Poul Schmith is a full-service law firm and, with a total staff of 700, we are not only the largest law firm in Denmark but also a clear market leader covering practically all legal areas.
We have extensive experience in the corporate and public sectors, and understand the political environment our clients operate in. The firm has been the preferred legal adviser to the Danish government since 1936 and, when instructed by the Danish government, we are entitled to use the title ‘Kammeradvokaten’, a title established in 1684 by His Majesty King Christian V of Denmark with the purpose of having an attorney to maintain oversight of the King’s treasury. We have increased focus on the corporate sector and our clients include banks, pension funds, insurance companies and private equity funds.
Poul Schmith’s insurance team is instructed by key names from the Danish and international insurance industry, and the Danish government on contentious and non-contentious matters. We handle a wide spectrum of insurance disputes across multiple lines of business, including complex, large-scale insurance matters regarding personal liability, property, offshore, energy, construction, engineering and cyber. With strong industry experience, not only through the representation of insurers but also due to attorneys with a background of working in the insurance industry, we bring significant insight, awareness and commercial nous to the matters handled.
Recent highlights include the ‘Siri Appeal’, one of the most significant Danish insurance cases of all time, involving a group of 24 international insurers having insured the Siri platform in the Danish sector of the North Sea. With a value of $383m excluding interest, the dispute involved questions regarding the insurance occurrence principle, Sue and Labour cover, the discharge of burden of proof and the use of foreign law in the interpretation of the insurance policy. The High Court absolved the insurers on all major aspects. An attempt to appeal to the Supreme Court was declined by the Appeals Permission Board.
Our team of specialists:
Henrik Nedergaard Thomsen
Partner and head of insurance team
E: hnt@poulschmith.com
Henrik Nedergaard Thomsen heads Poul Schmith’s insurance team. He is instructed by Danish and international insurers, and the Danish government in contentious and non-contentious matters involving coverage issues and the defence of liabilities. Thomsen’s practice encompasses litigation, national and international arbitration, more than 150 Supreme Court cases and he is a certified arbitrator. He is a board member of the Association for Liability and Insurance Law, a member the Association of Danish Law Firms’ committee for liability and insurance law, and a member of the Danish Supreme Court Bar Association. Thomsen’s clients include Rail Net Denmark, AXA, Gard, Zurich, Allianz, Oney Insurance, AP Pension, Codan Forsikring, the Ministry of Justice, and the Danish Security and Intelligence Service.
Kasper Mortensen
Partner and group co-ordinator of the litigation department
E: kmo@poulschmith.com
Kasper Mortensen has been involved in more than 20 cases before the Supreme Court and numerous arbitrations, both institutional and ad hoc. He provides advice in a wide construction and real estate context, in particular construction law issues in a broad sense and the handling of disputes between the parties to construction projects. He has considerable experience handling court cases and arbitration, primarily regarding construction and real estate, IT systems and other complex procurement. In 2003, Mortensen completed the Danish Bar and Law Society’s mediator training and he has served as court mediator at the Copenhagen City Court for several years. Mortensen is furthermore trained as an arbitrator, and acts in both national and international arbitration cases.
Mortensen represents notable clients in Denmark, including the Danish Building and Property Agency, the Danish Transport, Construction and Housing Authority, the Danish Road Directorate, the Central Denmark Region and the Capital Region of Denmark.
Inge Houe
Partner
E: iho@poulschmith.com
Inge Houe advises on and litigates cases about tort law and insurance law, including the cover provided by insurance schemes, basis of liability and statement of damages. She is the co-organiser of a forum for the insurance industry, which currently has about 160 members, and which focuses on networking and knowledge sharing between members. She is a member of the Danish Association for Tort and Insurance Law and the Danish Association of Litigation Attorneys.
Houe is very experienced in dispute resolution and her practice includes not only numerous cases before the Danish city and high courts, but also cases before the Supreme Court and her clients include insurance and pension companies, the Danish Social Appeals Board, the Danish Agency for Patient Complaints, municipalities and employers.
Sigrid Majlund Kjærulff
Partner
E: smk@poulschmith.com
Sigrid Majlund Kjærulff acts for Danish and international clients in the insurance industry, for the public sector and the Danish government. Having worked in the insurance industry as a claims manager, Kjærulff is focused on matters involving the defence of liability, policy-based disputes and coverage issues, including within the maritime sector. She also has in-depth knowledge of public insurance schemes, particularly workers’ compensation and patients’ insurance. Her dispute resolution practice includes leading cases before the High Courts of Western and Eastern Denmark and numerous cases before the Danish city courts.
Sanne H Christensen
Partner
E: sac@poulschmith.com
Sanne Christensen assists government agencies with litigation on public insurance schemes, including workers’ compensation and patients’ insurance. She also conducts litigation on behalf of public authorities on other matters relating to damages and insurance law, social security law issues as well as on general administrative law issues. She advises public authorities on the same issues.
Christensen also litigates and provides advice on other matters relating to damages and insurance law, social security law and on general administrative law issues. Over the last 15 years Christensen has been involved with a significant number of cases before the Danish city courts, the high courts as well as the Supreme Court.
Klint Klingberg-Jensen
Partner
E: kkli@poulschmith.com
Klint Klingberg-Jensen represents national and international clients before the High Courts of Western and Eastern Denmark, the Danish Building and Construction Arbitration Board, and international arbitration tribunals. Having a background as in-house counsel with DONG Energy (now Ørsted), Klingberg-Jensen has handled some of the largest offshore construction
disputes in the Danish part of the North Sea. He has a strong focus on the client’s perspective throughout the process and has worked professionally with disputes for more than 14 years. He has significant experience with disputes regarding on and offshore infrastructure projects (eg FIDIC-based), professional liability for architects and engineers, insurance and other commercial disputes.
Klingberg-Jensen advises a wide range of clients in the energy industry, including developers, infrastructure owners, licence holders, suppliers and service provides.
Jeanette Løfberg
Partner
E: jlof@poulschmith.com
Jeanette Løfberg assists foreign and Danish clients in matters involving defence of liability claims and insurance law as well as any related legal areas, including contract law, the law of obligations, civil procedure and the conflict of laws.
Løfberg has worked in the insurance industry for nine years and is focused on matters involving the professional liability of advisers, product and industrial liability, recourse cases and the taking of evidence out of court. She has significant experience with dispute resolution, including leading cases before the high courts and the Danish city courts.
Vester Farimagsgade 23
1606 Copenhagen
Denmark
Tel: +45 331 520 10
Fax: +45 331 561 15
Email: mail@poulschmith.com
Web: www.poulschmith.com
