SANDS

Managing Partner: Thomas Sando

Number of lawyers: 160

Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Scandinavian languages

Firm Overview: SANDS has achieved impressive growth since 2015, especially in our transactions, capital markets and finance practices, including insurance. International business in Norway is dominated by key sectors and SANDS have highly specialised and seamless national practices in energy, shipping, onshore and offshore technology, real estate and infrastructure. We have a 30 year reputation as leading litigators and a large number of our lawyers are admitted to the Supreme Court. We are a truly international firm, working with projects in Europe, Asia, the US, South America and Africa. Many of our lawyers have legal training and experience abroad and a significant number have broader commercial and technical skills through additional graduate degrees in business, economics and other non-legal fields. Quality, service, enthusiasm and commitment define our client relationships. We are innovative and result driven, continuously seeking best practice solutions and the most effective legal and commercial strategies for our clients.

Main Areas of Practice:  

Corporate/M&A: 

SANDS attorneys provide advice in relation to mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and stock exchange listings, equity transactions, voluntary/mandatory offers, JVs, shareholders agreements, corporate restructurings, transfers of production licences, farm-ins and corporate compliance issues. They tailor their advice to their clients’ commercial needs. Based on their experience, competence and commercial insight, they act for listed and unlisted companies, both domestic or in cross-border transactions. Contact: Espen Furuholt Email: [email protected]

Banking & Finance: The team covers all areas of banking, finance and capital markets work, including secured and syndicated loan transactions and guarantees, structured finance, bonds and derivatives. Work covers acquisition, asset and project financing and specialist ship financing. Contact: Pia Sporstøl Email:[email protected]

EU & Competition: SANDS provides advice on competition law, state subsidies and public procurement and general EU/ EEA law. The team has extensive experience dealing with complex cases involving Norwegian and foreign competition authorities. The firm’s attorneys have professional backgrounds from the Norwegian Competition Authority and the EFTA Surveillance Authority. The team handles cases for the Norwegian courts and the EFTA Court Contact: Aksel Joachim Hageler Email: [email protected]

Tax & VAT: The team of attorneys and economists work in all areas of commercial taxation, including property tax, VAT and customs and excise duties. This experienced team has acquired in-depth international expertise, regularly working with foreign clients and law firms in sectors such as real estate, trade, services, industry and private equity, enabling the team to provide industry-specific advice. Contact: Ulf Sørdal Email: [email protected]

Intellectual Property: SANDS’ IPR team has considerable experience from consulting environments and regulatory agencies. The team assists clients within all areas of IP law, including patent law, copyright, trademarks and marketing law in all the major industrial, processing and technology sectors in Norway, as well as life science, media and entertainment. The firm handles a large number of IP litigation matters. Contact: Katrine Malmer-Høvik Email: [email protected]

Employment Law & Pensions:The firm acts for international corporations and investors in all areas of individual and collective employment law. Pension specialists work seamlessly with M&A teams and the firm has considerable experience with restructuring, outsourcing and downsizing. SANDS is strong on litigation in all courts. Contact: Maria Elena Kvalen Email: [email protected]

Dispute Resolution: SANDS has one of Norway’s largest dispute resolution teams. The practice covers all types of commercial cases before Norwegian courts, the European Courts and domestic and international courts of arbitration. The firm has many lawyers admitted to the Norwegian Supreme Court and has specialist litigators in key sectors. Contact: Hege Birkeland Ersdal Email: [email protected]

Real Estate: The firm advises on all legal issues related to the purchase, sale, development and administration of property, including complex transaction structures. SANDS has real estate taxation and VAT specialists and regularly handles litigation in the courts, including the Supreme Court. Contact: Christian Hartmann Email: [email protected]

Renewable Energy: SANDS’ strong partner team and practice provide a high level of expertise in hydropower, solar energy and wind farms, including transactions, advisory, regulatory and litigation experience. The firm works extensively abroad advising on the development of large power plant and transformer substations, especially in Africa and Latin America. Contact: Alf Øystein Skudal Email: [email protected]

Technology & Start-ups: In addition to traditional work for major national and international technology corporations, the firm has a leading position in the thriving Norwegian start-up sector, providing advice on company and taxation structures, intellectual property, contracts and funding. The firm cooperates with some of Norway’s largest high-tech incubators and their major international corporation sponsors. Contact: Gisle Edvard Årnes Email: [email protected]

Oil & Gas & Offshore: The team’s experience covers the entire value and contract chain, both from the contractor side including R&D-agreements, offshore construction, seismic operations, drilling, and maintenance — and from the oil and gas company side, including global FSRU projects. The lawyers have extensive experience working in and for leading in-house legal departments. Contact: Lars Berge Andersen Email: [email protected]

Shipping & Maritime Law: SANDS’ team is led by partners with considerable international experience from leading law firms and major clients, working on matters on all continents. The firm covers wet and dry shipping, including transactions, complex financing structures, the construction, conversion and chartering of a broad range of vessels, as well as operations, contracting, casualties and insurance. The team also has specialist litigators. Contact: Marit E. Kirkhusmo Email: [email protected]

Construction/Infrastructure & PPP: SANDS has one of Norway’s largest CIP practices, offering a highly specialised team and a tailor-made concept to facilitate and assist foreign players in Norway’s vibrant and international market. The partners have advised on an exceptional share of the largest projects and all the major PPP projects. The firm’s mediators and litigators are solution oriented in Norway’s highly litigious sector. SANDS acts for many global players and the team has many years’ experience as in-house lawyers in major corporations. Contact: Alf Johan Knag Email: [email protected]

Fisheries & Aquaculture: SANDS is a leading firm in Norway’s second largest industry, with many specialists in both sub-sectors. The practice is led by specialist partners in transaction work, regulatory matters, corporate advisory matters and dispute resolution. The firm serves global, but also many of the major national companies in fishing and production, landing and processing, sales and export, equipment and consultancy services, in addition to new-builds and offshore construction. Contact: Halfdan Mellbye Email: [email protected]