Harald Søndergaard joined Hafnia Law Firm in 2012 as an assistant attorney and became an attorney-at-law in 2015. In 2020, Harald obtained right of appearance before the Supreme Court of Denmark. The following year, Harald was made partner in the firm.

Harald obtained his Master of Laws degree from the Aarhus University in 2012, while also having studied at University of Zurich from 2011 until 2012.

The main area of Harald’s expertise is shipping, transport, and logistics with particular emphasis on sale and purchase of ships, drafting and negotiating international contracts, insurance issues and services to the oil industry. He has significant experience in dealing with companies in financial distress, including bankruptcy and court-supervised reorganisation. His clients are primarily shipping companies, logistics providers, banks, insurance companies, and trading houses.

Harald has a considerable client base within the bunker trading industry. He has been involved in the drafting of terms and conditions and tailor-made contracts for numerous bunker traders, and he has acted as counsel in countless disputes arising out of bunker deliveries. His experience in collection strategy and international arrest actions related to bunker supplies is unmatched.

In addition, Harald has extensive experience with dispute resolution, particularly with international commercial disputes and disputes related to cross-border insolvencies. He also acts in disputes regarding regulatory issues, including pollutions and environmental issues. He has experience arguing before all tiers of the Danish court system, as well as with Danish and international arbitration.

• Ship sale and purchase, finance, brokering, management and agency

• Charterparties

• Bunker contracts, bunker disputes and other bunker related matters

• Carriage of goods and passengers by sea, air, road and rail and freight forwarding

• Bankruptcies and insolvency law

• Corporate law

• International contracts

• Marketing practices and unfair business conduct

• Product liability

• Insurance and reinsurance

• Litigation and arbitration

• Arrest of ships and other assets and enforcement proceedings

• Chairman of the Danish Branch of Young CMI 2016-2022

• Deputy chair of the Young CMI standing committee of the CMI 2023 - now

• Member of the Danish Maritime Law Committee, which assists the Danish government on issues related to the Danish Merchant Shipping Act.

• The Danish Bar and Law Society

• The Danish Branch of Comité Maritime International (CMI)

• The Danish Branch of Young CMI

• Danish Association on Insurance Law

• Young Arbitrators Copenhagen

• The International Bar Association (IBA)

• Comparative Advertisements, Retsvidenskabeligt Tidsskrift 2013/6

• Danish and the other Scandinavian languages

• English

• German

• 2021-: Partner, Hafnia Law Firm

• 2015-2020: Attorney-at-Law, Hafnia Law Firm

• 2012-2015: Assistant Attorney, Hafnia Law Firm

• 2011-2012: Law Student, Gorrissen Federspiel

• 2010-2011: Law Student, Kammeradvokaten – Law Firm Poul Schmith

• 2009-2010: Legal Assistant, Codan Forsikring A/S
  

• 2012: Cand.jur. (Master of Laws), University of Aarhus

• 2012: Legal studies, University of Zurich