Curriculum Vitae – (Frode Elgesem)

Frode Elgesem

Lawyer, Elgesem advokatfirma AS

M +47 41 69 60 89

E

Profile

Solid legal expertise, including business law, criminal law and anti-corruption, human rights, constitutional- and administrative law, and EU/EEA-law. Extensive procedural skills from both international- and domestic courts at all levels. Good insight into corporations’ compliance work and crisis management, including experiences from assistance in Økokrim-cases.

Particular experience in handling large and complex court cases.

Teaching experience. Experience from investigation work.

Good insight into public administration from employment at the attorney general and later in private practice with the state as the counterpart. Experience from criminal cases.

Work experience

Lawyer and partner, Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS
  • Thommessen is a leading business law firm. Leader of the firm´s practice group on compliance and investigation as well as maintaining a litigation practice. The compliance work included anti-corruption work, as well as counselling to clients on human rights matters.
  • Former litigation department manager and member of the management group.
  • 2011-2012: Counsel to AUF in the 22. July-case and appointed by Oslo district court as one of three coordinating counsels for the large number of aggrieved parties in this case.
/ 2009-2016
Lawyer and partner, Advokatfirmaet Hjort DA
  • Hjort is a medium size law firm known for its expertise in dispute resolution and litigation.
  • Leader for the firm´s practice group on EU-law and competition law. Been both chairman and a member of the firm´s board.
  • Worked i.e. with larger EEA-law cases as well as a case against Russia for the European Court of Human Rights and a case for the UNs Committee on Racial Discrimination (see list of publications below).
/ 2002-2009
  • Hjort er et mellomstort advokatfirma som er særlig anerkjent for kompetanse innen tvisteløsning og prosedyre.
  • Leder for faggruppen for EU-rett og konkurranserett. I noen år styremedlem og styreleder.
Arbeidet bl.a. med større EØS-rettslige saker og dessuten en sak mot Russland for Den europeiske menneskerettsdomstol og en prinsipiell sak for FNs rasediskrimineringskomité (se publikasjonsliste nedenfor)
Lawyer, Attorney General for Civil Affairs
  • The Attorney General for Civil Affairs is the Govenrment’s lawyer in lawsuits against the state before Norwegian and international courts, as well as legal advisor for central administration.
  • At the Attorney General for Civil Affairs I worked from 1992/93 with human rights cases, including cases for the European Commission of Human Rights as well as the Court. After a while, I was assigned responsibility for the state’s international cases and acted as Norway’s agent in a number of cases for the European Court of Human Rights. In addition to this, I litigated numerous human rights cases before Norwegian courts, including the Supreme Court.
  • I sat in the Attorney General for Civil Affairs’ management group.
/ 1990-2002
  • Hjort er et mellomstort advokatfirma som er særlig anerkjent for kompetanse innen tvisteløsning og prosedyre.
  • Leder for faggruppen for EU-rett og konkurranserett. I noen år styremedlem og styreleder.
Arbeidet bl.a. med større EØS-rettslige saker og dessuten en sak mot Russland for Den europeiske menneskerettsdomstol og en prinsipiell sak for FNs rasediskrimineringskomité (se publikasjonsliste nedenfor)
Consultant in the Ministry of Finance
  • I worked mainly as a secretary for the Investigation Committee of the Bank of Norway’s new headquarters (NOU 1990:25)
/ 1988-1990
  • Hjort er et mellomstort advokatfirma som er særlig anerkjent for kompetanse innen tvisteløsning og prosedyre.
  • Leder for faggruppen for EU-rett og konkurranserett. I noen år styremedlem og styreleder.
Arbeidet bl.a. med større EØS-rettslige saker og dessuten en sak mot Russland for Den europeiske menneskerettsdomstol og en prinsipiell sak for FNs rasediskrimineringskomité (se publikasjonsliste nedenfor)
Duty service after the Air Force’s officer candidate school, Stavern
  • Instructor and troop commander at the same officer candidate school
/ 1981-1982
  • Hjort er et mellomstort advokatfirma som er særlig anerkjent for kompetanse innen tvisteløsning og prosedyre.
  • Leder for faggruppen for EU-rett og konkurranserett. I noen år styremedlem og styreleder.
Arbeidet bl.a. med større EØS-rettslige saker og dessuten en sak mot Russland for Den europeiske menneskerettsdomstol og en prinsipiell sak for FNs rasediskrimineringskomité (se publikasjonsliste nedenfor)

Education

Admitted to the Supreme Court´s Bar / 1995
King's College, University of London
  • LL.M (Master of Laws)
  • LL.M with following subjects: The Law of Treaties, International Human Rights and Constitutional and Institutional Law of the EU
  • Dissertation title: ”Domestic application of the European Convention on Human Rights in English and Norwegian Law” (see list of publications below)
/ 1994-1995
Licence to practice law
/ 1991
University of Oslo
  • Cand. Jur
  • Specialisation: Copyright and legal philosophy
/ 1982-1988
Air Force’s officer candidate school, Stavern
  • Luftvernlinjen
/ 1980-1981

