Nordics - Norway

Wikborg Rein

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Leveraging its international network of offices, Wikborg Rein’s multidisciplinary offering spans all core areas of compliance and regulatory work, with the group routinely handling crisis management, investigations, due diligence, and ESG work. Practice co-head Elisabeth Roscher has an impressive track record advising on a large volume of complex compliance cases, as well as private investigations and human rights due diligence matters. Working alongside Roscher is co-head and managing partner Geir Sviggum, who is particularly skilled at handling mandates and investigations with international aspects. The firm’s sanctions offering, hailed by clients as ‘by far the best in Norway’, has recently seen further increases in sanctions and export control-related instructions, a core area of expertise for the firm; the ’fantastic’ Tine Elisabeth Vigmostad is the name to note here. New partner Elise Johansen is also recommended for her ESG expertise. Charlie Pope left the team in March 2023.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team is highly competent in the ever changing and complicated compliance and sustainability laws and regulations we today all face on a global level.’

  • ‘Geir Sviggum is a highly skilled manager of the team, trusted by all internal stakeholders. Tine Vigmostad is probably the best sanctions attorney in Norway.’

  • ‘The team has a deep understanding of international compliance issues and practical insights into how to handle investigations and solutions to "everyday" compliance matters. They are incredibly responsive and hardworking but at the same time an absolute pleasure to work with.’

  • ‘Kristin Nordland Brattli has made all the difference, she is highly competent within her legal field and uniquely skilled in providing integrated and collaborative legal operations assistance instead of one-sided advice.’

  • ‘Geir Sviggum, Tine Vigmostad and Elisabeth Roscher are outstanding practitioners.’

  • ‘Tine Vigmostad is outstanding, always giving high-quality advice in combination with a strong commercial understanding of the business and service-minded attitude.'

  • ‘Clear view on complicated issues. Excellent analytical skills. Ability to read situations in an analytical way. Excellent communication skills. Strategic thinking.'

  • ‘The Wikborg Rein sanctions team, which is part of their regulatory, compliance and investigations practice is by far the best in Norway. I have relied on them for many years to provide practical, timely and reliable advice and have referred many clients to them. Everyone has been extremely happy with their service.’

Key clients

  • Samherji hf
  • Aker Solutions ASA
  • Huawei Technologies AS
  • Renewables Norway
  • Solstad Offshore ASA
  • Statkraft AS
  • Norfund (the Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries)
  • Edison S.p.A.
  • Telenor ASA
  • Klaveness Marine AS

Work highlights

  • Assisted the board of Samherji hf with a broad and extensive international investigation in a number of countries (the so-called 'Fishrot case'), which includes allegations of bribery/corruption and other wrongdoings.
  • Acting as the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the Ministry's preferred external counsel, domestically and internationally, as lead counsel for Norway on a series of compliance cases.
  • Advised numerous Norwegian and international clients with global operations on economic and trade sanctions risks following the invasion of Ukraine.

Lawyers

Leading Individuals

Elisabeth Roscher

Elisabeth Roscher

Wikborg Rein

Elisabeth is head of the firm's ESG, Compliance and Crisis Management team. She was previously partner and head of the Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services team at EY Norway (2011-2016). Elisabeth was also senior public prosecutor with Økokrim, responsible for investigation and prosecution of various large and complex economic crime cases. She has extensive experience in both pleading and prosecuting cases before Norwegian courts, including several Økokrim cases before the Norwegian Supreme Court. Her main areas of practice include: - Corporate compliance in particular anti-corruption, anti-money-laundering, responsible business conduct and human rights and international sanctions and trade control - Private investigations and crisis management for both national and international companies - Criminal law, in particular economic crime and corporate criminal liability

Geir Sviggum

Geir Sviggum

Wikborg Rein

Geir is our Managing Partner. He headed the firm's Shanghai office from 2008 to 2013 and was Managing Partner International with overall responsibility for Wikborg Rein's international practice from 2012 to 2016. Geir has on a number of occasions, as late as 2022, been named International Lawyer of the Year in the Norwegian Financial Daily's annual lawyers survey. Legal 500 points to Geir as a Leading Individual within the Regulatory, Compliance and Investigations category, describing him as "the rock that you need in a crisis". Geir is also ranked Band 1 by Chambers Europe within the Compliance category. Geir's specialities are threefold: - Compliance with a particular focus on anti-bribery and crisis management, hereunder criminal law consequences and civil disputes triggered by potential misconduct. Geir's experience spans from a role as public defender in Norwegian courts to crisis management on behalf of listed Norwegian companies following suspected misconduct, preventive advisory work for Norwegian companies and public authorities in their anti-bribery work and lecturing on anti-bribery legislation at universities in several countries; - Dispute resolution focusing on larger disputes of international nature. Geir has significant experience from Norwegian courts as well as arbitration- and court processes in several countries; - Advisory work to medium-sized and large Norwegian industry- and technology enterprises in their international exposure, hereunder regulatory issues, sales contracts, distribution contracts, production contracts, agent contracts and risk preventive measures. Geir further has significant experience as legal advisor to Norwegian authorities with regard to Norway's various international exposure. During Geir’s time in China he was highlighted in local and regional rankings as among China’s "15 Rising Stars" in the legal profession for "impressive achievements" and among the 100 most influential lawyers in Asia. Geir is frequently used as speaker at universities, conferences and in other fora.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Elisabeth Roscher, Geir Sviggum

Other key lawyers

Kristin Nordland Brattli, Tine Elisabeth Vigmostad, Elise Johansen