BBA//Fjeldco‘s ‘fantastic team’ is highly active in cross-border mandates, regularly acting for prominent international and domestic clients on a range of matters involving Iceland. Managing partner Halldór Karl Halldórsson, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the practice area, co-leads the department alongside Einar Baldvin Árnason, whose practice covers commercial law, competition work and corporate restructurings, and Bjarki Diego, who is noted for his experience in M&A, capital markets mandates, and finance transactions. Also key are Ásgeir Ragnarsson, who is dual-qualified in Iceland and New York, and Baldvin Björn Haraldsson, a highly experienced M&A specialist, qualified to practice in Iceland and France.
Commercial, corporate and M&A in Iceland
BBA//Fjeldco
Responsables de la pratique:
Halldór Karl Halldórsson; Einar Baldvin Árnason; Bjarki Diego
Autres avocats clés:
Ásgeir Ragnarsson; Baldvin Björn Haraldsson
Les références
‘Fantastic team involved in most cross-border deals in Iceland. What makes the team really stand out is their strong UK practice and expertise, effectively making them a one-stop shop in large, complex mergers and acquisitions.’
‘Halldór Karl Halldórsson, the managing partner, is a fantastic ally – extremely responsive, engaged and well-prepared.’
‘Highly experienced in corporate law and M&A, has been quite valuable for our company, giving meaningful advice.’
Principaux clients
Alvotech
Arion Banki hf
Arctic Green Energy Group
BNP Paribas Fortis SA/NV
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
Fasteignastyring ehf.
Glymur Eignastýring hf.
Hagar hf.
Íslandsbanki hf.
Kaldalón ehf.
KFW-IPEX BANK GMBH
Kvika Group
Landsbankinn hf.
MasterCard Worldwide
Fly Pay hf.
Opin Kerfi hf.
Rapyd Financial Network ltd
SÍA IV
Taconic Capital Advisors
Nova
Valitor hf.
ODDEG
JP Morgan
Citibank
Principaux dossiers
- Acted as lead Icelandic counsel for the acquirer of Kerecis in Iceland, which included initial advice, due diligence, drafting and providing input on structure and transaction documents and completion.
- Acted for Vátryggingafélag Íslands hf. (VÍS), one of the largest insurance companies in Iceland, when VÍS acquired Fossar Investment Bank (Fossar).
- Advised Equinor Ventures when it led a group of new investors in joining CRI’s shareholder group in a $30m investment round.
Juris
Juris provides comprehensive corporate and commercial services to clients, utilising the firm’s full-service offering to offer support on tax and competition matters, among others. The group is active in a diverse range of sectors, including the hospitality, infrastructure, and property development spaces. Tax specialist Halldór Jónsson co-leads the department alongside Andri Árnason, who has key strength in competition law. Simon Knight, who is dual qualified in England and Iceland, is highly active in cross-border matters, with experience acting for both domestic and international clients.
Responsables de la pratique:
Halldór Jónsson; Andri Árnason
Autres avocats clés:
Simon Knight; Ingvar Ásmundsson
Les références
‘Professional, experienced, always available, trustworthy group.’
‘You have confidence that they understand the issues you are trying to address, and that they will turn out a practical response, not just a legal one.’
‘Polite, personal and above all professional.’
Principaux clients
Summa Rekstrarfélag hf.
Ísfélag hf.
Lýsi hf.
Kvika banki hf
Mjólkursamsalan ehf.
Novator ehf.
Fastus ehf.
Nýsköpunarsjóður atvinnulífsins
Five Degrees
Audax Private Equity
BlueCat Networks
HS Orka hf.
Sikmas ehf.
Principaux dossiers
- Advised on the merger of Ísfélag Vestmannaeyja hf. and Rammi hf to form Ísfélag hf.
- Advised BlueCat Networks on its acquisition of Men & Mice.
- Advising Mjólkursamsalan on Iceland’s draft new agricultural policy.
Lex Law Offices
Lex Law Offices takes a leading role on numerous high-profile domestic and international transactions, providing clients with a comprehensive array of services due to the firm’s full-service offering. The group has experience working across a diverse array of sectors, including the real estate, retail, and energy industries, and regularly acts for private equity clients. Leading the department are Guðmundur Ingvi Sigurðsson, whose key specialisms are corporate finance work and debt restructurings, and managing partner Örn Gunnarsson, whose practice additionally covers M&A and share capital transactions. Tax specialist Garðar Víðir Gunnarsson and Stefán Orri Ólafsson are also key names.
