The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Schoenherr is a second tier firm,

Schoenherr’s banking and finance team has particular expertise in debt financing and restructurings. The firm attracted several top mandates from clients in the European automotive industry, including advising Volkswagen and Opel. On the borrower side, it acted for Austrian real estate giant Immofinanz on the renegotiation of its senior bank debt. Peter Feyl, Martin Ebner and Ursula Rath are all recommended.

Within Capital markets, Schoenherr is a second tier firm,

Schoenherr handled a number of corporate bond issuances in 2010, including advising Citigroup and RBS on the Austrian aspects of a €2.5bn secured high yield bond issued by Conti-Gummi Finance. Peter Feyl leads the team and is ‘an excellent lawyer with a very broad legal background’. ‘In comparison to large London or Frankfurt firms they seem to have a fairly low partner/associate ratio, so that you can access advice from experienced partners without burning a lot of associate time,’ according to one client.

Within Central and Eastern Europe, Schoenherr is a first tier firm,

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.

Within Corporate and M&A, Schoenherr is a first tier firm,

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.

Within Dispute resolution, Schoenherr is a second tier firm,

Schoenherr defended Deutsche Bank against a €613m claim from Austria’s federal railways in the Vienna Court of Appeal for alleged misleading advice during the arrangement of a credit default swap. Gerold Zeiler heads the practice and is the name to note for arbitration, and Wolfgang Höller is ‘an outstanding litigator’.

Within EU and competition , Schoenherr is a first tier firm,

Schoenherr has a top-notch market reputation for its merger control and antitrust work. In 2010 the team advised ENI in merger control proceedings at the European Commission regarding the purchase of Exxon Mobil Austria’s retail outlets, and also advised the Austrian government on the nationalisation of Kommunalkredit. Hanno Wollmann heads the three-partner practice, and is singled out for praise by clients. Franz Urlesberger and Volker Weiss are also recommended.

Within Employment , Schoenherr is a third tier firm,

Schoenherr leverages off its strong corporate/M&A practice, and is recommended for its work on restructuring and redundancies. Gerold Zeiler leads the six-partner team, which advised a multinational car manufacturer on restructuring issues including transferring employees and management undertakings.

Within IT and telecommunications, Schoenherr is a second tier firm,

Schoenherr has a top-notch telecoms and IT client list including AT&T, Verizon and Lycos. Standout transactions for the group included advising France Telecom on the €1.4bn acquisition of Austrian mobile phone provider One. The eminent Christian Schmelz heads the team.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Schoenherr is a first tier firm,

Schoenherr has a dedicated insolvency and restructuring team, a relative rarity amongst the larger top-tier Austrian firms. Wolfgang Höller leads the six-partner team, whose experience includes advising in the early stages of insolvency matters, such as identifying potentially distressed transactions and representing clients in pre-insolvency proceedings. The team has developed its expertise in the banking and real estate sectors, and in 2010 advised big-name banking clients such as Kommunalkredit and Raiffeisen Zentralbank, as well as representing Morgan Stanley Real Estate in connection with a cross-border refinancing of several European hotel projects.

Within Intellectual property and media, Schoenherr is a first tier firm,

Schoenherr is ‘responsive and willing to find business-oriented solutions’. The experienced team continues to acts for some big-name clients; 2010 saw the team advise a number of drinks companies such as fruit juice manufacturer Pago and the distributor of American Bud. Christian Hauer and Guido Kucsko lead the five-partner team, which in 2010 advised Pfizer in a trade mark infringement case regarding Viagra that reached the Austrian Supreme Court.

Within Legal market overview,

The redundancies that have hit Western European firms hard are much less evident in Austria, and many of the larger players are as ambitious as ever, with the economic crisis barely dampening expansionism. CHSH Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati, Wolf Theiss and Schoenherr are still sweeping across the CEE, although the mid-tier firms operating out of the capital still garner their fair share of the mandates on offer. Austria has a large number of smaller players, and the boutiques, such as Fellner Wratzfeld & Partners, Schramm Öhler Rechtsanwälte and Gassauer-Fleissner Rechtsanwälte GmbH still prove to be a very successful model.

Within Real estate, Schoenherr is a second tier firm,

Schoenherr has great CEE experience, and in 2010 advised UNIQA real estate on the development and lease of a €50m hotel and office building in Budapest. Peter Madl is a favourite with clients; ‘with his calm behaviour he takes the stress out of sharp negotiations’, and ‘he is amiable but always prepared to persistently and demandingly fight for clients’. The team is also praised for its efficient response times.

Within Tax, Schoenherr is a second tier firm,

Schoenherr is recommended for its expertise in cross-border transactions and tax-efficient structures for large transactions. Peter Feyl and Herbert Buzanich lead the team and are recommended.