Nordics - Norway
1

Construction

Advokatfirmaet Haavind AS

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Counting an impressive group of state-owned entities, public sector bodies and leading Norwegian construction actors as clients, Advokatfirmaet Haavind AS regularly handles major infrastructure projects, large settlement disputes, and tender and contract work across a breadth of sectors, including the railway, road and energy industries. Henning Nordtvedt heads up the team and has extensive expertise in construction litigation, while seasoned expert Johnny Johansen takes point on complex building and infrastructure projects. Arve Martin Hyldmo Bjørnvik specialises in onshore and offshore construction and fabrication projects, while Sofie Komissar is highly recommended for contentious mandates. Other core individuals include seasoned litigators Anne Hesjedal Sending and Andreas Rostveit.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Haavind, is in my opinion, the best construction law firm in Norway. Good capacity with several partners, well familiar with the industry and with an excellent reputation.’

  • ‘Johnny Johansen has great knowledge for giving the right advice in terms of issues regarding construction. Absolutely one of the best lawyers I have worked with.’

  • 'Sofie Komissar responds quickly and very diligently and gives realistic assessments of the legal challenges of a case. She is very competent and always provides useful advice.’

  • ‘Partner Arve Martin Hyldmo Bjørnvik has been a team leader and the primary lawyer for our case. He has an unprecedented work capacity and has been available for the client around the clock. As a client, I am extremely satisfied with his work.’

  • 'A stand-out partner is Andreas Rostveit.’

  • ‘Anne Hesjedal Sending is an extraordinary lawyer and great to work with. She is very good in both legal and construction aspects and she has handled several major high-profile cases for us. She very quickly understands the case complexities and offers excellent strategies on how to handle the case. She is always available, always ahead and well prepared, making you feel very well represented.'

  • 'Henning Nortvedt is excellent in the area of construction. He very quickly identifies the core of the case and delivers excellent strategies on how to address the case, both for preparation and for the actual trial/negotiation.'
  • 'Ørjan Foldøy impressed us with how he managed to structure our very complex case. He always had full control of how every development in the case will affect the outcome. He also showed good understanding of the area of construction.’

Key clients

  • The Norwegian Public Road Administration
  • Overhalla Betong AS
  • Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property
  • Nye Veier AS
  • Sporveien AS
  • Statkraft
  • Statnett
  • Viken County Authority
  • Caverion AS
  • GK Norge

Work highlights

  • Assisted Norwegian Public Road Administration with several matters, including the settlement of a dispute related to E39 Svegatjørn-Rådal.
  • Assisted the Norwegian Construction and Property Management Department with several matters.
  • Acted for Overhalla Betongbygg AS in a final accounts dispute related to a contract for production and assembly of prefabricated concrete elements for an aquaculture plant.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Johnny Johansen
Partner and chair of the board Johnny Johansen is among Norway’s most respected legal practitioners. He has substantial experience in litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution, and is admitted to the Supreme Court. He is particularly renowned for his work in large and complex construction and infrastructure projects, including buildings, roads, railways, power plants, and onshore aquaculture farms. Johansen is recommended and referred to within his practice areas by inter alia Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 and Finansavisen (Norwegian Financial Daily's). In the latter, he has over the last years been ranked as the leading construction lawyer in Norway. Johansen frequently sits as an arbitrator in international and domestic contract disputes. He is a member of the Norwegian Bar Association’s contract law committee, regularly lectures on his areas of specialisation and is the author of several respected legal books and articles.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Arve Martin Hyldmo Bjørnvik
Partner Arve Martin Hyldmo Bjørnvik is a respected leader in his fields of expertise, having more than 20 years of experience in legal practice. He is specialized in contract and construction law, litigation and arbitration. He is particularly renowned for his expert handling of complex construction and fabrication projects, both onshore and offshore, for Norwegian and international clients. In recent years he has been leading several of Haavind’s largest and most important cases, particularly large and complex infrastructure and construction projects. Partner Bjørnvik is in-demand for his dispute resolution skill and experience and he is regularly selected as an arbitrator, particularly in contract and construction disputes, in addition to regularly representing clients in both domestic and cross-border arbitrations. He is also among Norway’s foremost litigators, admitted to appear before the Supreme Court and experienced as a judge at both the district court and appeals court levels. Among his professional activities, Partner Bjørnvik is network leader in JUC’s network for construction law and regularly selected as a speaker on legal topics in various settings.
Henning Nordtvedt
Henning Nordtvedt is the head of Haavind's Construction department and the Haavind dispute resolution team, and is admitted to appear before the Supreme Court. He has extensive experience with all phases of multimillion construction projects, including drafting, negotiations, assistance during project execution, mediation, litigation and dispute resolution over the last 23 years (including eight years at the Attorney General’s office – Civil Affairs). He has represented, among others, the Norwegian Government in a large number of major construction projects, including within the infrastructure sector. Nordtvedt is the main author of Haavind’s commentary on the standard EPC-contract “General conditions of contract concerning design and building” (NS 8407).
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Sofie Komissar
Sofie Komissar has ten years of experience as a construction lawyer. She joined Haavind as a partner in the company’s construction department in March 2023. She has been involved in several disputes, primarily in the onshore construction sector, both in arbitration cases and before various city and appeal courts. She also has extensive experience in disputes concerning design and engineering contracts and assisted one of Norway’s largest engineering companies on a regular basis over an eight year period. Sofie has rapidly established a reputation as a prominent construction lawyer and often acts as speaker at seminars and presentations on construction contracts.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Henning Nordtvedt

Other key lawyers

Johnny Johansen, Andreas Rostveit, Anne Hesjedal Sending, Arve Martin Hyldmo Bjørnvik, Sofie Komissar, Ørjan Foldøy

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