GRAF ISOLA — Austria

About

- GRAF ISOLA Vienna - GRAF ISOLA Graz The firm: GRAF ISOLA was founded in 1994 and is one of the leading independent Austrian commercial law firms with offices in Vienna and Graz. The full-service firm advises in all fields of Austrian and European business law with a client base from all sectors of industry – both domestic and foreign – as well as public authorities. GRAF ISOLA has 25 qualified lawyers including six partners – most are recognised experts in their field and have years of international experience. The firm is internationally known for its hard work approach and efficient and creative way of handling complex cases in a solution-oriented manner. GRAF ISOLA has an extensive network with international leading law firms across the globe – with whom the firm regularly co-operates based on a best friends philosophy. ### Areas of practice Banking and finance: the firm provides advice on the full range of banking law and on all types of financing, in particular acquisition and project financing. The firm has built a strong banking litigation practice involving banking, regulatory, and capital markets disputes -it has advised and represented in some of the largest cases/litigations in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Competition and antitrust: the firm has extensive expertise in (national and European) merger control, cartels and antitrust proceedings, dawn raids and internal audits, abuse of market dominance proceedings, structuring of distribution systems and co-operation agreements between companies. Compliance and white-collar crime: the firms expertise in corporate criminal law matters is top-notch and the attorneys are especially skilled and qualified when it comes to defending clients in bankruptcy, accounting fraud, financial crimes, breach of trust / embezzlement, corruption and money laundering. Corporate/M&A: the firm’s specialists advise on all matters of corporate law – often on complex corporate transactions such as restructurings, spin-offs, mergers and transformations – both in Austria and cross-border. Recent work highlights include advising a prominent Russian conglomerate on cross-border restructurings and capital measures and advising one of the largest Austrian publicly listed corporations on the spin-off and subsequent merger of subsidiaries. Data protection: the firm advises clients on all matters of data protection law and support them in making necessary modifications to their data protection infrastructure, as well as advice about how to deal with a data breach. Dispute resolution and litigation: GRAF ISOLA is a top-tier firm for all types of complex commercial litigation and arbitration – both domestic and international. The firm has extensive experience in arbitration proceedings under all leading institutional rules and has become increasingly well known for its work in high-profile cases in the areas of restitution of looted art, social media/data protection, telecommunication, white-collar crime and shareholder disputes. Employment law and expats: advice on all areas of individual and collective employment law – both in terms of an ongoing consultation, as well as in the course of restructurings and business acquisitions (M&A-related). Estate planning/trust and estates: leading expertise on counselling individuals, enterprises and family-run businesses on asset structuring and succession planning. Insurance law: the firm specializes in guiding insurance companies and insured entities through complex insurance and damage claims. Services include: handling major claims, coordinating mass litigation, overseeing complex legal proceedings, forensic examinations and risk assessments. Insolvency and restructuring: the firm has for decades long been a leading firm for insolvency and restructuring and has in recent years advised on almost every major insolvency/restructuring case in Austria. Key strength areas include in particular: advice on restructuring and insolvency (in and out of court), insolvency administration, distressed M&A, voidance law, capital replacement law, capital maintenance law, insolvency dispute resolution and international insolvency law. IP and IT: advice on all areas of intellectual property law and information technology spanning from the registration of trade marks, strategic advice on trade mark creation, and development and the protection of all sorts of intellectual property claims (including patent rights). International trade/foreign trade law and sanctions: the firm advises clients on the regulations of international trade in goods and services and focus on national and multinational export control restrictions and economic sanctions. The group assists with bespoke contractual arrangements, litigate contentious matters before administrative and criminal tribunals and manage exposure to legal risks through trade due diligence advice. Projects/procurement and infrastructure: the firm is renowned for its advisory work on large-scale projects especially in the infrastructure and transport sector (PPP projects and project finance), leading expertise on preparation and structuring of procurements, conduct of procurement proceedings and on advising private bidders in their procurement participation (classic and sectorial area). Real estate and construction: the firm provides comprehensive advice relating to real estate and property spanning real estate transactions in the form of asset and share deals, project development, real estate financing including collateral agreements, developer and condominium agreements, building rights agreements, rent/lease (commercial and housing), leasing, special licence agreements and Austrian property transaction law. Regulatory: the firm provides comprehensive advice in a wide variety of areas of public commercial law. Pertaining to pharmaceuticals and medical devices, the services range from product approval to the choice of a suitable distribution structure and advertising restrictions. Further areas are regulations on hospitals and social insurances regarding fees for panel doctors, national insurance contract partner law (ASVG) and legal problems of pension and health care funds. ### Staffing Figures - 25 Number of lawyers

