Norway 2019
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Legal Director Legal Operations UK, Norway and Russia & Equinor Legal KAM | TechnipFMC
In the words of a nominator… ‘He is the leader of the global legal key account contract expert network in TechnipFMC consisting of 16 lawyers situated throughout the world. In...
General counsel | Nord Pool
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? With effect from October 2018, Nord Pool completed an extensive group-internal...
Senior Vice President Legal & Compliance | Höegh LNG
Do you have any effective techniques for getting the most out of external counsel, in terms of how to instruct them? Höegh LNG is committed to continuously improve the way...
Head of legal and compliance | Santander Consumer Bank
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? The in-house legal role is becoming more and more important in...
Senior legal counsel / advokat M.N.A (lawyer) | SAS
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? I have worked on the following: negotiated, mitigated and finally settled...
Group general counsel | Sporveien Oslo
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The biggest project at Sporveien for the time being is the...
General Counsel | Solør Bioenergi Holding AB
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Solør Bioenergy Group is a northern European energy company. In 2003...
Vice president and general counsel | Norsk Hydro
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The most important transaction I have been involved in lately was...
Vice president and deputy general counsel | Aker Solutions
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? Within AKSO we are consistently working to ensure one integrated and...
Chief competition counsel | Equinor ASA
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? I have not been involved in litigations the last two years,...
Group Legal Counsel/ Corporate Secretary | Avinor
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? In my opinion the in-house legal role will have to be...
General Counsel | Powel
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? Trondheim hosts Norway’s university of technology and natural science (NTNU) and...
Head of legal and managing counsel | Norske Shell
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? Norske Shell is present in four locations; Kristiansund, Aukra, Oslo and...
Group Legal Counsel | B2Holding
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? I believe the role of in-house lawyers will become more important...
General counsel | Handelsbanken
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? I see a trend where in-house-legal functions will involve themselves even...
Group general counsel | Ulstein Group
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? Over the last two years, I have been involved in and...
General counsel | Norske Tog
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? I started working at Norske tog (NT) in January 2018. From...
General counsel | Forsvarsmateriell (Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency)
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? The size and role of an in-house team can vary widely....
Legal director | Coop Norge
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? The in-house lawyer must constantly demonstrate value for the company and...
Head of Legal & Compliance and Board Secretary | Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? The in-house legal role has undergone a huge change over the...
SVP - Head of group tax | Statkraft - Group Tax
What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry? In my experience the key qualities required to be successful are...
General counsel | Aker BioMarine
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? I see the in-house legal role evolving in a number of...
General counsel | Petroleum Geo-Services
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? During the recent years, we have been involved in several cross-jurisdictional...
Counsel | Avinor
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? Both leaders and different non-legal specialists are increasingly aware of the...
General counsel and chief compliance officer | Höegh Autoliners
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? Over the past years, there have been numerous cases in our...
Legal Director | Nordic Semiconductor
What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry? Regardless of what you are selling or buying, the scope of...
Head of Legal | Boligbyggelaget Usbl
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? I expect an increase in the number of in-house lawyers in...
Vice President Legal | Freebit
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? I think that the development from being purely compliance-risk and legal...
General counsel | TINE
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? We assist the top management regularly and are thus involved in...
General counsel | Elkem ASA
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? It seems that more and more companies have learned to appreciate...
General counsel | NSB Gjøvikbanen
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The most important transactions I have been involved in during the...
Chief Legal Counsel | Electromagnetic Geoservices
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? The most important transaction I have been involved with during this...
General counsel | CGI Norge
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? In the last three years, I have been through two successful...
General counsel Scandenavia | Sopra Steria
What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry? There are many qualities that are required to be a better...
Executive vice president and general counsel | Scatec
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving over the next few years? Firstly, in-house teams are expanding, and this is not merely an effort to reduce...
Head of Legal Department | Swedbank Norge
What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry? The key element to be a successful in house lawyer is...
