EXPERTISE
Real estate transactions
Transactions can create significant value, for both buyers and sellers. It is important for sellers to get bids based on correct assumptions and make a solid foundation for negotiations that can result in a completed transaction. For buyers, it is important to reveal specific risks so that costs and disadvantages do not come as a surprise after closing.
The team has extensive experience related to assistance to the parties in real estate transactions, to ensure good transaction processes. Our lawyers have in-depth knowledge of ordinary SPAs for the acquisition of property companies and properties. Some transactions require special adaptation. This applies, for example, to sale-and-leaseback structures, syndications, and the purchase or sale of buildings under construction via forward structures, where our lawyers also have long experience.
Most real estate transactions involve companies both as buyers, sellers and as transaction objects. The transactions normally entail a need for company law changes to the board, articles of association and the like, and sometimes a need for the use of new shelf companies, mergers, or demergers to ensure legal protection. Our lawyers have experience in assisting with structural issues and practical implementation within company law.
Our team assists with all phases of real estate transactions. Feel free to get in touch for a non-binding chat about how we can work together on a specific or potential transaction.
Lease contracts
Good leases create value and predictability. The rent is normally decisive for the value of a property in the short and long term, both in terms of financing and future sales. Individual clauses can be decisive for whether a property is suitable for sale, and unclear clauses can ultimately lead to a dispute with a key tenant for the landlord.
Our team assists in entering into and managing leases in order to reduce the risk of future findings in due diligence in the event of a sale, to reduce the risk of disputes and not least to create clear and predictable framework conditions for the lease.
Property development
A property development project can bring high returns. However, if the project does not go as planned, the developer may ultimately incur large losses. Knowledge and expertise are important to predict which issues that may arise. Coordination of various elements in the property development project is important to avoid contradictions between various agreements of importance to the project.
The counterparty in a property development project often varies over time. As a small law firm with a clear strategy, the probability that we can assist in all phases is high. For example, we primarily take assignments for landlords, not tenants, for builders, not contractors, and for companies, not for private individuals. Therefore, the probability that Apex Advokatfirma can be a collaborative partner through all the phases that a property development project goes through increases.
Our team assists with all phases of property development projects, from entering into option agreements, acquisition of property, via regulation and planning, property organization (such as division into several land and title numbers, sectioning), entering into leases and finally realisation of values/sale.
General commercial real estate law
Apex Advokatfirma has defined three main areas for core knowledge within commercial real estate law- transactions, leases, and property development. These three areas cover most of the questions that regularly arise in connection with commercial real estate projects.
However, as owner of commercial properties, various issues related to such as property management, property rights, land registration, the property's boundaries, ground lease fees, and insurance may come up. For several years, our lawyers have assisted various real estate players with different issues related to general commercial real estate law. If a problem has arisen where you need assistance, please feel free to get in touch to find out whether our lawyers have experience from precisely the type of assignment that is relevant and important to you and your company.
Our customers buy, sell, build, and rent hotels, commercial buildings, logistics premises and homes. The most important thing we can build is trust.
We want to help to create value and reduce the risk of disputes
PEOPLE
Andreas Mello-Kildal
Andreas Mello-Kildal is a lawyer, graduated Master of Laws in 2011, and as Business Economist BI in 2006. He has worked as a lawyer since 2013, including as Group Head of Legal in NG Group AS from 2021 to 2023.
Line Ravlo-Losvik
Line Ravlo-Losvik is a lawyer, cand jur from 1996 and has a doctor’s degree from 2000 (PhD). She has worked as a lawyer since 2000. In addition, she has worked at the University of Tromsø and for the Kosovo forces.
Kristin Berglund
Kristin Berglund is a lawyer. She was cand jur in 2005 and has been licensed as a lawyer since 2008. She has worked with land registration in Moss district court, as a lawyer and with the County Governor in Oslo and Viken.
Emil August Fjellvang
Emil August Fjellvang is a Senior Associate and graduated Master of Laws in 2018. He has worked as an associate and lawyer since 2018 and has significant experience in court.
Melissa Ystenes Dahl
Melissa Ystenes Dahl is an Associate and graduated Master of Laws in 2018. Since 2018 she has worked with commercial real estate.
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ABOUT US
We want to help to create value and reduce the risk of disputes
Apex Advokatfirma AS was founded in 2023, but our lawyers represent more than 60 years of experience. We therefore call ourselves an experienced newco. The company name comes from the English word "apex" which means, among other things, "the highest point of achievement". For us, it represents the realization of a dream to work with what we like best - commercial real estate law, and for the quality that we want to provide by giving the right advice at the right time.
Apex Advokatfirma will be a boutique commercial real estate firm that covers all aspects of property transactions, leases, property development and general commercial real estate law. We believe that being a boutique commercial real estate firm with a strong and purposeful strategy and focus is one of our largest competitive advantages. With a clear customer strategy, we want to create predictability for customers that Apex Advokatfirma can assist in the entire process on larger projects that run over time. Who is the counterparty in such projects can be changed, but there will still be low risk of conflict of interest in Apex Advokatfirma ompared with most of the large law firms.
Apex Advokatfirma wants to be a small law firm. As the company is intended to be relatively small, everyone who works in the company will know the customers well. Apex Advokatfirma will then be able to provide quick assistance and follow-up from lawyers who know the client, without the clients having to deal with constantly new lawyers.
Those who started Apex Advokatfirma share the same enthusiasm for commercial real estate and want to build a strong and flexible team for the best interest of our clients. We have a profit-split model and bonus model that are fully linked to the company's results. In this way, we ensure that the entire team always has the same interest in the customer's satisfaction and that the customer receives the right advice at the right time. We believe that in a small company it is easier to manage time and resources for the common good than in a large company. This has value for customers, but it also ensures the work-life balance for those who work in our company.
For us at Apex Advokatfirma, different points of view represent a value, and Apex Advokatfirma therefore wants to build an environment where employees have different ages, genders, backgrounds, and interests. We value views and ideas, as innovation contributes to new solutions and improvements that can benefit both customers and employees.
With us, everyone is offered to be a co-owner, regardless of their position. For us, it provides common incentives to create a good workplace with a reasonable division of labour. With shared incentives, we hope to be able to allocate and distribute resources for the common good and create a workplace with a sensible work-life balance. We believe that a good work-life balance results in well-rested lawyers, who in turn will be able to maintain both commitment and enthusiasm, which in turn enables us to give the best advice. Although Apex is an experienced newco, and a relatively small company, we will do our utmost to run our business in a sustainable manner. We are certified as Miljøfyrtårn. The annual report is available upon request. We set requirements for our suppliers related to sustainability, and we will have a continuous focus on limiting our emissions. Apex will also provide pro bono assistance within certain selected professional areas.