- Bjørn-Erik Leerberg
- Partner / Attorney at Law
Bjørn-Erik Leerberg has extensive experience from private practice, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, the Ministry of Justice and the courts. He has worked extensively with offshore natural resources regimes and coastal state jurisdiction, oil and gas activities onshore and offshore, LNG, renewable energy, infrastructure and public service functions. He has considerable experience in advising and negotiating on behalf of commercial enterprises, authorities and international organizations.
He regularly assists public and private entities on the Norwegian continental shelf activities and in several foreign jurisdictions. His petroleum experience comprises law and business through all phases of activities – from opening of areas and company prequalification to decommissioning.
With in-depth knowledge of the Law of the Sea regime, maritime boundary- and submarine pipelines’ treaties, he has assisted on several cross-border projects and transactions at home and abroad. Through individual assignments and framework agreements, he has prepared analysis and reports on behalf of private entities and authorities in Norway and internationally. He has also assisted authorities with regulatory development, monitoring and regulatory enforcement, as well as on EU/EEA issues.
He was BG’s principal legal advisor under a full-service framework agreement for the development and operation of its business in Norway. For many years, he has assisted Eni S.p.A. internationally and in in Norway, including with re-structuring the renewable business prior to listing Plenitude S.p.A. Assistance under a full-service framework agreement with KUFPEC was managed until KUFPEC Norway AS was sold in 2024.
Bjørn-Erik advised regulatory authorities for the development and implementation of the first Norwegian downstream natural gas regulations established pursuant to the Natural Gas Act. He also assisted a commercial company in connection with the establishment of an onshore gas pipeline transmission and distribution network onshore Norway. Previous work also included the Norwegian hydro power regime, increasingly replaced by work on offshore wind, CCS and seabed minerals.
Expertise
- Oil & Gas governance, law, contracts HSSE
- Renewables, CCS, seabed minerals
- Multi-jurisdictional projects & transactions
- Law of the Sea, Treaties and jurisdiction
- Public administration and administrative law
- Commercial and corporate
Professional career
| Periode | Stilling |
|---|---|
| 2026 - > | Partner, Advokatfirmaet Energy & Tax AS |
| 2013 - 2025 | Partner, Advokatfirmaet Simonsen Vogt Wiig AS |
| 2003 -2013 | Partner, Simonsen Advokatfirma DA/Advokatfirmaet Simonsen Føyen DA |
| 2002 -2003 | Partner, Advokatfirma PricewaterhouseCoopers DA |
| 1998 - 2001 | Senior Manager, Advokatfirmaet PricewaterhouseCoopers DA |
| 1996 - 1998 | Dep. Dir. Gen, Head of Section, Oil & Gas dep., Ministry of Petroleum and Energy |
| 1991 - 1996 | Ass. Dir Gen, Head of Division Legal, Oil & Gas dep., Ministry of Petroleum and Energy |
| 1998 - 1991 | Dep. District Judge, Nes Sorenskriverembete, Sørumsand |
| 1989 | Kst. Head of Division, Legal Section, Police dep., Ministry of Justice |
| 1988 | Senior Exc. Officer, Polar Department, Ministry of Justice |
| 1986-1987 | Executive Officer, 2. Legal div., Legal Section, Police dep., Ministry of Justice |
| 1983-1985 | Legal clerk/paralegal with Norwegian and foreign lawfirms |
Education
| År | Utdanning |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Oxford Energy Seminar, St. Cathrine College, Oxford, UK |
| 1993 | Shell International Executive Seminar, IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland |
| 1991 | Admitted to the Norwegian Bar |
| 1985 | Admitted to the Norwegian Bar |
| 1982 | Private International Law Seminar, the Academy of International Law, the International Court of Justice, Haag, Nederland on scholarship from the Royal Dutch Ministry of Education |
Languages
Norwegian, Scandinavian languages, English, fair knowledge of German and French, some knowledge of Portuguese and Arabic.
