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About

### Firm overview CERHA HEMPEL is one of Austria’s leading corporate law firms, with an integrated Central and Eastern European practice. With a team of over 220 lawyers, CERHA HEMPEL offers clients expertise and experience in all areas of corporate and commercial law in Austria and Central and Eastern Europe. The organisational structure links up core teams with specialists, allowing to deliver top-notch advice and first-class service to clients. CERHA HEMPEL can look back on a successful track record. Over the past 25 years CERHA HEMPEL has played a leading role in virtually all significant transactions in Austria. This distinguishes CERHA HEMPEL as one of the leading law firms in the fields of mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, privatisations, financings, real estate, litigation & arbitration. The expertise – combined with years of experience in Central and Eastern Europe and the Lex Mundi network – ensures that clients receive high-quality, intellectually rigorous advice, across disciplines and across borders. CERHA HEMPEL has offices in Bratislava, Budapest, Bucharest, Prague, Sofia, Ljubljana and Vienna. In addition, CERHA HEMPEL has close relations with leading law firms in jurisdictions where they do not have their own offices. The CERHA HEMPEL offices in Central and Eastern Europe primarily specialise in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate and commercial law, banking and finance, and real estate and project development. All of CERHA HEMPEL’s Central and Eastern European offices have continuous access to the resources and skills of the entire CERHA HEMPEL network. CERHA HEMPEL was named "Law Firm of the Year Austria" 2025 by the renowned British specialist publisher "The Lawyer" in recognition of its outstanding and innovative achievements. M&A and Corporate: we focus not only on classic M&A, but also on private equity transactions, and we specialise in resolving complex, often cross-border issues in a practical and commercially-oriented manner. Due to the diversity of our clients, we have developed particular expertise in public M&A, including takeover law and regulatory compliance under financial markets laws. Antitrust & Competition: our clients benefit from our comprehensive experience and pre-eminent track record in many of the highest profile cartel proceedings and most prominent Phase II merger control proceedings in recent years. Our Antitrust & Competition Practice Group advises and represents Austrian and international clients before national and European competition authorities in all areas of national and European competition law. Banking & Finance: CERHA HEMPEL supports its clients in the borrowing and investment decisions they make, such as in the context of financial and liquidity planning and treasury operations. It advises both borrowers and lenders alike. Recognised as a leading corporate law firm in the regulatory sector, CERHA HEMPEL advises international banks on establishing Austrian branches and offices and with respect to selling and trading securities in Austria. As advisor to over 100 managed investment funds which it represents in Austria regarding trading and compliance issues, CERHA HEMPEL has extensive expertise in the banking and finance sector. Capital Markets: CERHA HEMPEL has handled the largest capital markets transactions in Austria over the past 25 years and has set the standards for this area. It handles all aspects of IPOs, capital increases and bond issuances, advising potential issuers and underwriters on due diligence issues, as well as preparing prospectuses in accordance with international standards and drafting documentation for capital increases. Real Estate & Construction: CERHA HEMPEL supports its clients in everything from project development, negotiating and drafting financing agreements, preparing planning and construction agreements, to residential and commercial leases and claims management. Litigation & Arbitration: Whether it be construction disputes, unfair competition, contractual interpretation, insurance law, warranty issues, or damages in contract or tort, our success rate is enviable. We cover the entire spectrum of corporate and commercial law. Right from the start, we focus on giving our clients a clear picture of the opportunities and risks involved. Whether the case involves "standard" court proceedings, applications for injunctive relief, or alternative dispute resolution, we have the experience and expertise to find the right enforcement option for our clients' claims. This also includes arbitration. We know the ins and outs of international arbitration and the advantages and pitfalls of the various institutional rules. We frequently act as arbitrators as well as counsel and we are extremely experienced in complex legal disputes. Employment: our team of employment law specialists provides advice on all aspects of employment law, from individual employment to ­collective bargaining, from contract drafting to specific terms of employ­ment, and options for greater flexibility in employ­ment relationships. Tax Law: CERHA HEMPEL offers clients comprehensive expertise on the tax-optimised structuring of transactions, especially with respect to mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructurings, as well as group taxation, holding structures, inbound and outbound investments, debt and equity financing and the taxation of financial instruments. Public Law & European Law: CERHA HEMPEL advises and represents clients before public administrative authorities and courts, as well as the European Court of Justice regarding questions of aviation law, public procurement law and telecommunications law, all of which the firm has been handling since such sectors were liberalised by the EU. The firm’s lawyers have achieved an above-average rate of success in such cases. CERHA HEMPEL also has many years’ extensive experience in commercial licensing law, healthcare law, university law, construction law, environmental law, and medical and pharmaceutical law. White Collar Crime: for many years, CERHA HEMPEL has been one of the leading law firms providing advice on white collar crime. We regularly advise and represent Austrian and international companies, corporate bodies and private individuals in all areas of white collar crime, including in connection with allegations of financial crime, corruption, property crime and economic sanctions, to name but a few. FinTech & Crypto-Assets Law: we advise a wide range of clients within the fintech and crypto-asset industry, including global crypto-asset service providers, token issuers, mining operators and hosting providers, credit and financial institutions, payment service providers, and decentralized finance participants. In this fast-moving and increasingly regulated field, we help businesses stay ahead by adapting quickly to new legal requirements. We support businesses with market entry in Europe and leverage our extensive network to help our clients comply with local requirements. Our experienced team has the know-how to efficiently navigate regulatory procedures and maintains strong relationships with regulators. Our pragmatic and client-focused approach is centered on helping our clients innovate while mitigating legal risks. International Experience: with offices in Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Prague, Sofia and Ljubljana CERHA HEMPEL possesses an extensive network in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, together with broad-based expertise and many years’ experience. ### Languages - Armenian - Bosnian - Hungarian - Italian - Polish - Romanian - Russian - Serbian - Slovak - Spanish - Tagalog - Slovenian - Bulgarian - Chinese - Croatian - Czech - Dutch - English - French - German ### Memberships - Aktienforum - Alumni association of the University of St. Gallen - Austrian Franchise Federation - Austrian Spanish Lawyers Association - AVCO - Austrian Private Equity and Venture Capital Organisation - BWG Österreichische Bankwissenschaftliche Gesellschaft - CELA - Chinese European Legal Association - Czech Bar Association - Deutsche Handelskammer - EELA (European Employment Lawyer Association) - Employment Law Alliance - European Community Studies Association Austria (ECSA) - American Bar Association - EuroFranchise Lawyers (EFL Group) - FIABCI Austria MB - Founding member of Forum Restructuring and Turnaround Vienna (ReTurn) - German-British Lawyers' Association - German Fiscal Association (DtStJG) - GVÖ - Hungarian Bar Association - IBA (International Bar Association) - ICC Austria - ICDR Young & International - Arbitral Women - International Fiscal Association (IFA) - International Tax Law Alumni Association - Juridisch-Politischer Leseverein - KSV - LCIA (London Court of International Arbitration) - Lex Mundi - The World's Leading Association of Independent Law Firms - Managementclub Vienna - New York Bar Association - ÖGNI - Österr. Amerikanische Gesellschaft (ÖAG) - ASA - Österr.Franchiseverband - Österr. Gesellschaft für Medizinrecht - Österr. Japanische Gesellschaft - Öst.Verein.Schiedsgerichtsarkeit - Österreichische Vereinigung für Gewerblichen Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht (ÖV) - Real Circle - ReTurn (independent authority center for restructuring, reorganizations and turnarounds) - Scottish Arbitration - Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes - Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht - Austrian Bar Association - The Law Society - Turnaround Management Association - UNION Viennese Society of Attorneys at Law - VDRÖ - Vienna Bar Association - Vienna Bar Association (Council) - Verein der Freunde Rechtswissenschaft. - Wiener Advokatengesellschaft UNION - YAAP Young Austrian Arbitration Practitioners - Young Industry (platform within the Federation of the Austrian Industry for young economic operators from industry and related sectors) - Austrian Arbitration Association - Austrian-Brazilian Association of Commerce - Associação de Comércio Austro-Brasileira - Austrian Corporate Law Society - Advisory Board - Austrian Council of Shopping Centers ### Staffing Figures - 300 Number of staff at CERHA HEMPEL - 140 Number of lawyers at the Vienna office

