Nicolay Skarning is one of Norway's leading lawyers within individual and collective employment law. He has extensive experience with matters related to dismissal and whistleblowing, and the interpretation of collective wage agreements.

Nicolay started his career in the legal department of the Ministry of Defence, after serving military service at NATO/Shape (Mons), and has been an associate at the EU department of the Norwegian Export Council, deputy judge in Larvik and Oslo as well as adviser in the legal department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nicolay is an internationally recognised lawyer within employment law, with Band 1 ranking at the leading research company Chambers and Partners. From 2006-2020 he was also the Norwegian representative at Employment Law Alliance, with headquarters in San Fransisco.

Nicolay was a government appointed member of the company democracy committee and is now a government-appointed associate judge in the central Labour Court in Oslo, which pass judgement on collective wage agreement matters. He completed the arbitration education with The Danish Law Association in 2017 and has been an arbitrator in two cases (working hours with the Police and the sale of Leangen trotting track).

In addition, Nicolay has argued several cases in the ordinary courts as well as the Labour Court, Supreme Court and EFTA Court.

CV

Work experience

2023 - (today) Partner, Advokatfirmaet Simonsen Vogt Wiig
2010 - 2023 Partner, Kvale
2006 - 2009 Partner, Bull & Co
2005 Secondee, Confederation of British Industry (CBI), London
1999 - 2006 Lawyer, Næringslivets Hovedorganisasjon, Arbeidsrettsavdelingen
1998 Trainee, Advokatfirmaet Brodies, Edinburgh
1995 - 1999 Deputy judge, Larvik tingrett og Oslo tingrett
1994 - 1995 Associate, Norges Eksportråd, EU-avdelingen
1994 Trainee, European Commission, Brussels
1993 - 1994 Adviser, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legal Department
1991 - 1993 Senior Executive Officer, Ministry of Defence, Legal Department

Education

2019 Harvard Negotiation Project, Workshop Harvard Campus by JUS
2018 Postgraduate Diploma of EU Competition Law, King's College, University of London
2017 Arbitrator Education, The Danish Law Association (Danske Advokater), Copenhagen and at the International Court of Arbitration (ICC), Paris
2005 Postgraduate Diploma of EU law, King's College, University of London
2004 Admitted to the Supreme court
1998 Proficiency in English, Cambridge University
1993 Bachelor of Arts (BA) in political science and criminology, University of Oslo
1990 Cand.jur., University of Oslo
1989 EU Law and French Law, Université d'Aix-Marseille III, Frankrike
1988 American Contract Law, University of North Dakota, USA

Appointments/other

2006 - (today) External Examiner, Faculty of law, Oslo
Associate judge, the Labour Court
Member, the Company democracy committee