PartnerStavanger
Reidar Smedsvig
Reidar has extensive experience of most aspects of commercial law. In recent years, the bulk of his work has focused on dispute resolution and litigation, and he has represented clients in a number of major dispute before the ordinary courts of law and arbitration tribunals.
Reidar’s dispute resolution practice is concentrated in two main areas. The first is assistance with disputes relating to transactions and company law. Relevant topics here have been settlement of share-based transactions, liability under representations and warranties, and directors’ and management liability in connection with corporate insolvency. The second involves disputes relating to different kinds of delivery, fabrication and construction contracts. Relevant topics here have been rights and obligations relating to variations, final settlement, settlement upon termination, etc.
After many years as an advisor in his key focus areas, Reidar has gained considerable experience, which he applies in his dispute resolution work. He has in-depth knowledge of the entire process, from needs analysis and goal specification, via the design of contract structures, the framing and negotiation of contracts to follow-up during and after performance of the contract. This provides him with an exceptionally strong starting point to quickly understand the salient points and provide good advice in dispute situations.
His clients appreciate Reidar’s practical and candid advice, and his ability to drill down into the details of a case while maintaining the necessary overall perspective.
Reidar has led and/or assisted with a number of large and complex transactions involving the sale of shares or businesses, as well as financing, investment and restructuring projects. He has provided assistance throughout the process, from structuring via due diligence assessments, contract design and negotiation to execution and post-hoc activities. Today, he spends the vast majority of his time resolving disputes where transactions have not gone as the parties had hoped, e.g. where there is disagreement about settlement, liability under representations and warranties, etc.
Reidar is a highly experienced advisor on company law matters and provides day-to-day advice and follow-up to boards and managements alike. He has worked extensively on issues relating to management’s duty to take action and its liability when companies are in financial difficulties. He has litigated several major cases relating to such disputes.
Reidar has considerable experience of framing and negotiating contracts, following up contract-related matters, including handling of variations, and dispute resolution once the contract work is completed. This work has largely related to deliveries to the oil and gas industry, as well as onshore construction projects, etc. He currently devotes a lot of time to dispute cases relating to final settlement and settlement upon termination.
Work on both transactions and major dispute cases often requires a considerable amount of coordination with and leadership of specialists in other legal fields, such as tax law, financing law, employment law, competition law and various compliance issues, as well as specialist expertise concerning finance and accounting questions.