Office locations

Vienna

Vienna

Cerha Hempel Parkring 2 1010 Vienna Vienna Austria

Practice areas

Corporate & CommercialMergers & AcquisitionsPrivate EquityCapital Markets & IPOsBanking & FinanceReal Estate & Project DevelopmentLitigation & ArbitrationAntitrust & CompetitionRegulatory & Financial MarketsPrivatisationsInvestment FundsCross-Border Transactions

Lawyers in this office

Albert Birkner photo

Albert Birkner

Managing Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, Private Clients & Trusts, Private Equity & Venture Capital, Insolvency & Restructuring Albert specializes in mergers and acquisitions, public takeovers, corporate reorganizations, joint ventures and trusts with a special focus on Austria and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE/SEE). He has developed particular expertise in the fields of structuring and implementation of corporate transactions, takeover mechanics and the modelling of co-ownership structures. Albert has expanded his expertise to structuring and maintenance of private trusts and to the implementation of trust structures within M&A transactions. Albert has been and is a lead partner on many prominent matters for several years already and holds an extremely vast track record. Albert is also an author and regular contributor of a number of publications. · Corporate / M&A

Alexander Reich-Rohrwig photo

Alexander Reich-Rohrwig

Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Private Equity & Venture Capital, Commercial. Alexander has been advising national and international clients on highly complex commercial law matters, cross-border transactions and the establishment and structuring of joint ventures for many years. His practice areas include M&A, corporate law, joint ventures, private equity and venture capital but also banking & finance and capital markets. He has been involved in numerous complex cross-border transactions & corporate and financing matters. · Corporate / M&A

