The ‘outstanding’ team at Arntzen de Besche has notable strength across the banking and finance spectrum, including providing shipping, energy, and real estate finance, banking litigation, and financial regulatory advice. Trond Kildal heads up the team and stands out for his significant experience advising domestic and international lenders on acquisition financings. Karl Rosén is a key contact for complex financial regulatory matters, while the ‘very capable and commercially oriented’ Vidar Løhre takes point on restructuring and debt capital work, and Siril Visnes handles bilateral financing agreements and syndicated financings. Also in the core team is Atle Stensrud, who has particular experience handling financing transactions in the aviation and oil and gas sectors.

Acting for an impressive client roster that includes both lenders and borrowers, BAHR stands out for its large team and strength in large-scale domestic and cross-border transactions. Richard Sjøqvist leads the firm’s overall finance group, while Ida Marie Windrup heads up the banking sub-division. Sjøqvist has a broad practice that covers syndicated lending, acquisition finance. and finance regulatory work, while Windrup, who is dual-qualified in England and Wales and Norway, has particular strength in handling financings in the maritime sector. Markus Nilssen takes point on structured finance work.

With notable strength in shipping finance, the banking and finance team at Advokatfirmaet Schjødt regularly handles a broad range of financial matters for clients in the offshore, oil and gas, real estate, and infrastructure sectors. The team is jointly led by Peter Bugge Hjorth and Kaare P. Sverdrup; Hjorth focuses his practice on restructuring and insolvency work and financing litigation, while Sverdrup, who joined the firm in 2023 from Wiersholm, assists large corporates and borrowers with various forms of financing, including project financings and refinancings. Camilla Skøie Mørkve is a key contact for ship financing and also handles high-yield bond and direct lending mandates, while Erlend Brun Bakken is a key name for clients in the oil and gas sector. Sunniva Kinsella joined the practice in 2024 from Advokatfirmaet Simonsen Vogt Wiig.

Praised by clients for its ‘very strong, commercially minded’ team, Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS‘ banking and finance offering spans the full range of financial matters, with a recent highlight showcasing its advice to Danske Bank regarding the sale of its Norwegian personal banking business to Nordea. Ellen Teresa Heyerdahl heads up the firm’s banking and finance practice, working alongside Tore Mydske, who leads the financial regulatory sub-group, another core area of expertise for the firm. Hans Haugstad has a particular focus on cross-border financings and acquisition finance, while Kristoffer Hegdahl takes point on debt restructuring and corporate insolvency work. At associate level, Hedda Leikvang is also recommended for her acquisition financing expertise.

Fielding a ‘highly competent‘ team of lawyers, Wiersholm has a solid track record in assisting both domestic and international clients across several industries, including the shipping and offshore, energy, seafood, and real estate sectors, on the full range of finance matters. Practice head Atle Gabrielsen is ‘one of the best’ and stands out for his debt financing expertise on both the borrower and lender side. On the shipping finance front, Kristine Hasle is the key contact, with extensive expertise in cross-border financings and sale and leaseback transactions; she is ably assisted by Kristian Wangsfjord. Petter Thomren Moltu, described as a ‘class act,’ assists lenders and borrowers in the renewables and energy sectors on acquisition financings, cross-border restructurings, and debt capital markets transactions. Audun Dahle-Nedrelid joined the team in March 2024 from BAHR, and Kaare P. Sverdrup left the team in 2023 and is now at Advokatfirmaet Schjødt.

Wikborg Rein‘s ‘highly competent and efficient‘ banking and finance offering stands out for its strength in transactional work, particularly in the heavy industry, shipping and energy sectors. A recent area of focus for the firm is ESG financing, with the group seeing an uptick in activity relating to green and sustainability-linked loans. The team is now jointly led by Johan Rasmussen and Andreas Kjensli Lund. Rasmussen has a broad practice with notable expertise in shipping and offshore-related finance; Lars-Erik Østerbø is another key name here. Lund was promoted to partner in 2023 and is recommended for corporate financing and real estate financing work. Also in the core team are debt financing expert Stian Tande Mortensen and Alexander Owesen, who specialises in assisting investment banks, financial institutions, and private equity houses with financing transactions and restructurings.

