects in Iceland, including road works, tunnel projects and buildings. He is also a university lecturer in the field.

Daníel Isebarn Ágústsson, Supreme Court Attorney, Partner. Daníel is a well known litigator in the fields of human rights, administrative law and public procurement. Daníel has led the field in advocating for humans rights in Iceland, in the past decade and has presented over 60 cases before the Supreme Court. He is also a university lecturer in the fields of administrative- and public procurement law.

Gunnar Ingi Jóhannsson, Supreme Court Attorney, Gunnar is a leader in the field of communication- and media law in Iceland and has litigated some of the field’s most high-profile cases in recent years before Icelandic courts. He has  also presented a dozen cases on behalf of his clients before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and won landmark victories before the Court.

Einar Farestveit, Appeals- and District Court Attorney, LL.M, Partner. Einar is specialised in roadworks, energy law, land usage, property law, real estate, public planning and zonal administration and administrative law. Einar is a certified real estate broker.

Páll Rúnar M. Kristjánsson, Supreme Court Attorney, LL.M, Partner. Páll is a well-known attorney in Iceland. In the past years he has presented and won many of the biggest cases against the Icelandic State in the countries history. Páll works for many of Iceland’s largest companies and many international companies as well. Páll also sits son the editorial board of the Public Procurement Law Review. Raised in the US Páll is a fluent English speaker.

Lawyer Profiles

Photo	Name	Position	Profile
	Daníel Isebarn Ágústsson	Daníel has been practicing law since 2006. He is admitted to practice…	View Profile
	Jörgen Már Ágústsson	Jörgen Már is an attorney licensed to practice before the District Courts.…	View Profile
	Sigríður Dagbjört Ásgeirsdóttir	Sigríður Dagbjört is an attorney admitted to practice before the District Courts.…	View Profile
	Flóki Ásgeirsson	Flóki is a lawyer admitted to practice before the District Courts. He…	View Profile
	Diljá Catherine Þiðriksdóttir	Diljá Catherine is an attorney admitted to practice before the District Courts.…	View Profile
	Aníta Auðunsdóttir	Aníta is a lawyer holding a Master’s degree from the Univerity of…	View Profile
	Unnur Ásta Bergsteinsdóttir	Unnur Ásta is a lawyer admitted to practice before the District Courts.…	View Profile
	Þórður Bogason	Þórður Bogason is admitted to practice before the District Courts, The Landsréttur…	View Profile
	Einar Farestveit	Einar Farestveit has passed the bar as a District Court Attorney and…	View Profile
	Gunnar Ingi Jóhannsson	Gunnar has been practicing law since 2007. He is admitted to practice…	View Profile
	Anna Kristín Kristjánsdóttir	Anna Kristín is an attorney admitted to practice before the District Courts.…	View Profile
	Páll Rúnar Mikael Kristjánsson	Páll Rúnar is an attorney admitted to practice before the District Courts,…	View Profile
	Bjarki Þór Sveinsson	Bjarki Þór provides comprehensive consultation for companies. His main practice areas are…	View Profile

Spotlights

ICELAND

MAGNA / Reykjavik Legal is a well-established full-service law firm based in Reykjavik, Iceland. Founded in 1960, the firm is a pillar in the Icelandic legal market, counting among its alumni current and former Supreme Court Justices and Judges as well as Deans and Professors at Iceland‘s top Law Schools.

The current team is a mixture of seasoned veterans and highly motivated up-and-coming legal professionals. Serving many of Iceland’s biggest companies, NGO´s and public entities as well as international companies, investors and governments, MAGNA / Reykjavik Legal operates at the highest level. The firm has in recent years advised on and litigated many landmark cases in the fields of construction, energy, procurement, competition/antitrust, investment and international trade, including winning many record-setting awards for its clients.

Having operated since 1980 under the name Lögmenn Höfðabakka, the firm merged with Reykjavik Legal in 2019, changing its name to MAGNA Lögmenn and abroad as MAGNA / Reykjavik Legal. Our team of around 20 lawyers, of which 5 are supreme court attorneys, has accumulated a broad base of expertise and experience in regarding Icelandic as well as international law.

Our Partners have in the past 5 years won court cases against the Icelandic State that have secured our Clients payments of over 25 million EUR. In fact, of the top 10 biggest awards in tax and customs cases in Iceland, all 10 have been delivered by one of our partners. Leading the way are Páll Rúnar M Kristjánsson and Flóki Ásgeirsson.

Our Partners have also handled most of the biggest construction projects in Iceland in the past decade both on behalf of construction firms and on behalf of the procuring entity. Leading the way is Bjarki Þór Sveinsson who has in the past decade become one of the most influential lawyers in the field.

In Competition Law our Partners have handled many high-profile cases, some of which have had some international attention, as with the allocation of airline slots in Keflavik Airport. The firm has operated on both ends of the spectrum, assisting both large firms and those seeking to challenge them.  Thordur Bogason, Gunnar Ingi Jóhannsson and Páll Rúnar M Kristjánsson have extensive experience in this field.

Dispute resolution is something we do on a daily basis. A firm is known for its capabilities in settling matters amicably when that is possible and seeking maximum return for our client when it is not. Well known for handling many demanding negotiations, e.g. for the National Power Grid (Landsnet) and National Power (Landsvirkjun), Thordur Bogason is known as a top-tier negotiator.

Public Procurement Law is a field where the firm is at the very top in the Icelandic market. With Páll Rúnar M. Kristjánsson being the on the editorial board of the Public Procurement Law Review and having an LL.M degree in the field, and Daniel Isebarn Ágústson and Bjarki Þór Sveinsson being a university lecturer of Public Procurement Law, the firm remains an industry leader and well up to date and well versed on all international and domestic developments in the field.

Our attorneys have assisted Icelandic media and broadcasting companies both privately owned media companies and RÚV, the National Broadcasting Service with wide range of legal services, including litigating cases for journalists where the borders of freedom of speech and right to privacy are tested. Our attorneys have been involved in most of those cases in recent decades which are often very high-profile. Some of the cases concerning fundamental issues on human rights have been referred to the European Court of Human Rights and resulted in victories for our clients which have permanently affected the jurisprudence of Icelandic Courts. Leading this field is Gunnar Ingi Jóhannsson.

In Property Law the Firm has handled many large property deals for our Clients, land ownership deals, land acquisition projects for Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, National Power Grid and National Power. Furthermore property acquisition for embassies for foreign governments and others. One of our Partners, Einar Farestveit, is a lecturer in the field and a Certified Real Estate broker, who has handled many large property deals in the past years, last the sale and acquisition of new property for the US Embassy in Iceland.

The firm has also advised on and litigated a number of high-profile cases in recent years in the field of environmental assessment of large-scale projects, including projects concerning energy infrastructure, silicon production and aquaculture.

In the field of family and inheritance law the firm has years of experience providing personal and comprehensive services. The aim in these cases is to always follow the case from the very beginning until all loose ends are tied. In charge of this department at MANGA / Reykjavik Legal is Unnur Ásta Bergsteinsdóttir who has years of diverse experience in handling cases in this field, both in leading negotiations in complicated cases as well as taking cases to court when that is needed. In that regard Unnur Ásta has had notable success in this arena.

Our Partners have also had much success in Criminal cases, having represented some high-profile clients in the post financial crisis era after 2009 and many others. Our most prominent representatives in that field are Þórður Bogason, Gunnar Ingi Jóhannsson and Páll Rúnar M. Kristjánsson, all Supreme Court Attorneys.

Other areas of expertise include labour law, international human rights law and disability law.