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Alexandra Stoffl

Senior Associate, Litigation & Arbitration, Real Estate & Construction Alexandra has been with CERHA HEMPEL for more than a decade. She is a true construction litigation expert and has recently started being elected arbitrator. · Litigation

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Alina Alavi Kia

Senior Associate, IP & Unfair Competition, Food Law, Media Law Alina is an expert in trademark matters, IP and unfair competition related food law matters and she is further specialized in domain and copyright infringements. She further publishes regularly on these areas of law. · Intellectual Property

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Alistair Gillespie

Senior Associate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, Real Estate & Construction, Private Equity & Venture Capital Alistair’s practice encompasses a broad range of sophisticated cross-border corporate and M&A deals, where he consistently demonstrates strategic insight and meticulous attention to detail. Over time, he has also developed a strong specialization in the real estate sector, advising clients on nuanced and multifaceted transactions in this area. · Corporate / M&A

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Andrea Harrich

Senior Associate, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate, Distripution Law, Compliance & Investigations, Private Equity & Venture Capital Andrea advises domestic and internationals banks on all aspects of banking law, in particular on regulatory matters, including compliance, secrecy and liability issues, financing, contract law and corporate housekeeping, outsourcing and on payment services. Her main areas of practice include banking & finance, capital markets, banking supervision law and contract law, derivate financial instruments, investment funds (UCITS), Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs). She also focuses on securitization transactions and factoring, AML-compliance, finance leasing, cash pooling, derivatives, investment funds, banking and insurance supervision law. Andrea is an author of numerous articles on banking and civil law and frequently serves as a lecturer at seminars on these topics, including the University of Liechtenstein as well as the University Krems. · Banking & Finance

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Anna Wolf-Posch

Partner, Foreign direct investment (FDI), Antitrust & Competition, Compliance & Investigations, Mergers & Acquisitions, Supply Chain Compliance Anna regularly advises international clients on high-profile cases. Anna furthermore has a reputation for her handling of complex international merger control cases as lead counsel on an EU and national level. Anna remains at the forefront of major cartel investigations and is widely recognized for her ability to design and roll out corporate compliance structures tailored to complex regulatory environments. Anna is also a prominent academic voice. She contributed the chapters on the data-related obligations of gate-keepers in Rupprecht Podszun’s Nomos commentary on the Digital Markets Act. She also authored the chapters on online sales and on most provisions of the Fair Competition Act (FWBG) in Egger/Harsdorf-Borsch’s commentary on the Austrian Cartel Act. Furthermore, Anna is the editor of a forthcoming handbook on Digital Economic Law. · Foreign Direct Investment

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Armin Schwabl

Partner, Public Law & European Law, IT & Privacy, White Collar Crime, Compliance & Investigations Armin is a regulatory lawyer with a particular focus on product regulation, telecommunications, trade, waste and environmental law. Prior to CERHA HEMPEL, Armin was a research and teaching fellow at the Institute for Austrian and European Public Law at Vienna´s University of Economics and Business and worked furthermore at the U.S.-law firm Covington & Burling LLP in Brussels. Armin is a lecturer for Public Law at the University of Applied Sciences Vienna. · Public Law

Benedikt Spiegelfeld em. photo

Benedikt Spiegelfeld em.

Of Counsel, Litigation & Arbitration, Distribution Law, em. Benedikt Spiegelfeld has 40 years’ experience of advising international clients. He was regularly acting as chairman, sole arbitrator and co-arbitrator in numerous arbitrations throughout Europe. · Litigation

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Benjamin Twardosz

Partner, Tax Law, White Collar Crime, Corporate, Public Law & European Law, Private Clients & Trusts. Benjamin is Partner at CERHA HEMPEL since 2018. He is one of the most renowned experts for tax litigation and stamp duty in Austria and he has worked at the Austrian Supreme Administrative Court (2004-2006). Benjamin specialises in corporate tax law, international tax law, tax litigation, fiscal criminal law, real estate taxation and real estate transfer tax, stamp duty and wage related taxes. He has industry expertise within the real estate sector, the gaming industry, Brazilian clients and private equity funds.​ Benjamin is editor of two commentaries, on the Fiscal Criminal Code and the Stamp Duty Act and co-editor of the "Handbook on Voluntary Self-Disclosure". Benjamin is one of the most well-known tax lawyers in Austria and a member of the Scientific Committee of the Federal Chamber of Public Accountants and Tax Advisors, a public body that renders expert opinions on tax laws. · Tax

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Bernhard Kofler-Senoner

Partner, Antitrust & Competition, Compliance & Investigations, Distribution Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Bernhard leads CERHA HEMPEL’s Competition Practice Group, which he has built from the ground up, shaping it into one of the largest and most respected competition law teams in Austria. He is widely acknowledged by clients and peers for his deep expertise across all areas of competition law. In November 2024, Bernhard was elected by his peers as President of the Austrian branch of the Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht and, in December 2024, Bernhard was elected to the board of the Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht in Germany, reflecting his standing in the market and recognition by his peers. Bernhard regularly advises on high-profile cartel and abuse of dominance cases on both the national and EU level. He is also highly regarded for his work on merger control, handling proceedings both at the Austrian and the EU level. His reputation for navigating complex tech and Phase II merger cases continues to grow and he has also significantly expanded the team’s private enforcement portfolio. · Antitrust & Competition

