Olav Kolstad

Practice Areas

EU & Competition

Intellectual Property

Oil & Gas

Special Resource Team

Career

Olav Kolstad has a wealth of experience in advising clients on the antitrust aspects of their commercial behavior and structuring agreements in compliance with competition law imperatives. Beyond the realm of pure competition issues, Olav also possesses a significant understanding of the Oil & Gas industry's regulatory framework; to this end, he assists clients operating on the Norwegian continental shelf in issues covering the full scope of petroleum and gas extraction and distribution. Moreover, due to the amalgamation of his practice areas with his specific industry knowledge, Olav is uniquely adept in dealing with the competition aspects of the often intricate Oil & Gas production and services markets.

He joined Schjødt as a Partner in 2012, and his practice focuses on competition law, EU/EEA law and Oil & Gas regulation. ​He holds an MA in jurisprudence and a Ph.D. in law from the University of Oslo. His doctoral thesis was on competition law and economics. During this period, he was a research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property and Competition Law in Munich. He held a professorship at the University of Oslo until 2011, and before joining Schjødt, he worked both in industry, within the legal department of Norsk Hydro (1998-2001), and in private practice, as a Partner in Kvale (2009-2012).

​Olav is a co-editor and author of Norsk Konkurranserett Bind 1 og 2, the leading textbook on Norwegian Competition law, and has published a broad array of articles within the competition law and EU/EEA law.

​Olav has gained a deep understanding of the workings of the main regulatory instances that oversee competition law enforcement and has represented clients in proceedings before the Norwegian Competition Authority, the EFTA Surveillance Authority and the European Commission. Within the context of transactions or investigations spanning several jurisdictions, Olav has also worked with local counsel in several countries - both in Europe and further afield - to resolve issues before competent national competition and regulatory authorities.

​He is currently a member of the Norwegian Law Reform Commission for reviewing unfair commercial practices in grocery retail.

​In light of his singular combination of academia and industry experience, as well as his ability to handle difficult and convoluted cases, Olav is regularly regarded by his peers as one of the leading practitioners of competition and EU/EEA law in Norway.

Publications

2005 - The Price regulation Law (Pristiltaksloven), Norsk Lovkommentar 2326

2005 - Competition law as a means to enhance the "interests of consumers" (Konkurranseloven som virkemiddel til å fremme "forbrukernes interesser), Tidsskrift for Rettsvitenskap 1

2004 - EEA law assessment of the system of reversion [for public concessions] (EØS-rettslig vurdering av hjemfallinstituttet), Norwegian Public Inquiry 26, pp. 209-253

2004 - EEA Law (EØS-rett), 2nd edn, Universitets forlaget (F Sejerstad, O Kolstad, F Arnesen, OA Rognstad, S Foyn (eds)

2003 - Assessing Network Effects of Exclusive Purchasing Agreements under Article 53(1) EEA, 2 European Law Reporter 52, Olav Kolstad and Helge Stemshaug