Larkin Hoffman Attorneys Join Delegation to Oslo

Jake Steen, Craig Lervick, John Kvinge and David McKinley joined Norway House executives, Christina Carleton and Britt Ardakani and board member, Ted Risdall, in Oslo presenting to several groups on bringing Norwegian businesses to Minnesota and the US market. Norway House’s BARN (Business Accelerator Resource Network) program is a trusted resource and springboard for Nordic business leaders as they successfully launch their products and services in the American marketplace.

Larkin Hoffman attorneys were featured speakers at two presentations held at the Amerikalinjen Hotel in Oslo, the site of the original “Norwegian American Lines” that brought many Norwegians to our shores in earlier times. The first presentation was in English while the second was primarily in Norwegian. US ambassador to Norway, Marc Nathanson, was the keynote speaker for the first presentation. He reflected on his family’s long association with Minnesota and the many opportunities available to Norwegian businesses in the US market today.

Our team prepared a legal guide, “Bringing Your Business to the United States,” for the audience. The guide provides a detailed outline of the considerations companies in Norway must give to various areas of US law, including business entity selection, intellectual property protection, litigation, regulation and employment matters. A copy of the guide is available here.

The delegation also traveled to the nearby Oslo Science Park, adjacent to the University of Oslo, to meet with representatives of Norway Health Tech, a 270-member health technology cluster supported by the Norwegian government. Their mission is to improve quality in treatment and care by developing and industrializing world class health solutions.

Ted Risdall, Chairman and CEO of Risdall Marketing Group, is a member of the BARN Leadership Committee. He provided guidance to attendees on the business aspects of bringing a business into the market. “After meeting with the many interested companies at our events,” he said, “one realizes how great the opportunity is for them to enter our market and how much work there is to do to achieve that goal. We are very grateful to have Larkin Hoffman as a partner on this important mission.”

Larkin Hoffman has a long history of working with Norwegian organizations and professionals. In addition to Norway House, the firm has worked with the Vinland National Center for decades. Originally founded in 1976 as a Bicentennial gift to the United States from Norway, Vinland provides drug and alcohol addiction treatment for people with cognitive disabilities. Larkin Hoffman has hosted over 30 Norwegian law student interns and in 2018, shareholder Jerry Seck was honored with the Medal of Saint Olav from King Harald V of Norway. The award is given in recognition of those who act as advocates for Norway and who work to build relationships between Norwegians and expatriate Norwegians.