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Bogdan Illie Capra

Senior Associate, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity & Venture Capital · Corporate / M&A

Bogdan-llie Capra photo

Bogdan-llie Capra

Senior Associate, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity & Venture Capital Bogdan-Ilie has been an attorney in CERHA HEMPEL's Corporate & Commercial Department since October 2025. He spent his entire time as a trainee attorney working at CERHA HEMPEL. His main practice areas include corporate and company law, including M&A with a particular focus on private equity, venture capital transactions, and start-ups. · Corporate / M&A

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Boris Treml

Senior Associate, IT & Privacy Boris practice areas at CERHA HEMPEL include data protection, information security law and legal tech, with a particular focus on areas that are at the interface between technology and law, such as NIS and regulations governing AI. Boris Treml regularly lectures on topics related to data protection, data security and information technology and was named "speaker of the year" 2022 by imh. He also acts as an external data protection officer. · Data Protection

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Bryan Hollmann

Senior Associate, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, FinTech & Crypto Law Bryan is a US-trained attorney and is licensed to practice law in New York. He is co-founder of the Fintech Legal Network, an international network of prominent lawyers and law firms dedicated to the fintech industry. · Banking & Finance

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Christian Aichinger

Senior Counsel, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Insolvency & Restructuring. Christian areas of practice include capital markets, banking & finance, insolvency law, corporate law and mergers & acquisitions. Christian provides our clients with advice on equity transactions, restructuring and insolvency, issuance of corporate bonds and on a variety of acquisition and project financing deals. Christian is a very experienced capital markets and finance attorney with more than 15 years of experience in this field. With his economic and legal background he advises domestic and international clients in connection with any kind of financing and capital market transactions. His transactions primarily include loans and related security instruments, corporate bonds including convertibles as well as equity markets issues of listed companies. · Capital Markets

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Christoph Reiter

Partner, IT & TMT, Insolvency & Restructuring, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions Christoph Reiter is an IT/TMT and Restructuring partner at CERHA HEMPEL. He co-heads the firm’s Tech & Digitalization as well as Restructuring Practice Group, providing legal advice with a special focus on IT & tech contracts, venture and tech transactions, restructurings as well as e-commerce. Another major part of his work relates to cybersecurity related supply chain management from a contractual point of view, in particular based on the requirements of the NIS 2 Directive and the Cyber Resilience Act. Christoph has ample experience with cross-border work and has been advising national and international clients on, in particular, mid- and large-scale IT and M&A projects for many years. He frequently speaks and writes on topics within his areas of expertise. · IT & TMT

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Christopher Peitsch

Partner, Employment Law, Litigation Christopher joined CERHA HEMPEL more than a decade ago as junior associate and became partner in 2023. He specializes in employment law and assists clients in all aspects of employment law. Christopher not only regularly publishes on current developments in employment but is also asked regularly by big Austrian newspapers for input on hot topics. He was teaching employment law at the University for Applied Sciences (FH Vienna of WKW) and is often booked for presentations with a strong focus on working time law. Christopher has established a large international network over the last ten years and is member of the Employment Law Alliance (the largest employment network in the world with just one representing firm per country). In 2024, he has been promoted to the Board and acts as the Global NextGen Chair, shaping the future of the entire organization and all its NextGen members. · Employment Law

Claudia Hanslik-Schneider photo

Claudia Hanslik-Schneider

Senior Associate, Public Law & European Law Claudia joined CERHA HEMPEL in 2019 after having gained substantial experience as an assistant professor at the Institute for Austrian and European Public Law at Vienna University of Economics and Business and by working at the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture as a legal specialist in connection with the Renewable Energy Expansion Act. She advises on a broad range of Public Law, with a particular focus on Constitutional Law and Environmental Law (especially Energy Law and Construction and Zoning law). Additionally, Claudia is author of several legal publications. She published a commentary on provisions of the Limited Profit Housing Act together with Constitutional Judge Univ. - Prof. Dr. Michael Holoubek. She is also author of a commentary on several provisions of the Renewable Energy Expansion Act together with staff members of the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation, and Technology (BMK). · Public Law

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Claus Gutlederer

Senior Associate, White Collar Crime · White Collar Crime

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Clemens Hasenauer

Managing Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate, Compliance & Investigations, Private Equity & Venture Capital Managing Partner Clemens Hasenauer is Head of the Department Corporate Transactions since 2007 focusing on M&A and public takeover transactions. His broad experience includes numerous complex public and private M&A transactions and he is particularly renowned for structuring large international joint ventures and public takeovers. Clemens is also a university lecture (holding M&A classes for post-graduate studies) and is author of a number of publications, in particular in the field of corporate, M&A, takeover and capital markets law. In addition, he is the academic chair of the most renowned annual legal conference in Austria (Business Circle's RuSt) which has a strong focus on legal and tax aspects of mergers, acquisitions and other transactions and he is responsible for the overall program of the Business Circle M&A Summit in Austria, which is an industry meeting for experts in the field of M&A and corporate development. Clemens is regularly named and recommended as expert and leader in his field as well as top ranked within guides, journals and publications. · Mergers & Acquisitions