Responsables de la pratique:
Guðmundur Ingvi Sigurðsson; Örn Gunnarsson
Autres avocats clés:
Garðar Víðir Gunnarsson; Stefán Orri Ólafsson
Les références
‘Great team. Highly skilled and experienced.’
‘There is a team of experts within LEX with extraordinary good know how.’
Principaux clients
Festi hf.
Kaldbakur ehf.
Alfa Framtak hf
Síldarvinnslan hf.
Carbfix hf.
VEX ehf.
Fossar Investment Bank hf.
Sjová hf.
First Water Salmon from Iceland hf.
Reykjastræti ehf
ADG ehf.
Indie Holdings. S. A.
101 Seafood ehf.
Principaux dossiers
- Advising Festi hf., an Icelandic listed holding company focusing on various retail industries, on its acquisition of Lyfja hf., a local pharmacy.
- Advising First Water hf. from the outset on all corporate and commercial issues concerning inter alia the company setup and structure, corporate governance, expansion, financing, etc.
- Acted as lead counsel and adviser to Alfa framtak when AU 22 ehf., a fully owned subsidiary of Umbreyting II slhf., a private equity fund operated by Alfa Framtak ehf., made a voluntary offer to shareholders of Origo hf. in line with the ‘Takeover Act’.
LOGOS
LOGOS fields a team which works within the firm's full-service offering to meet the full range of client needs. The group covers all aspects of commercial and corporate law, and is a popular choice for international clients. Significant cross-border mandates handled by the firm include advising Icelandic biotechnology company Kerecis on the sale of all shares to Danish entity Coloplast for $1.3bn. Benedikt Egill Árnason is a transactional specialist, with experience acting for corporate clients and private equity houses. Árnason co-leads the department alongside Freyr Snæbjörnsson, who is noted for his strength in capital markets, and made partner in January 2023. Also key are Thórólfur Jónsson, who has core strength in M&A and securities regulations, and Guðbjörg Helga Hjartardóttir, who covers financial restructurings, M&A transactions, and corporate finance work.
Responsables de la pratique:
Benedikt Egill Árnason; Freyr Snæbjörnsson
Autres avocats clés:
Guðbjörg Helga Hjartardóttir; Thórólfur Jónsson; Óttar Pálsson; Fannar Freyr Ívarsson; Helga Melkorka Óttarsdóttir
Les références
‘The Logos team is highly efficient in all the legal and commercial fields needed for our company. Their team is diverse enough to cover all aspects of a deal or project. Their unique approach to give access to their expertise in case by case makes them so strong and efficient as a team and individual experts as well.’
‘Their legal diversification has enabled us to tackle every project and case with them, covering commercial issues, tax, transportation, shareholding and employment law.’
‘LOGOS has a unique position in the market due to their broad knowledge and manpower. In a business like ours, the issues that come up every day are very diverse, ranging from simple HR issues to complicated M&A processes. It’s nice to be sure you always have the best possible legal advice during all situations with the same legal partner.’
Principaux clients
Origo hf.
Eimskip hf.
Marel hf.
Kerecis hf.
Olgerdin Egill Skallagrimsson hf.
Ministry of Industry and Innovation
Arion Bank hf.
Landsvirkjun
Icelandair Group hf.
Barclays
Deutsche Bank
Goldman Sachs International
Kvika Bank
Landsnet
Crowberry Capital
Haugen Gruppen Nordic AS
Brim hf.
Vordur Insurance
Climeworks AG
Frumtak Ventures ehf.
Verne Global
Computershare
Blackrock Inc
Morgan Stanley
Orkla ASA
Storytel Sweden AB
Siminn hf.
Sling Inc.
Archer Norge AS
Sidekick Health AB
Alfa Framtak ehf.
Hintsa Performance Oy
Vex slhf.
1912 ehf.
Qair Energy
Danol ehf.
Laxar eignarhaldsfelag ehf.
Laxar Fiskeldi ehf.
Islandsbanki hf.
Landsbankinn hf.
Foobar Technologies II ApS
Novator Partners LLP
Hampidjan hf.
Icelandic State Financial Investments
Principaux dossiers
- Advised Kerecis hf. and its shareholders on the sale of all shares in Kerecis hf. to Coloplast A/S (a Danish entity listed on the Danish stock exchange) for up to $1.3bn.
- Advised Siminn hf. on the sale of Mila ehf., Iceland’s largest infrastructure, for an enterprise value of ISK78bn to Ardian.
- Advised Arion Bank hf. on the provision of additional funding to a large hotel operator.