Other activities
| År | Oppdrag |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Guest lecturer at University of Bologna Business School, Bologna, Italy |
| 2022 | Guest lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, CCLS, London, UK |
| 2019 - 2020 | Guest lecturer at University of Montenegro, Faculty of Law, Podgorica |
| 2017 - 2018 | Guest lecturer at Montenegro Polytechnic University, Podgorica |
| 2016 - 2017 | Guest lecturer at University of Oslo, faculty of Law, SIML/NESLP-programs, Oslo |
| 2007 - 2015 | Guest lecturer at the Norwegian Business School (BI) Executive Energy MBA, Oslo |
| 2007 - 2009 | Guest lecturer at Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano, Italy |
| 1994 - 2017 | Lecturer for PETRAD on petroleum governance, int. law, legislation and contracts |
| 1994 - 1996 | Guest lecturer at NTNU petroleum management post graduate program |
Appointments
| År | Verv |
|---|---|
| 2013 - 2015 | Member of Board, Advokatfirmaet Simonsen Vogt Wiig AS |
| 2011 - 2013 | Member of Board, Simonsen Advokatfirma DA |
| 2005 - 2010 | Member of UN Delegation to the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission and advisor to the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for West Africa |
| 1992 - 1998 | Member of the Frigg-, Heimdal-Brae-, Statfjord- and Murchison Commissions for transboundary fields and submarine pipelines |
| 1996 - 1997 | Member of the interim Norfra-pipeline Commission |
| 1993 - 1997 | Member of Norpipe-, (Ekofisk-Emden and Ekofisk-Teesside), Europipe- og Zeepipe Commissions |
| 1993 - 1996 | Member of the Law of the Sea and Maritime Boundary Committee |
| 1991 - 1994 | Ministry of Petroleum and Energy rep. in the Interministerial Polar Committee |
| 1988 - 1989 | Executive Secretary of the Fostervoll Commission |
| 1988 | Secretary for the Interministerial Polar Committee |
Select publications and presentations
| År | Publikasjoner og foredrag |
|---|---|
| 2025 | International Energy - Norwegian Energy in a New Geopolitical World, Speakers Monthly Meeting, UK Parliament All-Party Parliamentary Group for Energy Studies (PGES), London, UK. |
| 2025 | Norway’ energy production, export and energy transition in a new geopolitical world. Presentation to JUC Oil & Gas network. Oslo, Norway |
| 2017 – 2025 | Chambers Global Practice Guides – Energy: Oil & Gas, Norway Q&A Chapter, from 2024 Transition to Renewables & Trends & Developments, (Co-author), Chambers, London, UK |
| 2017 – 2025 | The International Comparative Legal Guide to Oil & Gas Regulation – Norway Chapter, (Co-author), Global Legal Group, London, UK |
| 2019 – 2025 | Legal 500 Country Comparative Guides – Norway Energy – Oil & Gas, (Co-author), Legalese Ltd, London, UK |
| 2024 | The Growing and Evolving Role of African National Oil Companies, Upstream Oil and Gas in Africa, (consulting editors) Dr. Eduardo G. Pereira and Dr. Damilola S. Olawuyi, Globe Law and Business Publishing Ltd, London, UK |
| 2001 | NPSA regulatory competence pursuant to the Offshore Energy Act, (in Norw. Only) Study, Report and Presentation for Regelverksforum, Petroleum Safety Authority, Stavanger |
| 2018 - 2019 | Comparative analysis of the use by various authorities of standards as normative instruments to further safety in offshore petroleum operations in the Arctic, Study and report to the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority, Stavanger, Norway |
| 2018 | AIPN Petroleum Summit 2018. Presenter and panellist on investor - state relationships, London, UK |
| 2018 | Er det noe galt med den norske styringsmodellen, Teknisk Ukeblad, February 2018 https://www.tu.no/artikler/er-det-noe-galt-med-den-norske-styringsmodellen/430034 |
| 2017 | FLNG – "ship" or "offshore installation"? Common pitfalls for investors, operators and regulators", Energy and Natural Resources Newsletter, April www.internationallawoffice.com/newsletters/detail.aspx?r=35214 |
| 2015 | The Growing and Evolving Role of African National Oil Companies, Oil & Gas in Africa, A Legal and Commercial Analysis of the Upstream Industry, (consult. ed.) Marc Hammerson and John C LaMaster, Globe Law and Business Publishing Ltd, London, UK |
| 2010 | The Future of Offshore Exploration and Development after Macondo, 1st International Offshore Oil & Gas Law Conference, Institute for Energy Law of the Centre for American and International Law (IEL), New Orleans, USA |
| 2007 | Governance of submarine pipelines in a cross-border context, Global Pipelines Monthly, March 2007. |
| 2006 | Cross-Border Submarine Pipelines - Controlling your Challenge, OGEL, Vol. 4 Issue 4. |
| 2006 | Becoming a Licensee on the NCS, AIPN seminars in London, UK and Calgary, Canada |
| 2006 | Petroleum Policy and Management, MLR-CGS-ETRAD-CCOP Seminar, I Chengdu og i Guangzhou. China |
| 2004 | Cross Border Unitisation - How it worked in the North Sea, CBI International Border Dispute Resolution Conference, Houston, USA |
| 2003 | Managing transboundary submarine pipelines, IQPC, London, UK/Houston, USA |
| 2002 | Moving the product, transcending border and politics, AIPN Fall Conference, Paris, France |
| 2001 | Unitisation across international boundaries, IBRU/PI Advanced Border Dispute Conference, London, UK |
As a civil servant, he was for a number of years responsible for the legal aspects of organisation, development, administration and enforcement of the upstream petroleum activities regime, including legislation and licensing, permits, approvals and consents, as well as contracts to which the government was a party. Work also comprised intergovernmental agreements, including the offshore annex to double taxation treaties. He followed up the framework for the state’s ownership in what was then Statoil AS (now Equinor ASA), the management of the SDFI and the Norwegian Petroleum Insurance Fund. He headed the secretariat for appeals against Petroleum Price Council “Norm Price” stipulations. He oversaw preparation and drafting of the Bill for the 1996 Petroleum Act and the 1997 Petroleum Regulations and assisted in aligning HSE regulations. He worked on implementing EU/EEA energy relevant legislation, including competition law, state aid and public procurement rules.
Bjørn-Erik has for many years contributed to publications such as OGEL, ILO/Lexology, Chambers Global Guides, ICLG and Legal500, and books by Globe Law and Business. He has contributed on industry conferences, given numerous lectures, organized seminars and workshops on governance, resource rent, administrative law and the Law of the Sea, as well as sovereign fund management. He has also lectured extensively on offshore business and contracts, gas offtake, LNG and transport, and negotiations. Bjørn-Erik has overseen a substantial number of programmes training and building capacity in public administrations and private enterprises. He has regularly been a guest lecturer at Norwegian and foreign institutions and universities, as recently as November 2025 at the University of Bologna Business School. As a result of his extensive work, he has for many years been ranked by Chambers Europe/Chambers Global, Legal500 and IFLR1000.