Cora Cathrin Schäperkötter photo

Cora Cathrin Schäperkötter

Senior Associate, Corporate, M&A Cora is a Senior Associate at CERHA HEMPEL, advising national and international clients on complex Corporate and M&A matters. She brings prior experience from a leading global law firm, where she focused on high-profile transactions in the renewable energy sector. Her strong background in German law, combined with formal training as a business mediator in Germany, enhances her effectiveness in negotiations and cross-border deals. · Corporate / M&A

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Daniel Dibon

Senior Associate, Contentious Business Department, Litigation & Arbitration, Corporate, Private Clients & Trusts Daniel joined the firm in 2022 and has been practising in the field for nearly ten years. His work focuses on corporate and shareholder disputes, as well as contentious matters involving estates and trusts, particularly in high-value cases. He regularly acts as counsel and as tribunal secretary in arbitral proceedings, both domestic and international, most recently under the VIAC, ICC and Swiss Rules. In addition to his practice, he contributes to academic and professional discussions by publishing in the field of corporate law. · Litigation

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Felix Krysa

Senior Associate, Public Law & European Law, IT & Privacy Felix advises on data protection law, legal issues in the context of artificial intelligence and IT security law. Felix joined CERHA HEMPEL in 2024. Before joining CERHA HEMPEL, Felix worked at the University of Vienna in the Department of European, International and Comparative Law. His research focused on conflict of laws, the law of crypto assets and data protection law. · Public Law

Georg Konrad photo

Georg Konrad

Partner, Corporate, Insolvency & Restructuring, M&A, Compliance & Investigations, Public Procurement, IT & Privacy, Private Equity & Venture Capital. Georg is a leading Austrian attorney in the areas of information technology, telecommunications and similar fields. He regularly assists Austrian and global clients with IT contracts, international data transfers and a broad variety of technology projects. Georg is a partner with CERHA HEMPEL since 2008 and has been further active in public procurement matters since 2001. · Corporate / M&A

Hans Kristoferitsch photo

Hans Kristoferitsch

Partner, Public Law & European Law, Antitrust & Competition, Compliance & Investigations, White Collar Crime, IT & Privacy Partner with CERHA HEMPEL since 2013 and Head of the Department Regulatory and White Collar. Hans is leading in areas of data protection, telecommunications, e-commerce and regularly assists Austrian and global clients with international data transfers, outsourcing projects, cloud computing and behavioral advertising. He hes assisted and coordinated GDPR compliance, regulatory projects for numerous large multinational clients. ​Also an expert in white collar crime and took the lead in some of the biggest internal investigations in Austria. Hans frequently represents companies damaged by criminal conduct in trials and asset tracing. Active in all areas of regulatory, public, administrative law and handles various cases under the fundamental freedoms, including infringement proceedings before the European Commission, as well as other areas of EU law He is a university lecturer for EU law and gives lectures on compliance, data protection and criminal law and is an author of several publications (textbook Austrian data protection law).​ · Public Law

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Harald Stingl

Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, Banking & Finance, Insolvency & Restructuring, Private Equity & Venture Capital. Harald is a key corporate / M&A partner and has 25 years of experience in complex cross-border corporate, M&A, restructurings, distressed entities, joint ventures and private equity as well as corporate financing transactions. He joined CERHA HEMPEL in June 2014 and has advised a number of large corporate clients in cross-border acquisitions, investments and divestments and has been lecturing M&A, corporate and partnership law at the University of Vienna for many years and has published on a broad range of corporate and M&A related subjects, amongst others on cross-border mergers, corporate succession and restructurings, due diligence, private equity as well as defence measures in takeover situations. · Corporate / M&A

Heinrich Foglar-Deinhardstein photo

Heinrich Foglar-Deinhardstein

Partner, Corporate, Insolvency & Restructuring, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Clients & Trusts, Private Equity & Venture Capital Heinrich is a key partner in the firm’s Corporate/M&A practice. He is a partner since 2013 and focuses on corporate reorganisations, cross border-transactions and on private clients and Trust Law. He is actively involved in solving various forms of disputes and reorganisations within trusts and private clients and is frequently working for Austrian family businesses, private foundations and family trusts in particular with view to their matters under Austrian corporate law, takeover law and law of succession. · Corporate / M&A

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Holger Bielesz

Partner, Litigation & Arbitration, White Collar Crime, Compliance & Investigations, Insolvency & Restructuring With more than 20 years of courtroom practice under his belt, Holger has extensive experience in all manner of proceedings pertaining to the recognition, enforcement and annulment of arbitral awards. His most recent work as counsel in arbitration matters relates to agency law and cross-border matters including obtaining interim relief for parties and ICSID cases. Holger frequently speaks on topics concerning commercial law and its dispute-related aspects. · Litigation

