The Legal 500

Clients of Binder Grösswang Rechtsanwälte are ‘impressed by the high quality and efficiency of its work’ and ‘hands-on approach’. The team has a strong record in pharma and biotech, and has advised several sovereign wealth funds. The practice represented packaging manufacturer Smurfit Kappa on the sale of several plants across Europe and the €51m acquisition of a new mill from Mondi Group in the UK. Michael Kutschera heads the team, and has ‘good negotiation skills’; Andreas Hable is ‘very sound in company law’; and Thomas Schirmer and Florian Khol are also highly rated.

CHSH Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati delivers advice that is ‘highly practical and useful, and so is value for money. Its lawyers understand the business rationale of their clients’. The team has some enviable clients, including CEE construction company Strabag, Raiffeisen International Bank and OMV. Edith Hlawati is ‘prompt and helpful’, and Benedikt Spiegelfeld and Clemens Hausenauer are also recommended.

Dorda Brugger Jordis’ well-respected corporate team is increasingly focused on strategic M&A and public takeovers. The team advised on the €70m takeover of the Viennese-listed Christ Water Technology by Canadian GLV, while other notable transactions included advising property company conwert Immobilien Invest on a number of takeovers totalling €400m. Andreas Mayr, Martin Brodey, Christian Dorda and Jürgen Kittel are all highly rated.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, led by Stefan Koeck, continues to pick up weighty mandates and work on the highest-profile deals in the market. 2010 saw the team develop its expertise acting for major financial institutions, with highlights including advising BayernLB Kommunalkredit on the sale of its stake in Hypo Group to the Austrian government. Konrad Groller is also recommended.

Schoenherr has an impressive roster of blue-chip clients that includes Volkswagen, ExxonMobil, Immofinanz and Volksbanken. The practice has increasingly been advising on corporate reorganisations for major banking clients. Christian Herbst led a team that advised GlaxoSmithKline in connection with a €105m strategic alliance with Vienna-based Intercell.

Wolf Theiss ‘understands clients’ needs’, and ‘its business-minded approach and regional knowledge are a winning combination.’ Work included advising on aspects of the protracted Porsche and Volkswagen merger and advising shareholders of Futurelab on the company's sale to private equity firm BC Partners. Practice head Dieter Spranz is ‘invaluable’.

bpv Hügel Rechtsanwälte provides ‘solution-orientated and creative’ advice. The ‘outstanding’ Hanns Hügel is a big name in the market and ‘knows corporate and tax very well’. The firm is rated for its advice on select high-profile cross-border deals, such as advising Verbund on the €1bn acquisition of 13 hydropower plants from EON Energy. The firm also advised BP Austria on the formation of BP Europe by way of a cross-border merger. Astrid Ablasser-Neuhuber and Florian Gibitz are recommended.

CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz Rechtsanwälte GmbH had an active 2010 advising on distressed M&A and some impressive private equity transactions, such as continuing to advise on the €350m sale of MCE to Bilfinger Berger by DBAG, one of the largest private equity transactions of the year. Johannes Reich-Rohrwig heads the team, which also features Peter Huber, who has ‘great know-how’ and offers practical advice.

The ‘very high-quality’ team at Fellner Wratzfeld & Partners has had a strong few years and now has an impressive roster of banking and oil and gas clients. The practice advised oil and gas company RAG on acquiring a 26% stake in Poland’s Saponis from BNK Petroleum. Banking clients include Erste Bank, UniCredit and Hypo Group. Markus Fellner, Gregor Schett and Paul Luiki are all highly esteemed practitioners.

Baker & McKenzie Diwok Hermann Petsche Rechtsanwälte GmbH advised Spain’s FCC Construcción in the acquisition of a minority stake in Austrian construction company Alpine. Gerhard Hermann heads the practice, and is ‘diligent’. 2010 saw the arrival of Mario Gall, who has strong competition law experience having previously headed the Office of the Austrian Takeover Commission.

Christoph Mager heads the practice at DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach, which advised biotech company Axon on various financing matters. 2010 was a difficult year for the firm, with the departure of several high-profile partners to new firm Benn-Ibler Rechtsanwälte GmbH.

Clients of enwc Natlacen Walderdorff Cancola Attorneys at Law praise the ‘first-class’ advice and quick response times. The firm has particular strength in cross-border deals with a major CEE element, for example advising cement producer Lafarge on a joint venture with Strabag for activities in Austria and across the CEE region. Raimund Cancola heads the team and is ‘good in negotiations’ and has a ‘clear and structured way of working’. Claudia Steegmüller is ‘reliable and very professional’.

Standout transactions for Fiebinger Polak Leon Rechtsanwälte included advising Constantia Packaging on the sale of a stake in the company to a private equity investor. Peter Polak heads the team, which in 2010 saw the arrival of Robin Lumsden from Schoenherr. Stefan Korab and Bert Ortner are recommended.

At Benn-Ibler Rechtsanwälte GmbH, the well-respected Stefan Eder is building up a credible client base that includes major Austrian banks and several private equity funds.

Brauneis Klauser Prändl Rechtsanwälte GmbH is noted for its international expertise. Arno Brauneis, Felix Prändl and Stefan Geppert are the names to note in this area.

Eckert & Fries Rechtsanwälte GmbH is a niche corporate law boutique and has a solid market reputation. The team is increasingly focused on international M&A and real estate transactions, and in recent years has developed good links with Brazilian, Indian and Russian clients. The four-partner firm is headed up by the experienced Vitus Eckert, and advised Aeroflot on the sale of a stake in the company to JetAlliance Austria and Jurnflot Services.

