What SANDS Advokatfirma DA does

SANDS Advokatfirma DA is a Norwegian partnership-owned, full-service business law firm founded in 1991 by Morten Steenstrup and headquartered in Oslo. The firm serves large corporations, mid-sized companies, and growth businesses in Norway and internationally, covering more than 30 practice areas including M&A, banking and finance, shipping/offshore/energy, fisheries and aquaculture, technology, real estate, compliance, tax, white-collar crime, environmental law, and dispute resolution. It is organized as a partnership owned by its lawyers and managed day-to-day by Managing Partner Thomas Sando, with the board chaired by Marit E. Kirkhusmo.

The firm operates seven offices: six across Norway (Oslo headquarters, Bergen, Trondheim, Tromsø, Tønsberg, Ålesund) plus a London international office opened in July 2025 within the Royal Exchange. SANDS employs over 220 people, including 140-150 lawyers, of whom 13 hold Norwegian Supreme Court admission; the litigation practice handles more than 200 ongoing court and arbitration matters annually. Revenue is generated through professional services fees, billed on time and complexity with quote-based engagement pricing and multi-year relationships, primarily through direct partner-led enterprise sales supplemented by thought-leadership content, industry blogs (fiskejuss.no, byggejuss.no), seminars, and a podcast. Sub-brands SANDS Blue (maritime/seafood) and SANDS Green (sustainability) formalize vertical focus, and the firm maintains a dedicated German Desk for DACH-region clients.

Underpinning the practice is the mySANDS digital services platform, which includes a secure generative AI assistant connected to internal document management and email (likely the first Nordic law firm deployment in summer 2023), a secure data room, project portals, document automation, and eDiscovery/text analysis tools. Distribution is augmented by membership in the Interlex Group (47 firms, 61 countries, 155 cities, Tier 1 Chambers ranking) for cross-border referrals, and the firm is GDPR-compliant with all personal data processed within the EU/EØS.

Name

SANDS Advokatfirma DA

Legal name

SANDS Advokatfirma AS

Website

https://sands.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SANDS Advokatfirma DA is a Norwegian partnership-owned, full-service business law firm with 220+ employees across seven offices in Norway and London, serving large corporations, mid-market companies, and growth businesses across 30+ practice areas including M&A, fisheries, shipping, and dispute resolution, supported by a secure generative AI-powered digital platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Law Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

eDiscovery, Litigation Support & Legal Hold (BPAEAPAE)

Keywords

• Business law services
• Legal advisory services
• Corporate legal counsel
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Dispute resolution

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Advisory Services: SANDS operates as a full-service business law firm providing comprehensive legal services to corporate clients. Revenue is generated through professional legal fees for services including M&A, banking and finance, litigation, real estate, shipping, offshore, tax, compliance, and other business law areas. Services are billed based on time spent, complexity, and partner involvement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SANDS Advokatfirma DA is a Norwegian full-service business law firm offering comprehensive legal advisory services across 30+ practice areas including M&A, banking and finance, shipping/offshore/energy, corporate law, technology, compliance, environmental law, tax, real estate, and dispute resolution. The firm serves corporate clients through seven offices in Norway plus a London office, supplementing traditional legal services with digital tools accessed via the mySANDS client portal, including a secure generative AI assistant, secure data room, project portal, document automation, and eDiscovery/text analysis tools.

Product overview

SANDS Advokatfirma DA is a Norwegian full-service business law firm offering legal services through a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is comprehensive legal advisory services spanning 30+ practice areas including M&A, Banking & Finance, Shipping, Technology, Corporate Law, Compliance, Environmental Law, and Dispute Resolution. The firm supplements traditional legal services with digital tools accessed through the mySANDS client portal, including AI-powered document analysis (generative AI connected to document management and email), Data Room for secure document sharing, Project Portal for collaboration, Document Automation for template-based agreement generation, and eDiscovery/Text Analysis tools. These digital services enhance the core legal offerings by streamlining workflows, improving information retrieval, and enabling efficient document management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• mySANDS: Client portal for digital services
• SANDS Blue
• SANDS Green