Head of Legal | Axactor Norway
Note: Rørvik moved from BASF to Axactor Norway in August 2019. What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years?...
Head of legal | Arbeidsgiverforeningen Spekter
What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years? One important transaction that I have been involved with as group...
Managing counsel | ConocoPhillips Norge
How would you advise in-house legal departments in the oil and gas sector to cope with the industry’s changes in the last five years? Over the last five years, the...
General counsel | Siemens Mobility AS
In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years? As the digital evolution will release the legal departments from a...
Since first being published as The Corporate Counsel 100, The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist series has grown exponentially since its beginnings in 2013. It started by covering four of the world’s most established legal markets, and whilst the core objective of the publication – highlighting the most capable, outstanding and innovative in-house counsel in a jurisdiction – has remained the same, the reach and scope of the GC Powerlist has since become almost unrecognisable. Now present in a vast array of jurisdictions and with a portfolio of 70 unique editions, the GC Powerlist series has gone from strength to strength and has firmly been established as the “go-to” title that assesses and features leading corporate counsel across the globe.
Not content to rest on our laurels, we at The Legal 500 are evolving the GC Powerlist series even further, deepening our commitment to ensuring not only the widest geographical coverage, but to highlight and explore issues and challenges at the forefront of the minds of leading in-house lawyers. Therefore, this and future editions of the GC Powerlist will have a very different look to their predecessors. Instead of profiling individual counsel or in-house legal teams, more incisive insights from in-house thought leaders on the topics of the day will be featured extensively throughout our new look GC Powerlist publications.
This new look entails the publication of Q&A transcripts regarding legal and business challenges, comment pieces on specific industry or regulatory affairs, more detailed analysis as to where the market is heading and content related to soft-skills, work ethic and business relationships that general counsel utilise. This new format will not only provide more thought leadership and insight, but provide more clarity on what is driving legal business forward in each market that we cover.
In the GC Powerlist: Norway 2019, we showcase the considerable strength of the in-house legal market in Norway. Having previously covered Norway as part of the wider region, we have, for the last two years, covered the jurisdiction individually due to its abundance of in-house legal talent.
This edition showcases a broad scope of experience and insight covering themes such as the lasting impact of the 2015 oil and gas market crash, legal technology, and increasing financial regulations. It identifies the growing importance of in-house legal management within the context of savings and efficiency, legislative changes including public procurement act, NIS Directive and Security Law, as well as, higher expectations of external counsel in all areas including the type and quality of advice, the end of the billable hour, diversity and inclusion and cost effectivity measurements. I would like to extend my congratulations to all of this year’s inclusions and give a thank you to all of the in-house counsel that contributed.
Peter Tweedley
Senior Research Analyst
The In-house Legal Research Team
The Legal 500 was proud to host the third edition of the GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 at the Capitol Hotel Tokyu, honouring the top General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, Legal Directors, and senior in-house legal professionals operating at the highest level of Japan’s corporate legal landscape. Held in Tokyo, this year’s reception welcomed around 100 of the most respected and senior corporate counsel from across Japan. It was an unrivalled success, and cements Legal 500’s status as the leading force in legal media supporting the achievements of in-house counsel in Japan. The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 marks the continuation of our commitment to recognising excellence in-house, and this year’s edition represents the most competitive and selective list to date.
Joe Boswell, lead editor of the GC powerlist publication at The Legal 500, opened the evening with an introduction that reflected on the growing prestige of the Japan list. He emphasised how the Powerlist has grown stronger each year, both in scope and quality, making the task of selection more difficult. This year’s honourees emerged from a deeply competitive field, making their recognition even more meaningful.
Boswell extended heartfelt congratulations to all honourees and acknowledged the critical support of key partners and sponsors who made the evening possible. Special thanks were given to Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, JustLegal, and SS&C Intralinks for their generous sponsorship and ongoing collaboration.
