• Nordisk Shipsrederforening, Kristinelundveien 22, 0268 Oslo

• 14 of OVRK's most frequent members.

• Sigurd (Wisløff) introduced our host, Michael Brooks, Solicitor at Nordisk Defence Club (Nordisk Shipsrederforening).
• Michael Brooks (born 1956) graduated in law from the University of Bristol in 1978 and qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1981. He was admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong in 1990 and made a partner of Sinclair, Roche & Temperley in 1991. He moved to Norway from Hong Kong to join Nordisk in 1999.
• Mr Brooks is a visiting professor of law at Dalian Maritime University in the People’s Republic of China and has lectured in English contract law at the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law, Oslo. He is an external examiner for the Faculty of Law, University of Oslo.

• Michael Brooks gave us a detailed account of the building's history:
• Designed to look like a ship's superstructure in a Neo-Baroque / Art Nouveau style
• Commissioned in 1916 by Gottfred Mauritz Bryde, shipowner from Sandefjord, after he made his fortune in WW 1. Completed in 1917 and soon got the nickname "Forbrydelsen".
• The lower floor was initially used for storage and servants quarters.
• The domed ceiling in the main entrance hall was painted by Karl Kristiansen.
• The outside of the building is protected, the inside is partially protected.
• Gottfred Bryde only lived in the building a short time because of money problems.
• Shipowner Ludvig G. Braathen bought the building in the late 1930's. Moved in about 1939 – an extraordinary bad timing as the Germans commandeered the building in 1940 as a Gestapo "Club" with occasional court proceedings complete with holding cells in the basement etc.
• Ludvig G. Braathen moved in again after the war.
• Bought by the Nordisk Defence Club in 1974.
• Nordisk Defence Club
• Established in Copenhagen in 1889 and moved to Oslo in 1891 “to work in the interest of shipping”. Nordisk's purpose is to act as a law firm for the clients who have registered ships and oil rigs with the club.
• Now mostly Norwegian members.
• Nordisk currently employs 18 lawyers, of which around half are from the Nordic countries and half English and American. Balanced gender. About 1000 open disputes at a given time.
• Managing Director since 2018 is Steinar Nyrud and Chairman of the board is Hans Peter Jebsen. Its organizational headquarters are at Kristinelundveien 22, and it also has an office in Singapore.
• 80% of worlds goods move at least part of the way by ship. 75% of the fleets are sailing under English Law.
• Most common disputes are over the condition of cargo at the point of delivery. Second most common are over delays.

• Tor Petter (Gulbrandsen) thanked Michael for a very interesting presentation that could have lasted much longer.
• The visit was concluded with a tour of the building.

Publisert av Kristian Kristiansen 18. september 2019