Irene Welser photo

Irene Welser

Senior Partner, Litigation & Arbitration, Corporate, Public Law & European Law, Real Estate & Construction, IP & Unfair Competition, Private Clients & Trusts Irene is a passionate litigator and arbitrator who consistently represents major domestic and international industry leaders in Austrian court proceedings. Her commitment to these clients and record of success is widely recognised and results in clients entrusting her on an ongoing basis with their most difficult and challenging cases. It is in large part due to her remarkable achievements as a commercial lawyer that she has developed a Private Client practice representing high net worth individuals and private estates. In addition to her work as an attorney, Irene regularly publishes and lectures on current developments in litigation and arbitration. She is Global Chair Emeritus of the Litigation Arbitration Dispute Resolution Section of Lex Mundi, regularly speaks at conferences, and – in addition to being an honorary professor - lectures at universities on arbitration and D&O liabilities. · Litigation

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Jakob Hartig

Partner, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Clients & Trusts, Private Equity & Venture Capital. Jakob has more than 10 years of professional experience in particular in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, and foundation law. He has profound experience in advising national and international clients on cross-border and multi-national transactions and on highly complex national and cross-border corporate law matters. He has a strong focus on complex and high end corporate work, including complex joint ventures and other forms of participations, as well as domestic and cross-border corporate reorganizations. In addition, Jakob is also author of numerous publications on his areas of expertise and a lecturer at respective seminars. · Corporate / M&A

Jakob Weber photo

Jakob Weber

Senior Associate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, Private Equity & Venture Capital Jakob is highly experienced in handling large and complex international transactions. He has provided legal advice to many major corporate clients and also possesses in-depth expertise in additional fields, including Private Equity and Venture Capital. · Mergers & Acquisitions

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Johannes Aehrenthal

Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, Private Clients & Trusts, Real Estate & Construction, Distribution Law. Johannes is a partner and head of the Corporate & Commercial Department, with vast experience in M&A transactions, corporate law matters, reorganisations and private client advice, including Trust related matters. He advises large domestic and international clients of the firm, some of them for more than 20 years. · Corporate / M&A

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Johannes Prinz

Partner, Tax Law, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions. Johannes is dual qualified as Austrian attorney and as a tax adviser. He is a tax expert focussing on taxation of corporate groups and corporate restructuring, tax planning, taxation of mergers and acquisitions and private equity investments, value added tax, non-profit organizations, withholding tax and tax treaty issues, domestic and cross-border group internal reorganisations and business restructuring, holding structures, taxation of inbound and outbound investments, as well as structured finance. · Tax

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Julian Feichtinger

Partner, Employment Law Team Julian is partner at CERHA HEMPEL since 1997 and with the firm since 1992. He is the Head of the Employment Law team, and specialises in labour law litigation, restructuring, company pension schemes. Julian advises and reperesents clients on all aspects of collective and individual employment law, predominantly acting for international and national companies but also NGOs and higher education institutions. · Employment

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Katharina Wilding

Counsel, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate, Healthcare Katharina 's main areas of practice include capital markets, banking & finance, corporate law and health care law. Furthermore, she is constantly involved in assisting clients with advice on anti-money-laundering regulations and she advises large corporate clients as well as numerous outpatient clinics and heath care start-ups. · Capital Markets

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Lorenz Pracht

Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions, Capital Markets, Compliance & Investigations, Corporate, Tax Law, Banking & Finance, Insolvency and Restructuring Lorenz is a key member in our firm’s M&A practice. He has profound experience in complex cross-border M&A transactions, joint ventures and capital markets law. He has advised numerous large national and international corporate clients in complex M&A projects, joint ventures and on capital markets law. Moreover, he advises several publicly listed Austrian companies on corporate law. In addition, he frequently lectures on M&A and capital market disclosure requirements. · Mergers & Acquisitions

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Marcus Lusar

Senior Associate, Corporate, M&A, Insolvency & Restructuring, Private Equity & Venture Capital, IT & TMT Marcus is a Senior Associate at CERHA HEMPEL with several years of experience in insolvency, corporate/M&A, and IT law. His practice focuses on the intersection of restructuring and corporate matters, with a particular emphasis on advising clients in the IT and TMT sectors. He has substantial experience representing creditors in complex insolvency proceedings and regularly acts in both court and out-of-court disputes involving insolvency claw-back claims. · Corporate / M&A

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Mark Krenn

Partner, Real Estate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, IP & Unfair Competition. Mark has established CERHA HEMPEL as an undisputed market leader in the strategic segment of residential development and building organizer projects. In addition to his real estate expertise, Mark demonstrates remarkable versatility and strategic foresight across diverse sectors. Further Mark has successfully integrated innovative Legal Tech tools, such as the M&A project management platform "Closd" and "Lexis Create" (formerly Henchman). As an lecturer in the Legal Tech Certificate Program at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, he contributes significantly to shaping the next generation of legal professionals. Mark in addition is widely recognised for his deep expertise in intellectual property law, with a particular focus on transactional IP, licensing structures, and strategic brand management. · Real Estate