In a moment of reflection, Joe paid tribute to Tim Mackey, chief legal officer at SoftBank, who sadly passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. Tim had contributed to the Powerlist in each of its three editions and was known not only for his exceptional legal acumen but also for his warmth and generosity.
The evening featured insightful remarks from distinguished speakers representing our partners and the broader legal community: Mischa Mulligan, Japan Director at SS&C Intralinks; Hiroki Kodate, Partner and Management Committee Member at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune; Jeremy White, Global Co-Chair of M&A for Morrison Foerster; and, representing those awarded in the Powerlist, Naoki Hamada, General Counsel for Japan at HSBC.
Each speaker provided reflections on legal innovation, leadership, and the evolving role of in-house counsel in Japan’s corporate landscape. Their remarks added valuable context to the achievements celebrated throughout the evening.
The formal awards segment celebrated this year’s GC Powerlist honourees. With assistance from long-time collaborator Isaac Uchiyama who read out awardees’ names, recipients were invited to collect their certificates, pose for photographs, and be formally recognised by their peers.
Certificates were presented on stage by Hiroki Kodate or Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and Jeremy White of Morrison Foerster, whose participation further underlined the deep support of the Japanese and international legal communities.
The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 reception reaffirmed Legal 500’s commitment to spotlighting the very best of in-house legal talent. With record levels of interest and unmatched quality among candidates, the Japan edition continues to solidify its place as one of the most respected publications in the global GC Powerlist series.
We extend our sincere congratulations to all honourees and thank our partners, sponsors, and speakers for making the evening a success.
We look forward to returning to Tokyo again next year. As a parting gift, you can view Naoki Hamada’s excellent keynote address below, where he touches on a lot of issues and themes that many other GC, whatever country they operate in, will recognise:
‘Good evening, everyone. I am Naoki Hamada of HSBC. I am very pleased to be here speaking to you today. It is a great pleasure and honor, and at the same time, I feel a bit overwhelmed being surrounded by the busiest and most expensive lawyers in the industry—even if I know that nobody will be charging us for their time. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Legal 500 for organizing such a great event, and Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, SS&C Intralinks, and Just Legal for sponsoring and supporting it. And, huge congratulations on the recognition each of you is receiving, which is truly a great accomplishment and the result of your hard work and the accumulated trust the entire industry has placed in you.
It must be emphasized that this award is given only to general counsels. Being a general counsel means a lot more than just being a subject matter expert. You are a most reliable strategic partner for the business, and I am sure that you have distinguished yourself from the crowd by your ability to identify underlying risks, devise legal solutions, ensure the right processes and governance for corporate decisions, influence others, and educate the next generation of lawyers. This is what you are being recognized for.
Looking back on my career, I have been hugely helped by lawyers in other companies through various industry communities. When I joined the in-house world 12 years ago from a Japanese law firm, large international banks were all struggling with a huge wave of regulatory reform. Back then, I was relatively new to that particular area of finance, and my hiring was somewhat potential-based. Nonetheless, I was assigned to lead the regulatory reform efforts locally. My predecessor had left the bank before I joined, there was no sufficient handover, and I was completely lost as to what to do. What helped me most were the industry peer group discussions, where in-house counsels from major banks would get together to discuss common issues. I learned so much from what was discussed there and absorbed as much as I could. Without that network, I am sure that I wouldn’t have survived that time.
However, our situation today is far more difficult. The changes in the landscape we face today are unprecedented. Technological developments and the corresponding shifts in geopolitical and industrial landscapes are completely unpredictable, and the speed at which they happen is far faster than before. We might face a time that requires us to pivot, forcing us to redefine how we add value and rebuild the way we work. That is somewhat intimidating. But, I am confident that a way forward will be found through the collective wisdom and effort of the people in this room. I would like to be a part of that, and this network of people is enormously valuable and truly priceless.
Finally, let’s have a drink and celebrate our achievements for now – before your CEO calls asking you to join a call! Thank you so much.’
