The Legal 500

CHSH Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati has ‘an excellent understanding of the CEE markets and culture’ and ‘lawyers who understand the business rationale of their clients’. The firm is a heavyweight presence in the region with offices in numerous jurisdictions. Highlight work for 2010 included acting for construction giant Strabag in merger control proceedings before several competition authorities regarding the establishment of a €1bn joint venture with Lafarge Cement. Peter Hoffmann heads up the group, which also features the ‘outstanding’ Albert Birkner and newly made-up partner Thomas Trettnak, who is a ‘talented dealmaker’. Clients particularly praise Benedikt Spiegelfeld: ‘We admire both his passion for the profession and his integrity. He is the senior partner you wish to have on your side when negotiations reach a critical point,’ according to one.

CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz Rechtsanwälte GmbH has an impressive footprint in the region, and 2010 saw the firm’s restructuring and litigation practices flourish. The firm advised the government of Serbia on a €1.6bn dispute with several construction companies, the largest PPP dispute in the region. New clients wins included Goldman Sachs, Intel and Bombardier. Radivoje Petrikic heads the corporate team, and Gregor Famira leads the real estate practice.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s clout means that it is the ‘go-to firm for highly complex or strategically sensitive work’, and it operates a well-respected ‘best-friends’ network across the region. In 2009/10 the team advised on seven regional IPOs, and notably advised Porsche in relation to its merger with Volkswagen, one of the most complex transactions in the German-speaking region. Willibald Plesser leads the team, and is trusted for his ‘sound judgement’; he ‘knows the Austrian energy market and the CEE region like few others in this country’.

Schoenherr is ‘committed to the region and aggressive in its strategy’, and consistently wins plaudits from peers and clients for its work across CEE. The practice represented GlaxoSmithKline on the €130m acquisition of a stake in Intercell, and continued to advise Volkswagen on the Austrian and CEE law aspects of its merger with Porsche. Christian Herbst and Christoph Lindinger are the names to note.

Austrian giant Wolf Theiss is one of the most prominent names in the region and, according to one client, ‘offers a consistently high level of service regardless of where we are doing business’. Standout mandates included advising Hypo Group in negotiations with the Austrian government during its nationalisation; this included negotiations with the European Commission and the restructuring of large loan and lease portfolios across Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The ‘superb’ Dieter Spranz heads up the practice.

Binder Grösswang Rechtsanwälte’s prominence in CEE has been steadily growing over the past few years. The firm operates a ‘best-friends’ alliance rather than having its own offices, and saw a decrease in pure CEE transactions compared to 2009 but an up-tick in inbound investment from the region into Austria. The team advised Lenzing in its acquisition of a stake in Czech pulp producer Biocel.

Dorda Brugger Jordis is ‘very responsive, proactive, detailed and client oriented’. The firm operates a ‘best-friends’ model in the region, and has recently had a strong focus on distressed properties, litigation and restructuring. The firm represented Austrian electricity company Verbund on its merger control and competition law issues in various projects across CEE and before the European Commission.

A large proportion of the work done at enwc Natlacen Walderdorff Cancola Attorneys at Law is multi-jurisdictional CEE work drawing on the resources of the firm’s six offices in the region. The firm had an active 2010 particularly in Poland and the Slovak Republic, and advised Tele Trader Software on extending its business operations in Poland. The firm is noted as providing ‘value for money’.

Baker & McKenzie Diwok Hermann Petsche Rechtsanwälte GmbH has an extensive network of offices across Europe and receives a large number of referrals from the other parts of the firm. Gerhard Hermann is the name to note.

DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach is ‘client oriented, flexible and experienced’ in CEE matters, with 15 offices across CEE and the CIS. The firm’s activities across the region are now largely coordinated through London, but the Vienna office is still active in a number of transactions. The firm advised ASA in a complex public procurement procedure regarding a public service contract in the city of Liptovsky Mikulas in the Slovak Republic.

At Brauneis Klauser Prändl Rechtsanwälte GmbH, Stefan Geppert, Orlin Radinsky and Felix Prändl are recommended for their work on CEE matters, particularly for companies expanding into the region.

Eckert & Fries Rechtsanwälte GmbH is rated for its international work, particularly for clients from emerging economies. The team is led by Vitus Eckert, and advised Aeroflot in a joint venture with Austria’s Jetalliance.

Fellner Wratzfeld & Partners has built up a solid reputation advising banks on oil and gas deals across CEE. The firm advised oil exploration company RAG on the acquisition of an interest in an oil and gas exploration company in Poland.

Fiebinger Polak Leon Rechtsanwälte’s CEE practice had a stable 2010, and represented the state-owned Slovenian energy company in an arbitration against an Italian energy company. Stefan Korab, Constantin Kletzer and Peter Polak are recommended.

Gassauer-Fleissner Rechtsanwälte GmbH uses its strong pedigree advising on IP and IT matters to serve its clients across the CEE.

Griss & Partner is noted for its ‘first-class level of service’. Gunter Griss leads the team, which had an active 2010 advising a leading bank in relation to its expansion into Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia.

Hasch & Partner Anwaltsgesellschaft mbH has five offices across CEE. Its work in 2010 included advising a German concrete company on its activities in Croatia. Alexander Hasch is the name to note.

Karasek Wietrzyk Rechtsanwälte GmbH has a sturdy reputation for its CEE work, particularly in real estate matters. The firm benefits from an office in Bulgaria, and in 2010 advised on the construction of one of the largest shopping malls in Sofia. Otto Dietrich is highly rated.

Saxinger Chalupsky & Partners Rechtsanwälte GmbH attracts some notable clients in part due its network of six offices across the region.

The team at Siemer-Siegl-Füreder & Partner, Rechtsanwälte ‘has a deep knowledge of the needs of a big business and provides advice that is to the point’. The firm advised a private trust acting as a holding company to a service company with more than 3000 employees across several CEE countries. Hannes Füreder is rated for corporate work, while Markus Fellner is recommended on the disputes side.