Mathias Steinø is a co-founder and partner in Hafnia Law Firm.

Mathias has successfully led a number of claims through the Danish Courts. He has many years’ of experience in complex international high-value disputes both in litigation and arbitration. Cases involve commercial contracts, professional liability, product liability, insurance claims litigation, infrastructure and cases related to international trading. Mathias was admitted to the Supreme Court in 2012 and serves on the board of the Danish Supreme Court Bar Association.

Mathias has an active practice as arbitrator in domestic and international commercial disputes. Experience as arbitrator includes appointments under DIA, SCC, LMAA, and DIAC rules and he has served as arbitrator in ad hoc arbitrations in Denmark, Norway and England. Mathias is a member of the council of the SCC Arbitration Institute and is the Danish member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration (seated in Paris). Mathias is also board member in the Nordic Offshore and Maritime Arbitration Association. Subject matters of arbitration appointments include M&A, construction, infrastructure, offshore and offshore construction, general commercial, shareholding, finance, oil/commodities, shipping, and industrial disputes.

Mathias’ clients are primarily insurance carriers, banks, and trading houses. Mathias also acts for a variety of stakeholders in private equity, oil trading, shipping, construction, and renewables. He is an active advisor on financing and recovery issues to financial institutions and borrowers.

Mathias lectured at Copenhagen University over a period of 8 years in international commercial arbitration and was elected ‘lecturer of the year’ in 2009. Moreover, he has been a lecturer at Copenhagen Business School. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences.

• Domestic and international litigation and arbitration

• Post M&A disputes

• Shipping, commodities, energy

• Insurance and reinsurance

• Professional liability

• Product liability

• Since 2025: Member of the Board of Directors of Navigate A/S

• Since 2024: Member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration

• Since 2023: Member of the Board of Directors of Nordic Offshore & Maritime Arbitration Association (NOMA)

• Since 2023: Board member of the Danish Supreme Court Bar Association (Højesteretsskranken)

• Since 2022: Member of the SCC Arbitration Institute council

• Since 2016: Krisale Shipbrokers A/S (chairman of the board)

• Since 2013: The Danish Branch of Comité Maritime International (member of the board)

• Since 2013: KHKK Invest A/S (member of the board)

• The Danish Bar and Law Society

• The Danish Supreme Court Bar Association (Højesteretsskranken)

• The Danish Branch of Comité Maritime International (CMI)

• The Danish Arbitration Association

• The International Bar Association (IBA)

• International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA)

• Conflicts over priority of claims in ships, The Danish Maritime and Commercial Court 150 Years, Karnov Group Denmark, 2011 (co-author)

• Uklare Voldgiftsaftaler, Erhvervsjuridisk tidsskrift, ET2019.102, (Danish Journal of Commercial Law, ET2019.102), Pathological arbitration clauses)

• Danish and the other Scandinavian languages

• English

• French

• 2010-: Partner, Hafnia Law Firm

• 2008-2010: Associate, Denlaw

• 2003-2008: Associate, Kromann Reumert

• 2015-2016: External Lecturer, Copenhagen Business School

• 2003-2015: External Lecturer, University of Copenhagen Faculty of Law

• 1999-2009: Advisor, Copenhagen Legal Aid

• 1998-2004: Københavns Universitet – University of Copenhagen

• 2002-2002: New York University School of Law