Eisenberger & Herzog is an up-and-coming Graz-based firm with some talented young partners. Alric Ofenheimer and the ‘extremely dedicated’ Peter Winkler head the team, which advised Blackstone as local counsel on its acquisition of Hilton Group.

Gassauer-Fleissner Rechtsanwälte GmbH has a strong track record on CEE matters. Hanno Schatzmann led a team that advised Raiffeisen Investment AG on a banking joint venture in Russia and Ukraine. Other notable clients of this 60-lawyer firm include Rexel Austria and Österreichische Post.

Graz-based firm Griss & Partner provides ‘pragmatic and common-sense’ advice that is ‘delivered in a timely manner’, and has some solid industrial and manufacturing clients such as Binder + Co, BDI BioEnergy and Swiss Line Fashion. Clients single out Gunter Griss and Christiane Loidl for praise: ‘They are always able to come up with creative solutions and have a good work ethic.’

Hauser Partners Rechtsanwälte GmbH has solid international experience, and in 2010 advised Mondi Group in a complex swap transaction with Smurfit Kappa relating to several corrugated box plants across Europe. Wulf Gordian Hauser is the name to note.

Hausmaninger Kletter Rechtsanwälte GmbH has some impressive clients, and in 2010 advised HSE Holding on the acquisition of Welonda from Procter & Gamble. Lead partner Robert Bachner is ‘a great adviser both legally but also with his business understanding and unparalleled negotiation skills’, and Christian Hausmaninger and Mark Kletter are also highly rated. ‘The partner attention is unparalleled’, according to one client.

Herbst Vavrovsky Kinsky Rechtsanwälte GmbH advised on some chunky mandates in 2010, including representing Constantia Packaging in matters including its proposed public takeover by One Equity Partners. Philipp Kinsky is praised for his expertise in venture capital. Wolfgang Schwackhöfer and Christoph Herbst are also recommended.

Karasek Wietrzyk Rechtsanwälte GmbH has a particular focus on advising Brazilian and CEE clients on corporate and M&A work with an Austrian element. The firm also has good experience advising on the tax implications of M&A transactions. Team head Gerold Wietrzyk comes highly recommended, as do Helen Pelzmann and Otto Dietrich.

Clients ‘totally rely on the advice’ provided by Siemer-Siegl-Füreder & Partner, Rechtsanwälte. Hannes Füreder heads the team, which also features Markus Fellner. It recently advised the freight forwarder Kuehne + Nagel on various corporate and employment issues.

Barnert Egermann Illigasch Rechtsanwälte GmbH provides ‘senior-level attention’, ‘very good value for money’ and advice that is ‘always on time’. The team has good experience advising Russian clients, including Gazprom Neft Trading, on Austrian corporate law issues. Lead partner Michael Barnert is praised for his strong negotiating skills.

Brandl & Talos Rechtsanwälte GmbH had a great 2010 that saw the firm advise Austrian listed company Bwin on its proposed cross-border merger with PartyGaming, creating a company worth over €2.5bn. Thomas Talos has ‘ample transactional experience and provides excellent strategic advice’, and Christopher Schrank is ‘a well-rounded corporate lawyer’.

The newly formed Cabjolsky & Otto Rechtsanwälte OG is compact but provides ‘a very high level of quality and cost-efficient services’. In 2010 the team advised a major foster home operator in a multimillion-euro asset deal. Gerald Otto is ‘fast, thorough, very experienced and able to think outside the box’, and Alexander Cabjolsky is ‘very precise’.

The team at Graf & Pitkowitz Rechtsanwälte GmbH is led by Ferdinand Graf and is noted for its ‘quick response time and solid understanding of legal and business matters’. The team has particular expertise advising international clients, and in 2010 represented a UK trust in its acquisition of a stake in an Austrian hotel business.

Graf Patsch Taucher Rechtsanwälte is ‘efficient and provides a cost-effective service’, with clients praising the partner-level input on deals. In 2010 the firm saw an up-tick in M&A work and advised an international investor in the acquisition of a share in an Austrian-listed flight carrier. Wolfgang Graf’s ‘powers of analysis are superb’, and he ‘has outstanding business instincts and is experienced in both corporate work and international transactions’. Bernd Taucher is also highly rated.

Hasch & Partner Anwaltsgesellschaft mbH had a robust 2010 that saw the firm advise on three pre-insolvency restructuring matters. The firm also has a strong track record advising insurance and life sciences clients. Alexander Hasch is recommended.

Lansky, Ganzger & Partner Rechtsanwälte GmbH has a strong focus on international work and in 2010 advised a major gambling company on Austrian legal matters. The firm has also developed a niche white-collar fraud practice in recent years. Lead partners Gabriel Lansky and Gerald Ganzger ‘complement one another in an excellent way’.

PHH Prochaska Heine Havranek Rechtsanwälte OG has ‘great business acumen’. The ‘eloquent’ and ‘strategic’ Hannes Havranek led a team alongside Stefan Prochaska advising listed real estate company ECO Business in its €185m takeover by conwert. According to one client, it is ‘definitely not the cheapest law firm I know, but we get very good value for our money’.

Saxinger Chalupsky & Partners Rechtsanwälte GmbH has good experience advising on corporate issues with a large CEE element. The firm leverages off its Linz-based headquarters to advise Austrian industrial clients including shipping companies.

Rainer Wachter heads the one-partner office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Vienna, which regularly receives referrals from the firm’s impressive global network. In 2010 the practice advised Global Asset Capital in a proposed acquisition of an Australian real estate investment trust with holdings and operations in Europe, including Austria and Germany.

Weber Maxl & Partners leverages off its excellent banking and capital markets practices. Stefan Weber is a favourite with clients and receives plaudits for his ‘efficient’ approach.