History of SIMONSEN Law Firm
The SIMONSEN Law Firm was founded in 1948 by Peter Simonsen (1896-1976) and Lars Musæus (1908-1975). The pair were colleagues in the Nordic Skibsrederforening (Nordic Shipowners' Defence Club) from the start of World War II. Peter Simonsen later joined the Norwegian government in London as head of the legal department in Nortraship, which managed the Norwegian merchant fleet during the war.
After the war Simonsen became Director of the newly created Ministry of Shipping, while Musæus handled the closure of Nortraship in London and New York. In 1948 Musæus started an independent law firm; he was joined by Simonsen in 1949. The founders’ formidable range of international shipping contacts gave impetus to Simonsen’s early growth. The firm expanded steadily with the reconstruction of the Norwegian merchant marine and economy in the post-war years.
In the 1970s ship-owners and shipbuilders entered the Norwegian offshore sector with significant investment in rigs and infrastructure. Peter F. Holst (1922-1981) joined as partner from Sigval Bergesen dy to drive growth during this period and the firm established a wider involvement in the oil sector as foreign companies entered the Norwegian market.
The 1970s and 1980s saw Simonsen and a handful of other law firms establish a dominance of the commercial market. In the 1990s, a rapid expansion of telecoms and IT created a demand for specialists and soon, Simonsen’s TMT lawyers had matched the international reputation of their shipping and oil sector colleagues.
With over 100 lawyers now serving clients, the firm is very different from the early post-war beginnings. However, high quality recruitment, effective training, and a commitment to core values have created a law firm of which our founders would be proud.