Acting primarily for clients on the borrower side, Advokatfirmaet Haavind AS‘ full-service banking and finance offering has recently also seen an increase in lender-side mandates, particularly in the acquisition financing and renewables financing spaces. Ellen Schult Ulriksen and Hans-Christian Donjem jointly oversee the team; Donjem has extensive experience advising private equity clients and financial institutions on corporate financings, bonds and restructuring work. Regulatory advice is another core area of strength for the group; Kasper Formo Asplin is the key name here. At associate level, the ‘very talented‘ Christoffer Baisgård and Helen Xu are recommended for their expertise in restructuring and insolvency matters and financial regulatory issues, respectively.

With notable strength in debt financing work, Selmer attracts praise for its ‘always available and proactive’ team. Christopher Jensen heads up the team and takes point on acquisition finance matters, at both a domestic and cross-border level. Per Morten Christiansen has a broad practice that includes advice on syndications and bond issuances, while Tor Herdlevær is the key contact for ship finance work. On the regulatory side, Bernt Olav Steinland acts for investment companies and asset managers, advising on issues relating to proceedings before the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway. Marte Aarøe is also recommended for her bank and bond market financing experience.

With strength in export financing, aviation finance, and ship financing work, Advokatfirmaet Simonsen Vogt Wiig‘s broad banking and finance offering operates out of the firm’s offices across Norway. The ‘pragmatic, knowable, and extremely effective‘ Halvor Klingenberg and Eivind Eliassen jointly lead the team from Oslo and Bergen, respectively. Peter Aall Simonsen takes point on large syndicated debt transactions as well as asset-based financings in the shipping and renewables sectors, working alongside the ‘professionally strong‘ Stig Strand, while Christine Rødsæther is the key contact for cross-border transactions and restructurings in the maritime industry.

Leveraging the firm’s international network, CMS Kluge offers a full-service practice that regularly acts for domestic and international clients on large domestic refinancings and lending work, as well as cross-border financings into Norway. Snorre Haukali and Dag Thomas Hansson lead the team; Haukeli is noted for his work for corporate borrowers, particularly in the telecoms and technology sectors, while Hansson has a broad practice that spans corporate finance, acquisition finance, and shipping finance mandates. Ida Johanne Bohmann has significant experience working on project finance matters, including those relating to wind farm project developments.

DLA Piper handles asset-based lending work, export finance matters, and real estate financings for leading domestic and international banks. Practice head Børge A Grøttjord has particular expertise in public infrastructure and real estate finance work, as well as cross-border debt transactions. Erik Ramm handles loan workouts and restructuring mandates, while Camilla Wollan takes point on financial regulatory work. Vibeke Søvik Lindberg joined from an in-house position in March 2023, strengthening the group’s ship finance offering.

Real estate financings is a core area of strength for Advokatfirmaet Grette AS‘ banking and finance team, and the group has a solid track record advising pubic infrastructure bodies and government entities on project finance work and financial contracts. Andreas O Myrstad leads the team, which also includes Erik Alsvik Skogsbakken and Johan Christian Kongsli. Skogsbakken primarily focuses on debt financings, including the establishment and restructuring of bilateral and syndicated bank loans, while Kongsli takes point on regulatory issues in the financial services industry.

Fielding a ‘continuously available and hands-on’ team, Kvale Advokatfirma DA‘s banking and finance offering acts for large financial services clients on complex refinancing and restructuring transactions. The ‘super attentive‘ Hillevi Torngren Myhre heads up the practice and handles a broad range of financing transactions, including bond loan, derivate, and structured product work, in addition to financial regulatory matters. Stine Snertingdalen is praised for her ‘huge depth of talent and expertise‘ in insolvency-related banking finance matters, as well as her broad experience advising on the full range of refinancing structures. At associate level, Stephanie Brungot is recommended for acquisition financing work.