Gorrissen Federspiel is distinguished for its leadership in large-scale commercial litigation and its premier reputation in international arbitration, regularly acting in Denmark’s most significant disputes. The team is also renowned for white-collar crime and contentious regulatory matters with major societal impact. Its cross-border strength and deep sector expertise in financial services, maritime, and private equity underpin its market position. Co-head Jacob Skude Rasmussen advises major financial institutions on corporate crime, class actions, and investigations, while co-head Henriette Gernaa is trusted by top-tier Danish and international clients. Lotte Eskesen and Kenneth Hvelplund Pedersen further bolster the firm’s high-end disputes offering.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Client satisfaction: NPS ®
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- Highly skilled team with dedicated employees and a focus on collaboration.
- Very analytical and able to follow a strategy throughout the process. Very responsive and extremely well prepared.
- Extremely well prepared - able to develop the overall strategy for the dispute and follow it. A team extremely good at working together and dividing the tasks among them.
- Partner, Jacob Skude Rasmussen, is excellent at communicating complex legal matters with commercial understanding.
- Benedikte Westergren Hendel is an exceptional talent. She keeps the work organized, remembers every detail, and has a great understanding of the client’s business interests. She has the capability to explain complex issues in such a clear way that builds trust. She is also fun to work with.
- ‘Informative, proactive, professional, and structured.’
- ‘In addition to the excellent legal skills, a very good business understanding, and always focusing on finding the best solutions. A very strong team, and also using the Gorrissen Federspiel competence. Definitely the most competent law firm in Denmark.’
- ‘Highly qualified and best in class service.’
- ‘Søren Henriksen was very capable, and we felt in very safe hands, but during the written preparations as well as during the arbitration proceedings.’
- ‘Exceptional quality and professionalism.’
Key clients
- Danske Bank A/S
- Deloitte
- Carnegie Investment Bank and Morgan Stanley & Co. International Plc.
- Finansiel Stabilitet A/S
- Goldman Sachs
- Deutsche Bank AG
- PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC Denmark)
- Maersk A/S
- Zebra A/S (Flying Tiger)
- KMD A/S
- Polar Seafood A/S
- Nordea Bank Abp
Work highlights
Advising Danske Bank A/S in one of Denmark’s largest securities litigations, defending six consolidated mass actions comprising 312 cases and c.DKK 12.8bn in shareholder claims alleging disclosure and governance breaches linked to AML issues at the former Estonian branch.
Advising Carnegie Investment Bank and Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc in two landmark Danish litigations alleging prospectus liability arising from OW Bunker A/S’s 2014 IPO, brought by Danish and international institutional investors and raising novel questions on international banks’ due diligence obligations in Danish listings.
Advising Deloitte in highstakes auditorliability proceedings, including the OW Bunker litigation (with High Court and Supreme Court dismissals reducing claims to c.DKK 1.2bn and disciplinary rulings remitted) and a pending Altor/Tresu dispute over alleged misstatements in audited reports, involving complex accounting standards and extensive expert evidence.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Jacob Skude Rasmussen; Henriette Gernaa
Other key lawyers
Lotte Eskesen; Kenneth Hvelplund Pedersen; Søren Henriksen