Office locations

Practice areas

Lawyers in this office

Alexander Isola

Partner. The Insolvency and Restructuring Team, headed by Alexander Isola, specialises in insolvency proceedings, criminal bankruptcy law, restructuring law, D & O liability issues and audits, securing of loans, avoidance, capital preservation and equity replacement. Alexander Isola is known for quick and often unconventional solutions. · Insolvency & Restructuring

Andreas Edlinger

Attorney-at-Law. Andreas Edlinger’s area of expertise is corporate law. He advises international group companies and small and medium-sized enterprises. His expertise covers company set-ups, international restructurings (including cross-border mergers) and the acquisition or sale of shareholdings and assets. In this context, Andreas also assists with the corresponding merger filings under antitrust law. · Corporate / M&A

Armenak Utudjian

Parnter. Armenak Utudjian is recognized as an expert especially in the fields of private foundation law (trusts) and real estate as well as construction; his practice places a special emphasis on public law. In legal circles he is well known as vice president of the Austrian Bar Association and member of the Vienna Bar Association's Board. · Trusts & Estates

Claudia Csáky

Partner. Claudia Csákys practice covers the entire field of intellectual property law with a focus on trademark, copyright and competition law as well as information technology. She also has specific expertise and litigation experience in patent disputes. In the field of trademark law, she advises well-known domestic and foreign clients across all sectors. Her range of services includes advice on trademark prosecutions, development of trademark strategies and licenses, and representation in trademark litigation. She often advises on IP aspects in the course of corporate restructuring and transactions. In IT law she advises clients in relation to social media, e-commerce, the infringement of personal rights and all other aspects relating to internet law. · Intellectual Property

David Seidl

Partner. David Seidl is one of the two heads of the Compliance and White-Collar Crime practice group. He has particular expertise in insolvency law. He is regularly appointed by the court as an insolvency administrator and advises debtors and creditors on issues of impending insolvency. · Insolvency & Restructuring

Ferdinand Graf

Partner. Ferdinand Graf advises domestic and foreign companies on ongoing corporate law issues as well as on cross-border M&A transactions and restructurings, most recently for LUKOIL and the Danish VKR Group. In his areas of expertise, Ferdinand is also active as a litigator. He represented the French/Belgian Dexia Group against the Republic of Austria in the course of the emergency nationalisation of Kommunalkredit and the province of Salzburg in dealing with the financial shenanigans of a civil servant wasting public money on speculative trading activities. · Corporate / M&A

Jakob Widner

Partner. Jakob Widner heads the firm’s Labour and Employment Law Practice and has twenty plus years of experience in advising on the employment aspects of corporate transactions, business and company sales and acquisitions, employee benefit arrangements (including pension and stock option plans) and company law issues relevant to directors and officers of Austrian companies. · Labour & Employment

Marija Križanac

Attorney-at-Law. Marija Križanac has worked for GRAF ISOLA since 2013; as an attorney since 2017. She is a data protection expert and is the co-head of our Data Protection practice group. She advises on all aspects of data protection law and has helped small and medium-sized enterprises as well as large corporations implement the General Data Protection Regulation. · Competition & Antitrust

Sebastian Mahr

Partner. Sebastian Mahr is a partner in the dispute resolution practice group and represents clients from the industrial, financial and insurance sectors in litigation and arbitration proceedings. A further focus of his practice lies in corporate disputes, post-M&A disputes as well as conflicts in the areas of transportation, technology and construction or real estate law. In addition, he also regularly assists with the international enforcement of foreign court decisions and arbitral awards. · Litigation

Stefan Weileder

Partner Stefan Weileder is co-heading the insolvency and restructuring group together with Alexander Isola. He specializes on restructuring and insolvency proceedings (both in and out of court) with a particular focus on avoidance, capital maintenance and equity compensation law. He is regarded as a leading insolvency expert and regularly gets appointed by insolvency courts as an insolvency administrator in proceedings of all sizes. Part of his practice also includes distressed M&A, banking, securities and corporate law. · Insolvency & Restructuring