Morten Kjelland

Background Note | Morten Kjelland

This note elaborates on the more concise CV attached to the application. It is divided into sections, and in some places I have included links for further reading.

Publications

The complete publication list is available on Cristin: https://app.cristin.no/persons/show.jsf?id=14859.

Below are some comments on selected, recent works:

I am the author of the textbook Erstatningsrett – en lærebok (Tort Law – A Textbook), now in its third edition (2023). According to Norli Bookstore, this book is the most widely used among the three alternatives listed as required reading for the compulsory course in Tort Law (JUS1111). The book includes a digital resource with audiobooks, multiple-choice questions, and summaries, freely available here: https://nettressurser.no/erstatningsrett.

Together with Professor Aslak Syse, I have authored Velferdsrett I: Grunnleggende rettigheter, rettssikkerhet og tvang (Welfare Law I: Fundamental Rights, Legal Safeguards and Coercion), 7th edition (2022). This book is the main textbook in the compulsory subject Administrative Law and EEA Law (JUS2211) at the University of Oslo, as well as at other institutions, including USN. I am also co-editor and contributor of two chapters in Velferdsrett II: Barneverns- og sosialrett (Welfare Law II: Child Welfare and Social Law), 6th edition (2022), which covers legal issues concerning the Child Welfare Act, the Social Services Act, and the Health and Care Services Act. The book also includes chapters on refugee law and confidentiality rules in administrative law. Video presentations of these books are available on the publisher’s website: Gyldendal Akademisk.

Among newer research works is the monograph Skader på reiseveien – når er man yrkesskadedekket (Injuries on the Way to Work – When Is One Covered by Occupational Injury Insurance, Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, 2024). Occupational injury rules are often complex, and commuting injuries add further challenges. The book is based on analyses of approximately 80,000 decisions from the National Insurance Court and other adjudicative bodies, as well as preparatory works and legal literature. While the focus is on Norwegian law, it also includes comparative and socio-legal perspectives.

As a popular science work, I would highlight Erstatningsrett i et nøtteskall (Tort Law in a Nutshell), published by Gyldendal Norsk Forlag just before Christmas 2024. This book has an accompanying online resource accessed via QR codes at the end of each chapter. Another digital project is the multimedia book KUNNE Erstatningsrett, under publication at Universitetsforlaget/Juridika. Work on this was intensified over Christmas, with the first part already delivered and the remainder due in January 2025.

Currently, I am working on a comprehensive monograph on Norwegian personal injury law, to be published under the title Personskaderett – ansvarsetablering og utmåling av personskadeerstatning (Personal Injury Law – Liability and Compensation Assessment). The manuscript, started in Easter 2024, now exceeds 1,000 pages. The book will first be released digitally as 30 independent papers on Rettsdata, before being published in print by Gyldendal Norsk Forlag. The first installment has already been delivered.

Upcoming contracted projects include:

• Commentary on the new Compensation for Victims of Crime Act (Universitetsforlaget)

• Commentary on the Natural Disaster Compensation Act (Universitetsforlaget)

• Commentary on the Natural Insurance Act (Universitetsforlaget)

• Commentary on the Housing Support Act (Bustøttelova) (Rettsdata), with jurist and housing manager Jana Kjelland

• Regulatory commentaries for Lovdata/Karnov on the Child Compensation Regulation, the Disability Compensation Regulation, and the EU Passenger Regulation (261/2004), based on an updated version of my book Air Passenger Rights in Case of Delays and Cancellations

• A practical legal handbook on housing and social welfare instruments, co-authored with Jana Kjelland

• Revisions of Welfare Law I and Welfare Law II, together with Professor Aslak Syse

Reflections on earlier work can be found in my application for promotion to full professor, including submitted portfolios and appendices.

Pedagogical Training

I completed basic university pedagogical training in 2008 at the Department of Education, University of Oslo. My elective modules were “Academic Supervision” and “Case-, Project- and Problem-Based Learning.”

In 2013, I supplemented this with UiO’s Educational Leadership Program (ULP), designed to equip participants to act as a bridge between university leadership and faculty staff.

Teaching and Academic Duties at the University of Oslo

I began my career at UiO in 2004 as a doctoral fellow at the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law. My dissertation was completed and approved in 2008, followed by a completion grant in 2009 and a postdoctoral fellowship in 2010–2011. In 2011 I was appointed Associate Professor at the Department of Public and International Law, and promoted to Professor in 2013, where I continue to teach and supervise.

My core subjects are tort law, social security law, welfare law, and health law. I have been responsible course leader in several of these, revising course designs and teaching plans. I have also lectured consistently in tort law under the Department of Private Law, including during research leave.

I have prepared exam questions, served as exam leader, participated in research groups, and sat on hiring committees. I have also been involved in modernizing exam formats, particularly developing the semester paper now central to JUS2211.

In addition, I have taught basic health law to fourth-year medical students, focusing on patient safety and professional responsibility. I also regularly participate in UiO’s “Open Day” for prospective law students.

Professor II at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN)

Since 2017, I have held a part-time professorship (Professor II) at USN, Campus Hønefoss, teaching tort law in the autumn and welfare law in the spring. I also developed a legal method course, Rett på sak – Introduction to Legal Method, building on my experience with UiO’s “Legal Sources on Foot” course.

Guest Lecturer, Supervisor, Examiner

I have taught at Inland Norway University (2014–2017), the University of Agder, the University of Bergen, the University of Tromsø, and Molde University College, among others, including law, welfare law, and legal method courses. I have supervised numerous master’s theses across institutions and participated in academic committees.

I have also contributed to student life through events such as law quizzes, fostering interdisciplinary and social learning environments.

External Lectures

In addition to university duties, I have delivered over 400 hours of lectures and courses in the past three years for lawyers, judges, and case handlers, arranged by bar associations, JUC, Jusutdanning, the Norwegian Patient Compensation Board, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, and others.

An overview of these lectures is available in a searchable database:
https://lexia.knack.com/morten-kjelland#forelesninger/

International Collaboration

Given the similarities between Norwegian and Danish tort law, I frequently integrate Danish theory and practice into my research, including in my dissertation Particular Vulnerability in Personal Injury Law (2008). This has led to collaborations with Danish academic institutions and contributions to PhD dissertations and lectures at the Danish Insurance Academy.

Media Contributions

I have contributed interviews and fact-checks for Norwegian media, particularly in personal injury, healthcare rights, and air passenger law. Highlights include discussing a Supreme Court decision on NRK’s Dagsnytt 18 and appearing on the evening news to explain ethical issues in compensation law.

Editorial Work

Since 2004, I have been a member of the editorial board for Tidsskrift for erstatningsrett, forsikringsrett og trygderett (Journal of Tort, Insurance and Welfare Law). I also perform peer reviews for other journals and publishers. I am co-editor and contributor to several volumes, including Welfare Law I, Welfare Law II, and Pasientskaderett.

In 2018, I founded the Norwegian Forum for Tort Law (NFFE), which now has around 1,500 members. It is today organized under Lexia Education, where I serve as editor-in-chief for e-books and legal tech resources.

Research Ethics Committee – NMBU

Since 2022, I have served as a deputy member of the Research Ethics Committee at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), contributing particularly on legal assessments concerning research misconduct.