Oil and Gas

Extraction of oil and gas from the Norwegian Continental Shelf has played a key role in Norway's economic growth and in the financing of the Norwegian welfare society. Over the course of a few decades, the petroleum industry has grown to be the country's most important industry in terms of income to the public treasury, investments and share of total value creation.

Since the peak production early in the 2000s, Norwegian oil production has entered a maturation stage during which several new operators have appeared and some foreign companies have left. The level of investment is still high, and new developments, such as Johan Sverdrup, in combination with streamlining and further development of existing fields ensure that the activity on the Norwegian Shelf will remain high also in the future.

In addition, the Norwegian oil adventure has laid the foundation for a supplier industry that also has become one of our most important export industries. Through 50 years of Norwegian petroleum activities, the oil service industry has become an innovative, highly competent and competitive industry, both nationally and internationally. Norwegian companies are world leading in a number of areas related to production of oil and gas, among others seismic services, subsea installations, drilling platforms, accommodation platforms, supply vessels, engineering, supply bases, etc.

Over many years, Wiersholm has developed a leading professional work environment of lawyers with in-depth expertise and experience in oil and gas. Today, we are a full-service provider of legal advisory services to upstream and downstream operators, as well as to other oil services. We offer efficient project management and legal assistance, regardless of the nature and scope of the commercial and legal issues being solved.

We assist both producers and suppliers in all relevant fields of law and in all matters relevant to this type of business. This includes transactions (mergers and acquisitions) and stock exchange listings, conclusions of contract and implementation of projects related to development, modifications and operations, regulatory matters and tax legal issues. Our lawyers also have extensive experience litigating disputes between the industry operators and provide continuous assistance to private undertakings in their contact with public authorities.