Office Profile

Wikborg Rein Advokatfirma AS

Oslo Office

Current View

UK

Profile

Provided by Wikborg Rein Advokatfirma AS

Managing Partner: Chris Grieveson

Partners 10

Associate Lawyers: 15

UK Totals: 25


THE FIRM: Wikborg Rein is a full-service international law firm with over 230 lawyers based in its offices in London, Oslo, Bergen, Singapore and Shanghai. With its roots in Norway and over 30 years in London, clients receive top tier London advice combined with a no-nonsense Nordic approach. The London office is home to a large specialised shipping and offshore team, supported by its colleagues based internationally.

The London team is sector-focussed, and the majority of its lawyers have commercial experience in-house. Wikborg Rein’s clients come to the firm for strategic, sector-specific advice, and clear, creative solutions.

Its lawyers are leaders in the transport, shipping, infrastructure, construction, energy, trade, commodities, and insurance sectors. Within those sectors, Wikborg Rein has unique experience with projects, finance, commercial contracts, alternative dispute resolution, commercial litigation, fraud and asset recovery. The London team is closely aligned with many of the sector’s major participants and Wikborg Rein has an excellent understanding of the commercial dynamics that drive the industries it works with.

Further details and case examples can be found on Wikborg Rein lawyer profiles on the firm’s website.


MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE

Shipping/Admiralty/Offshore: 40%

Banking & Finance: 40%

Corporate/General Commercial: 20%


PRINCIPAL AREAS OF WORK


Shipping & Offshore:

Wikborg Rein provides advice and assistance for the entire life cycle of shipping and offshore assets. It has an international emergency-response team to deal with collisions, groundings, fires, piracy and other casualties with mariner support on hand. The London team has significant experience in handling ‘dry shipping’ disputes and deals. This includes finance, shipbuilding, logistics, charters and bills of lading. It also has supporting expertise in areas such as sanctions, data and regulatory matters. The key contacts in London are Chris Grieveson, Matt Illingworth, Nick Shepherd and Rob Jardine-Brown. Other members of the shipping and offshore team includes Shawn Kirby, Baptiste Weijburg, Eleanor Midwinter and Fiona Rafla.


Superyachts:

The yacht team has extensive experience in providing ‘project counsel’ advice for ongoing builds and conversions of super-yachts, as well as in relation to high value, complex yacht-building, sale and charter disputes. This is an important and growing area for the firm, with a team bolstered by lateral hires from other highly regarded teams. Wikborg Rein’s yacht team comprises Rob Jardine-Brown, Mike Stewart, Jonathan Page, Eleanor Midwinter, Mary Lindsay and Camilla Burton.


Construction:

Wikborg Rein’s contentious construction team advises on all phases of building and construction projects, ranging from the initial tender phase to possible dispute resolution following completed projects. The firm has a wide practice and undertake international arbitration and litigation to resolve construction disputes worldwide. The team is led by Rob Jardine-Brown and other members of the contentious construction team includes Shawn Kirby, who is dual-qualified as an English solicitor and as a barrister and solicitor in New Zealand, Mary Lindsay, Camilla Burtonand Andrew Cottrell.


Oil & Gas:

Wikborg Rein has demonstrated strength in the regulatory aspects of the oil and gas industry, project development matters including FPSO projects, corporate transactions, oil service contracts and decommissioning work. Managing partner Chris Grieveson, Jonathan Goldfarb, who specialises in the development and finance of offshore energy projects, and LNG expert Renaud Barbier-Emery are the key London contacts for oil and gas related work.


Commodities/Energy/LNG:

Wikborg Rein covers the entire trading lifecycle, including projects, finance, production, sale and purchase, storage and transportation. Its lawyers work with traders, shippers, financiers and insurers for energy commodities, chemicals, metals and softs. Wikborg Rein has a highly specialised team of experts for LNG work, and has stand-out experience in FLNG projects in particular. Its projects and finance team in London includes Renaud Barbier-Emery, Jonathan Goldfarb, Jonathan Page and Sebastian Lea. The shipping, trade and disputes team includes Chris Grieveson, Nick Shepherd, Eleanor Midwinter, and Baptiste Weijburg.


Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Enforcement & Asset Recovery:

The disputes team covers all of Wikborg Rein’s core sectors, together with general commercial work and construction/ infrastructure. The firm has a strong focus on enforcement and asset recovery. Its advice is realistic, creative and focussed on commercial results. Wikborg Rein has close connections with insolvency practitioners and foreign lawyers across the world. The firm has this year had enforcement work referred to it that seemed ‘impossible’ and has received praise from clients for using inventive strategies and local connections to achieve major recoveries.


Foreign Specialists:

Wikborg Rein has particular expertise in the Greek and Singaporean markets, and for the former, Nick Shepherd is a market-leading shipping lawyer in Greece and has acted for the largest Greek shipping groups. Nick is one of Wikborg Rein’s superstar signings, and the trade press notes that his ‘list of clients reads like a who’s who of Greek shipping.’ Other lawyers active in the Greek market are Matt Illingworth, Chris Grieveson, Baptiste Weijburg and Eleanor Midwinter.

For the Singaporean market, Chris Grieveson and Lesley Tan have an in-depth commercial understanding with Chris working in Singapore for many years, where he was highly ranked. Lesley is Singaporean and has special expertise in sale and leaseback work. Supported by the wider team, Chris and Lesley advise international clients on their in-bound South East Asian operations, using Singapore as a hub for the region.

Offices

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Norway - Head office
Dronning Mauds gate 11, Oslo, Oslo, Norway, 0250

Web: www.wr.no

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +47 2282 7500

Fax: +47 2282 7501

UK