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.
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 |