Products and services

• Legal Advisory Services Full-service business law advisory spanning M&A, Banking & Finance, Shipping/Offshore/Energy, Technology, Corporate Law, Compliance, Environmental Law, Tax, Real Estate, Dispute Resolution, Insurance, White-collar crime, and more, delivered to corporate clients through partners and multidisciplinary teams.
• SANDS AI Assistant Secure AI assistant powered by a large language model connected to SANDS' internal document management system and email, used by SANDS lawyers to streamline legal work and enhance quality of legal services.
• Data Room Secure and intuitive data room for storing, structuring, and sharing documents with all relevant parties in transactions and legal matters, with full traceability and transparency, accessible through the mySANDS client portal.
• Project Portal Tailored project portals supporting document sharing, project plans, and tasks for simple, transparent, and efficient project work processes, accessed via mySANDS.
• Document Automation Solution for automatic generation of legal agreements based on SANDS templates, providing a simple, efficient, and quality-assured document workflow with ability to add client-specific templates.
• eDiscovery, Text Analysis and Search Technology for analyzing large volumes of information to identify relevant case data, structuring email dialogue, parties involved, risk elements, and producing case chronology timelines for dispute resolution matters.
• SANDS Document Templates Collection of standardized legal document templates available through the templates.sands.no platform for client use.
• mySANDS Client Portal Digital client portal providing secure access to SANDS' digital services including data room, project portals, and document management capabilities for clients.
• SANDS Blue Dedicated legal service offering for the maritime and seafood industries, providing industry-specific business law advisory across shipping, offshore, fisheries, and aquaculture.
• SANDS Green Dedicated legal service offering related to the green transition and sustainability, supporting clients with environmental law, renewable energy, and ESG compliance matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Handles over 200 cases annually in court system or arbitration
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Interlex Group®coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network of 47 law firms in 61 countries and 155 cities. Ranked in Tier 1 by Chambers & Partners. Enables SANDS to provide international coverage and cross-referrals for clients with cross-border legal matters. SANDS is the Norwegian member of this elite network.
• The Life Science ClusterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry cluster organization supporting life sciences innovation in Norway. Katrine Malmer-Høvik serves as board member, providing SANDS with connections to biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical technology companies requiring IP and regulatory legal services.
• Chicago-Kent College of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerU.S. law school providing Henrik Pettersen with LL.M. degree in U.S., International & Transnational Law with specialization in finance and corporate law. Represents academic partnership for talent development.
• Norwegian Institute of Public AccountantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional accounting body with whom SANDS has co-authored books on insurance and accounting topics. Collaboration supports joint knowledge development in regulatory and compliance areas.
• Norwegian Actuarial AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional actuarial association with whom SANDS has co-authored books on insurance topics. Collaboration supports expertise sharing in insurance regulation and risk assessment.
• Leading Insurance Intermediaries, Actuaries, Pension Advisers, and Loss AdjustersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInformal cooperation agreements with leading professionals in insurance sector for comprehensive client service. Supports SANDS' dedicated insurance group's ability to provide full-service insurance advisory.
• Norwegian Cancer SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSR partnership providing pro bono legal assistance and expertise to support cancer research and patient support. Aligns with SANDS' commitment to social responsibility and UN sustainability goals.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Advokatfirmaet Thommessen: Top-tier Norwegian business law firm with overlapping practice areas (M&A, banking & finance, tax, dispute resolution) and a similar client base of large Norwegian corporates and international investors.
• Advokatfirmaet BAHR: Norwegian full-service law firm with similar practice coverage and target client segments, headquartered in Oslo and competing for large corporate mandates.
• Selmer: Norwegian business law firm with comparable full-service practice and corporate client base, particularly active in M&A, banking, and dispute resolution in the Norwegian market.
• Advokatfirmaet Wiersholm: Norwegian full-service business law firm serving many of the same large corporate clients, with comparable depth in transactions, banking & finance, and dispute resolution.
• Wikborg Rein: Norwegian full-service law firm of similar size with strong international shipping, offshore, and corporate practices, plus offices in London, Singapore, and other hubs. Directly comparable on full-service scope and cross-border ambition.
• Advokatfirmaet Schjødt: One of Norway's leading full-service business law firms with comparable scale, similar practice area coverage (M&A, banking, dispute resolution, IP), and a comparable mix of Norwegian corporate and international clients. The closest direct competitor in the Norwegian full-service market.

Emerging players

• Luminance: AI-native legal tech platform specializing in document review, contract analysis, and eDiscovery — directly addressing the workflows SANDS has built proprietary AI and eDiscovery tools to automate. Represents the technology-enabled competitive threat to traditional law-firm economics.

Broad incumbents

• Slaughter and May: Elite UK-headquartered full-service law firm and a benchmark for the kind of premium full-service model SANDS aspires to via its London office, with a similar partner-led approach serving large corporates.
• Allen & Overy (A&O Shearman): Global law firm with strong banking, finance, and corporate practices that competes for cross-border mandates involving Norwegian clients; a relevant incumbent on international work that SANDS targets.
• Clifford Chance: Global Magic Circle firm competing for cross-border M&A and finance work that involves Norwegian targets; relevant comparator for SANDS' London-facing international practice.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sandsadvokatfirma
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sands-advokatfirma-da
• Instagraminstagram.com/sands_advokatfirma

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SANDS Advokatfirma DA