Languages

  • English: fluent both written and oral

other relevant work experience

Member of Norway’s OECD contact point for responsible business conduct
  • Appointed from 1. March 2015 following suggestion from ForUM for development and environment
  • The contact point promotes the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Corporations, and assists in handling cases related to the compliance or the guidelines. A large amount of the cases address the business sector’s human rights responsibility and the contact point has a particular emphasis on this..
/ 2015-d.d.
Positions inthe Bar Association
  • Appointed chairperson of the Human Rights Committee
  • Member of the Bar Association’s Human Rights Committee (1.7.2003 – 1.7.2007 and 1.7. 2007 – 31.12.2011).
  • Participation in Norway’s human right dialogue with China from 2003. Yearly roundtable conferences in addition to a joint seminar in Beijing in 2006 between the law associations in Oslo and Beijing (see list of publications below).
  • Special responsibility for following up the work of the Parliament’s human rights committee, as well as the work in the Parliament related to constitutional amendment of human rights, including participation in hearings regarding this in the Control- and Constitution Committee up until the constitutional amend in 2015.
  • Member and leader of the Bar Association’s Legislative Committee for Public International Law and Constitutional Law for three terms (31.7.2003–1.7.2007 (member), 1.7.2007– 31.7.2010 (leader) and 1.8.2010–31.12.2013 (leader)). Mainly development of submissions for the court in cases within this area of expertise.
/ 2003-d.d.
Assignment for Norwegian Institution for Human Rights a.o.
  • I have participated in several human rights projects under the auspices of, a.o. (former) Institute for Human Rights:
  • Court observation in Ethiopia (observing the so-called ‘Red Terror Trials’) (see list of publications below).
  • Cooperation with the Ethiopian justice department about education material on human rights.
  • Participation in a Nordic-Chinese expert group that developed the first human rights course for Chinese students at university level (see list of publications below).
  • Mapping of development assistance needed in Zambia’s court system with suggestions for Norwegian aid.
/ 1998-2002
Utredninger (utvalg)
  • Assessment of pros and cons of potential Norwegian ratification of the optional protocol on individual complaint procedures to the UN Convention on the Rights if the Child. Submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 3. July 2013.
  • Suggestions for amendments to the tenancy law § 11-1 – the link to human rights. Submitted to the Municipal- and Regional department 3. April 2008
  • Amendments in the shipping tax scheme – the link to the Constitution § 97 (together with Frode Innjord and Erik Keiserud). Submitted to the Norwegian Shipping Association 19. October 2007

List of publications

  • Vernet mot selvinkriminering og forklaringsplikter overfor forvaltningen, Tidsskrift for forretningsjuss 2-3/2010, s. 59 flg.
  • Konkurransetilsynets veiledningsplikt, i Konkurranseloven fem år – erfaringer og reformbehov, NHO (2009)
  • The Rights of the Accused, i Tronvold m.fl., The Ethiopian Red Terror Trials, James Curry, African Issues, 2009, s. 33 (sammen med Girmachew Alemu Aneme)
  • Lawyers and Human Rights, i publikasjonen Contributions and Lectures, Conference and Workshop on the Role of Lawyers in States Governed by the Rule of Law, Beijing 4 and 5 November 2006, s. 85
  • FNs rasediskrimineringskomité krever at rasehets tas på alvor, Tidsskrift for strafferett, 2005 s. 389
  • Tolking av EMK – Menneskerettsdomstolens metode, Lov og Rett 2003 s. 203-230 (pensumartikkel)
  • Bidragsyter til det første kinesiske opplæringsprogram på universitetsnivå om internasjonale menneskerettigheter, oversatt til kinesisk og publisert i 2002.
  • The Derg Trials in Context, A Study of some Aspects of the Ethiopian Judiciary, Institutt for menneskerettigheter, Human Rights Report No. 1 1998
  • Det Europeiske menneskerettssystemet – best når det gjelder? Mennesker og Rettigheter, 1997, Nummer 1, s. 34
  • Domestic Application of the European Convention on Human Rights in English and Norwegian Law, Nordic Journal of International Law, 1996 s. 183

Kronikker og debattinnlegg (utvalg):
  • Ubegripelig om Høyesterett. Dagbladet 8. august 2015.
  • Høyesterett og folkestyret. Dagbladet 30. juni 2015.
  • Høyesterett tar grep om de nye rettighetene i Grunnloven. Aftenposten 18. februar 2015
  • Hvordan svarer Norge? Vi bør sørge for at Norge er et foregangsland i kampen mot ekstremisme. Aftenposten 11. januar 2015
  • Grunnlovens garantier. Grunnloven mangler en garanti mot at staten krenker menneskerettskonvensjonene. Aftenposten 29. august 2010

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