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Martin Eichinger

Partner, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions (including trusts and foundations), Finance & Capital Market transactions and Private Clients Martin's expertise extends to overseeing significant complex cross-border transactions. Martin has advised a number of large corporate clients, He also possesses an in-depth understanding of various other legal domains, including Private Foundation Law, Banking & Finance, and Family Law. · Corporate / M&A

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Michael Mayer

Counsel, Antitrust & Competition, Distribution Law, Complinace & Investigations Michael has been a key member of CERHA HEMPEL’s Competition Practice Group for more than 11 years. He has considerable experience in all areas of competition law. His focus lies in merger control and fines proceedings both before the Austrian competition authorities and the EU Commission, as well as in the implementation of compliance systems. Michael has advised national and international clients in a wide range of industries, in particular in the sectors of consumer goods, electronic goods, construction, oil & gas, IT and media. · Antitrust & Competition

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Michael-Felix Schwarz

Senior Associate, Corporate, M&A Michael-Felix main practice areas include corporate law and the law governing foundations, M&A and family businesses. In that role, he advised numerous international clients, primarily in the areas of corporate law and private clients. · Corporate / M&A

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Michaela Siegwart

Partner, Public Procurement, Litigation & Arbitration, IP & Unfair Competition, Insurance Michaela has represented clients in contentious proceedings for 25 years and developed a deep expertise in representing clients in, among other legal areas, insurance and construction litigation. Her diligence and commitment to her clients has allowed her to become preferred counsel for major Austrian companies as well as various public entities and companies. In addition Michaela has extensive expertise in procurement law and is also a speaker at seminars in the field of construction related procurement. · Public Procurement

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Nadine Leitner

Partner, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Clients & Trusts, Private Equity & Venture Capital. Nadine is a M&A, Corporate, VC and PE lawyer and she plays a pivotal role in the firm’s Takeovers and Antitrust team. Nadine’s practice focuses on M&A (public and private), cross-border mergers and demergers, corporate structuring, venture capital and private equity transactions. She is recognised for her expertise in cross-border restructurings. · Corporate / M&A

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Oliver Völkel

Partner, FinTech & Crypto-Assets Law, Banking & Finance, Corporate, Capital Markets Oliver is a recognised expert in crypto-assets law and advises in particular on issues related to FinTechs. His clients include numerous well-known domestsic and foreign companies and banks. Oliver is co-publisher and author of the legal handbook 'Blockchain rules' which was published in second edition in 2024. He is also a co-publisher and author of the go-to commentary on the EU Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation. Since 2018, Oliver is a lecturer on crypto asset law at the University of Vienna. · FinTech & Crypto-Assets

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Peter Knobl

Partner, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Tax Law, Compliance & Investigations Peter’s areas of focus include banking and capital markets, banking regulatory, restructuring of banks, investment funds, payment services, stock exchange services and settlement, investment services, insurance regulatory. Peter further advises Austrian licenced banks (SIs and LSIs), investment firms, insurances, corporate issuers, fund management companies and stock exchange operating companies on compliance and regulatory law queries. · Banking & Finance

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Peter Lewisch

Senior Counsel, White Collar Crime, Public Law & European Law, Antitrust & Competition Peter, a criminal law specialist, leads the white collar crime team. He is also a full professor for criminal law at the University of Vienna and director of the Law School’s Centre for Business and Financial Crime. He is regarded as the leading Austrian lawyer for complex and high profile business crime and white collar cases, in particular for cases with an international background. Peter enjoys wide recognition among the judiciary, the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice. Peter is also known for his profound knowledge of pertinent questions of constitutional law and of the ECHR. · White Collar Crime

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Peter Vcelouch

Partner, Real Estate & Construction, Litigation & Arbitration, Public Law & European Law, Insolvency & Restructuring. The Head of our Real Estate & Construction Practice Group, Peter Vcelouch, is well-respected for his expertise in national and international construction-related matters. He regularly advises on planning and construction contracts and represents clients in claim management matters, in construction-related litigation and arbitration proceedings as well as in general dispute resolution matters. In Addition Peter is active as a frequent lecturer and is author of numerous publications in his area of specialization. · Real Estate

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Petra Darilion

Senior Associate, Real Estate & Construction, Corporate Petra advises both national and international clients, with a focus on real estate and tenancy law, corporate law, general civil law and litigation. In addition to her legal practice, she brings valuable experience from several years in the private sector with a medium-sized enterprise and from academic work at the Department of Roman Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Vienna. · Real Estate

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Philipp Ley

Senior Associate, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, FinTech & Crypto-Assets Law Philipp's areas of expertise include banking and capital market law, financing, and legal advice in all areas of application of blockchain technology. · Banking & Finance

