Thommessen

Globalization and new technology have changed our buying habits. In the EU, there has been a great deal of focus in recent years on adapting the legislation to the modern market and strengthening consumer protection. This work has resulted in new and stricter requirements for businesses that offer goods and services to Norwegian consumers - and not least increased risk.

Thommessen has a dedicated team with specialist expertise in consumer and market legislation. This enables us to assist national and international clients in keeping track of the rapidly changing and eventually extensive regulation. We also have in-depth industry knowledge which means that we can assist in implementing measures that ensure the company's compliance with consumer and market legislation and agreements between the actors in the value chain and towards the end customer.

Insurance matters are best resolved with specialist expertise. Our lawyers know the market very well, and work closely with both insurance companies and policyholders in all types of insurance cases.

Insurance is society's safety net. Insurance balances risks nationally and internationally, and provides businesses with the necessary financial security in the event of unforeseen damage and in liability situations. There are often demands from authorities, lenders or contractual parties that a business protects itself against risk through insurance. Our lawyers have been legal advisors to insurance companies and their clients for many decades.

We assist insurance companies and policyholders in all industries. Shipping and offshore have their own types of insurance, which are highly specialized. Land insurance policies have their property damage and liability coverages. Various professions have covered risks through professional liability insurance, and board members are covered by board liability insurance. We have a long and extensive experience with all types of insurance products. In addition, we assist the insurance companies in reinsurance cases, and have been involved in all the largest cases in this regard in Norway in recent years.

Clients often come to us to get an overview: an overview of what the insurance actually covers, what rights and obligations the parties have and what deadlines must be met when claiming insurance cover. When clients need assistance to resolve an insurance matter, this preferably takes place through dialogue and cooperation between the insurance company and the customer. Sometimes, however, the insurance case must be resolved in court or in arbitration. We assist in particular in connection with accidents, but also with the purchase and sale of businesses, in liability cases and with recourse claims from and between insurance companies. Our lawyers have considerable experience in insurance legal advice, as well as procedure for courts and arbitration.

Thommessen has one of Norway's largest intellectual property law departments, and assists Norwegian and foreign clients with advice and dispute resolution in matters relating to patents and trademarks, copyright, marketing law and protection of trade secrets.

Protection of intellectual property rights is a cornerstone of international trade, and the value of intellectual property rights rises in parallel with increasing competition in the business world. Our lawyers assist with clear and practical advice within a number of industries in a complex and demanding area of ​​law.

We have extensive experience in handling disputes, and have been involved in a number of multi-territorial patent disputes, principled copyright and trademark litigation and disputes concerning the misappropriation of trade secrets. We often assist rights holders with enforcement of their own rights, protection of trade secrets and assessment of third party rights. We give advice on consumer legislation, and handle disputes about breaches of the Marketing Act in cases before the Norwegian Competition Authority, the Markets Council, the Consumer Protection Authority and the ordinary courts. Not least, we assist a number of large Norwegian and international players with intellectual property law issues that arise in transactions.

Through this work, we are well trained in understanding and adapting our advice to the clients' strategic and commercial needs. Many of the cases we work with concern large values ​​and involve several countries. Our experience has given us insight into the importance of project organization and close collaboration with the client. We use simple digital project management and document management tools to streamline the workflow and ensure the client's experience of involvement, transparency and predictability.

The internationalization of financial markets and business makes insolvency and restructuring cases increasingly complex. Thommessen has considerable experience as an adviser in Norwegian and international matters, including issues that apply across national borders.

Our lawyers have been involved in all medium and large insolvency and restructuring cases in Norway in recent decades. We have considerable experience from working on all sides of the table – we understand and deal with all the different stakeholders.

Our lawyers assist with all questions related to restructuring and insolvency, including financial restructuring or comprehensive processes involving both financial and industrial restructuring. Our team has different expertise and works together to find the best solutions for the clients.

Thommessen's merger and acquisition practice has been a market leader for a number of years. Our full-service M&A practice assists the entire spectrum of mergers and acquisitions, from acquisitions outside the stock exchange to acquisitions on the stock exchange. We are continuously at the top, both in terms of number of transactions and transaction value.

Mergers and acquisitions are essential for a healthy and competitive business life. The buyer can gain access to new technology, necessary expertise or new industrial and geographical markets, while the seller can concentrate on further developing its core business or reinvest the funds in other projects. Successful transactions create businesses that develop, grow and increase their profitability.

We have specialist expertise in all areas that may be affected by a transaction. We regularly assist in the market's largest merger and acquisition projects, where we use our self-developed project management model and market-leading technology to improve processes and provide clients with extraordinary service.

Thommessen assists small, medium and large companies in all industries, as well as active owner funds and investment banks. We are involved all the way from early strategy discussions via the negotiation table, to signing and implementation, in a large number of Norwegian and international mergers and acquisitions.

Our lawyers provide "full service" legal services to the players in the Norwegian market for commercial property. With tailor-made and cost-effective teams, we do our utmost to meet the clients' changing needs as a result of new market trends, contract forms and changes in the legal source image.

We are heavily involved in the transaction market and every year assist the parties in a large number of large and small property transactions. Real estate transactions encompass much more than just real estate law. As a legal adviser, you also need in-depth knowledge of, among other things, company law and shareholder agreements, tax, value added tax, employment law, financial regulatory issues, loan financing and environmental law. Our lawyers collaborate seamlessly with the firm's other areas of expertise and show clients the shortest and safest route from the bidding process to completion of the transaction.

Our interdisciplinary property development team assists developers of various forms of development projects within commercial, residential and leisure property. The projects range from some of the very largest and most complex development projects in Norway, to smaller apple orchard projects.

The handling of leases and ongoing operations is central to the creation of value for our clients and an important part of our business, where we constantly adapt to new contract forms and concepts. Financing of commercial property through equity transactions, bank and bond loans is an important part of our practice, both in connection with transactions and in connection with long-term ownership of commercial property.

Disputes present challenges for both the individuals and businesses involved. It is crucial to limit the dispute's impact on the day-to-day operations of the business, and to resolve the dispute without unnecessary strain on the relationships between the parties involved. With more than thirty lawyers, who plead a large number of cases before the courts and arbitral tribunals annually, our dispute resolution team commands a leading position on the Norwegian litigation and arbitration scene.

We have significant experience in resolving disputes both within and outside the judicial system. In our view, effective project management and strategic team selection are key to success. One of Thommessen's strengths is our extensive expertise across various fields. Our litigation specialists regularly work closely with industry and market experts, and you can be assured that we always engage the right expertise internally on the matter. Our goal is to achieve the best possible outcome, but the resources used must be proportionate to the case. Necessary expertise is therefore involved at the right time in the process. We take no shortcuts, but also no detours.

At Thommessen, we have around twenty lawyers admitted to litigate before the Supreme Court, and we regularly litigate before our nation's highest court. Several of our lawyers have also litigated cases before the EFTA Court and the European Court of Human Rights.

Our lawyers also have extensive experience in arbitration, both in Norway and internationally, and are often used as legal representatives and judges in international commercial disputes. We have experience from a range of arbitration institutes, including OCC, SCC, DIA, DIS, and ICC. Additionally, we have litigated and served as arbitrators in numerous ad hoc arbitrations, including under the arbitration rules of NOMA.