SANDS has a comprehensive fisheries and aquaculture offering, enabling the team to advise on a range of issues, from regulatory licensing to construction and M&A to tax structuring. The firm has a diverse client roster comprising private equity funds, seafood producers, and shipyards. The team is jointly led by Halfdan Mellbye, combining knowledge of regulatory frameworks with expertise in dispute resolution, and Ulf Sørdal, who takes point on tax cases in the industry, regularly advising companies across the value chain. Erik Meyer-Lampe is noted for his capabilities in M&A within the seafood sector, and Bjørn Ivar Bendiksen is a name to note for contracts, as well as permitting and sanction work.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'First of all, their good understanding of whatever issue we want to discuss with them. They deliver to the point and fast.'
- 'Very skilled when it comes to juridical competence in fishing and aquaculture. Very good knowledge about the sectors and to the point understanding of possibilities and challenges for the industry.'
Key clients
- Akvaplan Niva AS
- Aller Aqua Norway AS
- Arctic Swan AS
- Cetus AS
- Dahl Fiskeri AS
- Driva Aquaculture AS
- Endre Dyrøy AS
- Grøntvedt Invest AS
- Haraldson AS
- Hardhaus AS
- Havlandet AS
- Kime Akva AS
Work highlights
Advising Driva Aquaculture AS on the establishment of a land-based fish farm in central Norway, including complex permit issues concerning the protection of wild salmon strains.
Represented Stormfuglen Holding AS in a dispute arising from the NOK 320m sale of a quota-holding fishing vessel, securing a judgment holding the broker jointly liable for an additional NOK 24m payment obligation
Advised Cetus AS on the NOK 950m acquisition of Br Birkeland Fiskebåtrederi AS, owner of the modern fishing vessel M/S Birkeland and its associated quotas.
Practice head
Halfdan Mellbye; Ulf Sørdal
Other key lawyers
Erik Meyer-Lampe; Bjørn Ivar Bendiksen