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Philipp Schaubach

Senior Associate, Antitrust & Competition, Foreign direct investment (FDI), Supply chain compliance, Compliance & Investigations, Mergers & Acquisitions, Distribution Law From cartel investigations to complex, multi-jurisdictional mergers, Philipp operates at the forefront of competition law. He has played a leading role in high-profile cases, representing clients in cartel proceedings and advising major market players on high-stakes merger control filings. In addition, Philipp is a member of CERHA HEMPEL’s cartel litigation and private enforcement practice. · Antitrust & Competition

Roman Heidinger photo

Roman Heidinger

Senior Associate, IP & Unfair Competition, IT & Privacy Roman joined CERHA HEMPEL in October 2022 as senior attorney. His focus lays on IP law, unfair competition and IT law. Prior to joining CERHA HEMPEL he was a researcher at the University of Göttingen (Germany), were he still regularly teaches – among others – courses in European Intellectual Property Law at postgraduate level. Roman regularly advises national and international clients in the fields of copyright, trademark, design and patent law. He also has a background in communications engineering, which enables him to advise on IP cases involving complicated technical issues, such as the legal protection of software and patent law. · Intellectual Property

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Samuel Farokhnia-Mimnagh

Senior Associate, Arbitration, Contentious Business Department Samuel is a qualified Irish solicitor with close to a decade of experience in conducting international arbitration. He routinely acts as counsel in commercial arbitrations under a variety of institutional rules (such as the ICC, VIAC and LCIA rules) as well as in investment arbitrations. Sam has specialized in arbitrating large energy, construction and complex manufacturing disputes, as well as those in the pharmaceutical and advertising sectors. As part of CERHA HEMPEL’s arbitration team, Sam frequently works with local counsel in other jurisdictions to coordinate effective arbitration strategies as part of CERHA HEMPEL’s one-stop shop arbitration offering. · International Arbitration

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Sergei Makarchuk

Of counsel, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, IP & Unfair Competition, Private Equity & Venture Capital, Antitrust & Competition, Compliance & Investigations. Sergei has 20 years’ extensive experience in corporate, commercial, competition law, mergers & acquisitions, IT, and intellectual property law. Sergei was admitted to the Bar in Belarus in 2001 and is practicing law since 1998. Sergei held a trainee position at Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman LLP, New York, USA (2005), and a Advocate position at a sole practice at Grodno, Belarus (2001-2007). · Corporate / M&A

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Sonam Schima

Senior Associate, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions · Corporate / M&A

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Stefan Huber

Partner, Public Law & European Law, Compliance & Investigations, White Collar Crime, Public Procurement, Litigation & Arbitration. Stefan is a leading expert in Austrian higher education law, public law, and European law, with extensive experience in compliance, criminal law, and white-collar crime. He is also recognized as one of Austria’s foremost specialists in export control law. His practice further focuses on environmental law, constitutional law, EU law, and public procurement. He teaches at the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland and the Vienna University of Applied Sciences. Further, he regularly speaks at and chairs conferences and continues to publish on public law and state aid law. · Public Law

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Stephanie Maier-Herbeck

Senior Associate, Litigation & Arbitration, Public Law & European Law, IT & Privacy, Private Clients Stephanie has long standing experience in representing clients in proceeding before the Austrian Data Protection Authority. Furthermore, she is particularly experienced with GDPR compliance projects for major national and multinational groups. She also focuses on advising clients with regards to records of processing activities, the use of CCTV, the legal assessment of data applications and defining retention periods. · Litigation

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Susanne Molitoris

Senior Counsel, Employment Law, Litigation & Arbitration. Susanne advices on all aspects of collective and individual employment law. She regularly provides outsourcing and transaction related employment law advice, in particular with regard to cross-border transactions. Moreover, she regularly accompanies international clients at their market entry in Austria. · Employment Law

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Thomas Trettnak

Partner, Corporate, Insolvency & Restructuring, Mergers & Acquistions, Private Equity & Venture Capital, IT & Privacy Thomas is a long-standing and key partner in our firm’s M&A practice. He is concentrating in mergers & acquisitions and corporate reorganizations with a special focus on insolvency & restructuring as well as venture capital and private equity mandates across the CEE region. Thomas is Head of CEE Insolvency & Restructuring Practice, concentrating in mergers and acquisitions and corporate reorganizations with a special focus on insolvency & restructuring, as well as venture capital and private equity mandates. Thomas is particularly renowned for cross-border transactions, often for Anglo-Saxon clients in view of his admission to the New York Bar. · Corporate / M&A

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Thomas Zivny

Partner, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, Healthcare Thomas is primarily active in the field of capital markets, project finance, healthcare and corporate law. His team advises banks in connection with project financing in the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe, focussing in particular on real estate financing. The spectrum ranges from financing and restructuring to disposals and covers the entire lifecycle of the real estate. In the field of debt capital markets, Thomas advises issuers of corporate bonds as well as bank issuance programmes. In addition he serves a wide range of healthcare clients, ranging from private hospitals and various medical imaging centers. The advice often includes the establishment, relocation or restructuring of outpatient clinics and group practices, including commercial, corporate and regulatory aspects. · Banking & Finance