ADVEL Attorneys at Law
ADVEL Attorneys at Law advises numerous listed companies and funds on a broad range of corporate matters both within Iceland and overseas, with notable strength advising on matters involving the UK market. Stefan Þór Ingimarsson, who leads the team, is a highly experienced practitioner with a practice which covers company law, corporate governance work, and M&A, with an emphasis on insurance law. Ragnar Guðmundsson and Bjarni Þór Bjarnason share key strength in tax law, M&A and corporate financings. Andri Fannar Bergþórsson joined the department in 2022 as a counsel, after previously working as a member of the Financial Supervision Committee at the Central Bank of Iceland.
Responsables de la pratique:
Stefan Þor Ingimarsson
Autres avocats clés:
Dora Sif Tynes; Bjarni Þór Bjarnason; Ragnar Guðmundsson; Andri Fannar Bergþórsson
Les références
‘Stefan Þor Ingimarsson is a very talented corporate lawyer and is very sharp in M&A.’
‘They act as one sole person. Excellent distribution of work.’
‘All of them are individually efficient, respond quickly and thoroughly, they seem professional and updated at all times.’
Principaux clients
Arion banki
Hampidjan
Advania Group
VÍS
Klappir Green Solutions
Oryggismidstodin
Brim hf.
Valitor hf.
N1 hf.
Principaux dossiers
- Advising Festi hf. on its forest carbon offset project to reduce the carbon footprint for the entire company group.
- Acted as Arion Bank’s local counsel on arranging the bank’s EMNT programme.
Deloitte Legal ehf.
Deloitte Legal ehf. works within the global network of the firm, and advises clients on a broad range of corporate transactions, including M&A, investments, and IPOs; the group benefits from the firm's expertise in tax issues. Þórdís Bjarnadóttir has experience working across a number of sectors, including the fisheries, real estate, and retail industries, and regularly advises clients on M&A and financing projects. Bjarnadóttir co-leads the department alongside Hallmundur Albertsson, who has a significant background in EEA and competition law.
Responsables de la pratique:
Þórdís Bjarnadóttir; Hallmundur Albertsson
Autres avocats clés:
Þorvarður Arnar Ágústsson
Les références
‘Very broad knowledge of commercial and tax laws and regulations and related government practices. Good “street smart” advice when dealing with complex regulatory issues.’
‘The individuals are knowledgeable, on top of things and always available.’
‘Excellent team.’
Principaux clients
Gleðipinnar
HS Orka hf.
Solid Clouds hf.
Askja hf.
Hopp ehf.
Ísey Export ehf.
Mannvit hf.
IS HAF fjárfestingar slhf.
Landsbréf hf.
Principaux dossiers
- Advising the selling shareholders on the sale of Gleðipinnar hf., a large-scale player in entertainment and restaurant market in Iceland, and acting as legal adviser on the restructuring of the sellers’ co-ownerships with the relevant investors.
- Provided legal and tax due diligence, and various legal advice to IS HAF fjárfestingar, a fund managed by Íslandssjóðir hf., a new $70m investment fund focusing on ocean related opportunities.
- Advising HS Orka hf., one of Iceland’s largest energy companies, on its investment in a hydropower plant entity.
KPMG Law ehf
Mandates regularly covered by KPMG Law ehf include M&A, investments and divestments, and financing rounds. The group has a strong domestic client base, supplemented by notable overseas connections. Jointly leading the team are Jónas Rafn Tómasson, Höskuldur Eiríksson and Ásgeir Skorri Thoroddsen.
Responsables de la pratique:
Jónas Rafn Tómasson; Höskuldur Eiríksson; Ásgeir Skorri Thoroddsen
Autres avocats clés:
Ævar Hrafn Ingólfsson
Principaux clients
Heimstaden ehf.
HS Orka hf.
Controlant hf.
Frumtak Ventures ehf.
Activity Stream
Ardian Infrastructure Fund
Kaupfélag Skagfirðinga
Fiskeldi Austfjarða
Genís hf.
Klettás ehf.
Smitten ehf.
Principaux dossiers
- Advised Kaupfélag Sagfirðinga svf. on an investment deal in the fast-food market, where the client is acquiring a company group with around 8% market share in the Icelandic market.
- Advised Activity Stream AS on all legal aspects concerning the client’s series A financing round. This includes drafting the term sheet and the definitive legal documentation.
Lagahvoll
Boutique firm Lagahvoll's team is highly experienced working within the Icelandic finance industry, with noted expertise in corporate development matters, such as investments and venture agreements. Founding partner and private equity specialist Daði Bjarnason co-leads the department alongside senior partner Jóhann Sigurðsson, whose practice covers joint ventures, disposals, and M&A, among other matters.
