The Legal 500

Binder Grösswang Rechtsanwälte has an excellent record of advising lenders on complex financing matters and experience advising multinational banks. The practice recently advised private equity firm Berkshire Partners on the Austrian acquisition finance aspects of its purchase of Canadian company Husky International. Other clients include Goldman Sachs, ING Bank and Morgan Stanley. Stefan Tiefenthaler and Michael Binder lead the team.

CHSH Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati’s ‘proactive, absolutely reliable and very professional’ team is ‘certainly good value for money’, and is particularly noted for its expertise in CEE project financing. Edith Hlawati heads the team that recently advised Erste Group on a Polish €70m project finance deal, and OMV Finance regarding a €1.5bn multi-currency financing agreement. Thomas Zivny is ‘strong analytically’.

Dorda Brugger Jordis has a good track record advising international banks and has increasingly attracted work for clients investing in Brazil. The team recently advised a local subsidiary of Brazilian Odebrecht Group on a $900m project finance loan for the construction of two oil drill ships. Tibor Varga focuses on banks, and Andreas Zahradnik is known for his regulatory work in banking and funds.

Wolf Theiss has deep relationships with various banks in Austria. The team advised Erste Bank on its acquisition of a €500m majority stake in Intermarket Bank. Richard Wolf heads the five-partner practice, which recently advised paysafecard.com Wetkarten on a novel payment services licensing process before the Austrian Financial Markets Authority.

Fellner Wratzfeld & Partners has been consistently successful in attracting work arising from restructurturings and bank bailouts. This mid-sized firm has some excellent relationships with major banks. Markus Fellner leads the team, which also features Paul Luiki and Florian Kranebitter.

The ‘excellent’ Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer exhibits ‘standards and commitment at the highest level’, and is praised for its business acumen. It has attracted a steady flow of bank restructuring work and is also particularly strong advising international banks on CEE deals, such as advising Deutsche Bank on a $289m secured financing to a Ukrainian heavy engineering group. Maria Pfluegl and Friedrich Jergitsch lead the practice, which recently advised Sappi Papier on a €350m revolving credit facility using an existing security package.

Schoenherr has ‘excellent know-how’ and recently advised the arranger Raiffeisen Bank International on the debt financing of US-based energy investor Contour Global’s acquisition of the Bulgarian Maritza thermal power plant from an Italian company. On the lender side, it acted for a banking syndicate on the €13.5bn restructuring of Continental Group. Peter Feyl, Martin Ebner and Ursula Rath are recommended.

Banking and capital markets boutique Brandl & Talos Rechtsanwälte GmbH provides an ‘outstanding level of service’, and recently advised several international investment funds on local licensing matters. Practice head Ernst Brandl is ‘always a pleasure to work with; he has profound knowledge’. Banking litigation expert Christian Lenz is ‘young and energetic’. One client says: ‘the firm is more goal-oriented and less theoretical than many other firms. Response times are extremely short and accessibility to the relevant attorneys, even partners, is impressive.’

CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz Rechtsanwälte GmbH’s ‘client-friendly’ group is particularly strong on the lender side, where UniCredit Bank is a major client, and it advised Erste Group Bank as transaction counsel on Casinos Austria’s €100m bond refinancing. The team also acted in several banking disputes recently. The ‘excellent’ Günther Hanslik co-leads the team alongside Armin Dallman.

Doralt Seist & Csoklich is able to handle complex banking and finance matters. Practice head Raimund Bollenberger is the main contact.

Baker & McKenzie Diwok Hermann Petsche Rechtsanwälte GmbH advised ISS Facility Services on establishing a €500m multi-jurisdictional securitisation programme. Dieter Buchberger and practice head Georg Diwok are recommended.

Barnert Egermann Illigasch Rechtsanwälte GmbH provides ‘solutions-oriented thinking that reduces the duration and costs of transactions’. It regularly advises large local banks including on a $85m secured acquisition loan facility for an integrated circuits manufacturer. Team head Alexander Illigasch has ‘extraordinarily wide legal knowledge’.

DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach’s hardworking team has seen an increase in real estate finance work. Wolfgang Lafite leads the team, which recently advised TA Associates on financing its acquisition of Amann Girrbach Group.

enwc Natlacen Walderdorff Cancola Attorneys at Law recently advised paper manufacturer Norske Skogindustrier on its credit facility guarantees. Practice head Claudia Steegmüller is recommended.

Eisenberger & Herzog has good experience advising borrowers and, on the lender side, recently advised Hypo Alpe-Adria Bank AG and two other members of the Hypo Alpe Group as lenders on a €40m loan restructuring. Peter Winkler heads the team, which was bolstered by the addition of Marcus Benes from Wolf Theiss.

Graf Patsch Taucher Rechtsanwälte’s entrepreneurial and dynamic team impresses its clients: ‘the overall level of service is outstanding and offers real value for money; response times are great, which is crucial.’ The team recently advised new client Head USA on a senior secured credit facility. Practice head Bernd Taucher ‘can translate business needs in to agreements and understands the crucial parts of a transaction quickly’.

Hausmaninger Kletter Rechtsanwälte GmbH has ‘very broad industry knowledge, and the ability to balance response times against the detail of their answers’. The firm advised ContourGlobal as a borrower of a €50m multi-jurisdictional acquisition finance facility. Robert Bachner moved to Schoenherr in 2012.

Benn-Ibler Rechtsanwälte GmbH has a good record in acquisition finance, and recently advised Bawag on the planning and refinancing of two Italian photovoltaic power projects. Stefan Eder and Peter Solt are well respected.

Brauneis Klauser Prändl Rechtsanwälte GmbH mainly advises lenders and investment funds on regulatory matters relating to the structuring of new investment products. Stefan Geppert is well regarded for securities exchange advice.

Fiebinger Polak Leon Rechtsanwälte is recommended for advising on refinancings across CEE. The team recently advised Swiss company Montana Tech Components on its €50m refinancing and the shareholder restructuring of its Romanian subsidiary, which involved a new equity agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Practice head Peter Polak is recommended.

Graf & Pitkowitz Rechtsanwälte GmbH has ‘a good understanding of the industries it operates in’, and practice head Otto Wächter is ‘well rounded’. The team mainly acts for lenders, but also recently advised Brazilian energy group Petrobras on various Austrian financing matters.

Griss & Partner has a solid roster of industrial clients and recently advised BioEnergy International and Binder + Co. Gunter Griss leads the team.

Hauser Partners Rechtsanwälte GmbH’s Peter Blaschke has good experience advising on mezzanine financing.

Herbst Vavrovsky Kinsky Rechtsanwälte GmbH advises Austrian banks on financing matters. Christoph Herbst is recommended.

Karasek Wietrzyk Rechtsanwälte GmbH leverages its strong reputation in construction to advise borrowers and developers on project and infrastructure financing. Otto Dietrich heads the team, which recently advised an Austrian construction company on its restructuring in Bulgaria. The team is also developing good experience in energy financing.

Saxinger, Chalupsky & Partners Rechtsanwälte GmbH has a strong track record advising on energy project financings in CEE, and recently advised Erste Group on the €12.6m financing of a Croatian wind farm.

Schwarz Schönherr Rechtsanwälte OEG recently advised a subsidiary of Verbund on a credit facility agreement for the construction of an Austrian power plant. Annika Wolf left the firm in 2011.

Siemer-Siegl-Füreder & Partner, Rechtsanwälte advises banks on regulatory and compliance matters. Hannes Füreder leads the team.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP’s one-partner Vienna office leverages the wider firm’s excellent banking relationships to attract some high-quality mandates. The practice reguarly advises American Express, and represented Citigroup Global Markets as financial adviser to Raiffeisen International Bank regarding its merger with Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich.

Stolitzka & Partner Rechtsanwälte OG regularly advises key client Bawag on leasing matters, and is recommended for advising banks on debt collection.