Responsables de la pratique:
Daði Bjarnason; Jóhann Sigurðsson
Les références
‘I have had experience with both Jóhann Sigurðsson and Daði Bjarnason. They are both very experienced in their field and good to work with. Being a small boutique firm they both go all in when needed and give their clients personal services they appreciate.’
‘Excellent team.’
‘Daði Bjarnason is our legal partner. He has excellent knowledge of corporate finance and banking and finance.’
Principaux clients
Dohop ehf.
Data Lab Ísland ehf.
Félagsbústaðir hf.
Carbon Iceland ehf.
Traveo ehf.
Vistbyggð ehf
Félag eldri borgara í Reykjavík og nágrenni
Pikkoló ehf.
Ísorka ehf.
Reon ehf.
Fagkaup ehf.
Landslog – Law Offices
Landslog – Law Offices acts for a client base of both public and private groups, and supplements its corporate and commercial offering with coverage of real estate, competition, and IP matters. Team lead Viðar Lúðvíksson, who has over 25 years’ experience in the practice area, is an M&A specialist with a track record in acting for prestige international and domestic clients. Lúðvíksson is supported by Supreme Court Advocate Grímur Sigurðsson, competition law specialist Jóna Björk Helgadóttir, and Jón Gunnar Ásbjörnsson.
Responsables de la pratique:
Viðar Lúðvíksson
Autres avocats clés:
Hlynur Halldorsson; Grímur Sigurðsson; Jóna Björk Helgadóttir; Jón Gunnar Ásbjörnsson.
Les références
‘Good overall competence in the various fields of law with short turn-around time. Good representation in regulatory interactions with the authorities and litigation.’
‘Grímur Sigurðsson is best lawyer in Iceland. He is very fast with response. And quality of his work is the best. Jóna Björk Helgadóttir is foremost lawyer in competition law in Iceland.’
Principaux clients
Hagar hf.
Syn hf./ Vodafone Iceland
Isavia
DeCode Genetics
Icelandic Regional Development
The National University Hospital
Advania
Alvogen pharmaceuticals
Syndis
Curio
Hekla
University of Iceland Lottery
Frumtok
Umbudamidlun
Icelandic Fish Market
Islandsbanki
Icelandic Prime Contractors – IAV
Samkaup
The Icelandic National Opera
The Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration (IRCA)
Principaux dossiers
- Advised Syn hf. (Vodafone Iceland) on all aspects of the first sale and lease-back of passive mobile phone telecom infrastructure in Iceland, a ISK6bn deal.
- Advised Hagar hf. on the acquisition of all shares in Eldum Rett.
- Acted as head legal counsel for the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration in connection with major traffic structures which are planned to be built on the basis of the newly approved law on Public-Private Partnerships.
Réttur – Adalsteinsson & Partners
Réttur – Adalsteinsson & Partners' strength in corporate mandates is supplemented by the firm's dispute resolution expertise, with multiple team members leveraging significant experience in contentious matters. Supreme Court Attorney Sigurður Örn Hilmarsson leads the department, and is noted for his record in commercial litigation and insolvency proceedings. Senior associate Stefán Örn Stefánsson covers M&A, tax issues, and corporate and commercial law.
Responsables de la pratique:
Sigurður Örn Hilmarsson
Autres avocats clés:
Sigrún Ingibjörg Gísladóttir; Stefán Örn Stefánsson
Les références
‘The lawyers at Réttur seems to have a strong practice of responding quickly to any client when an issue or question arises.’
‘Réttur has provided close, personal attention to three areas which are essential for us: immigration and citizenship, European intellectual property law, and business negotiations. The personal contact across those three areas, with different lawyers in some cases, makes them unique to us.’
‘They give you all their attention and make you feel like being taken care of. Sigurður Örn Hilmarsson and Stefán Örn Stefánsson have helped our company with different projects and they have really done a great job for us so far.’
Principaux clients
Flux ehf.
Monerium ehf.
Icelandic Water Holdings ehf.
Bitfury Iceland ehf.
SÍBS, Reykjalundur endurhæfing ehf.
North Ventures ehf.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Kirton McConkie
Httpool AB
Principaux dossiers
- Assisted Icelandic Water Holdings hf. with various corporate law matters, including share capital increases, stock option planning, and selling shares in the company to international investors.
- Represented SÍBS in two court cases before the District Court regarding property rights of SÍBS.
- Acted in proceedings before the District Court for shareholders in Flux ehf. and Vesturgarður ehf., where court-appointed assessors evaluated a long-disputed matter and rendered a report.