The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Wolf Theiss is a first tier firm,

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.

Within Capital markets, Wolf Theiss is a first tier firm,

Wolf Theiss is ‘very reliable, and helps to identify and minimise risks’. The team is particularly strong advising underwriters and recently represented a syndicate of international banks as joint dealer-managers in the €1.3bn buyback of notes issued by the Republic of Austria to guarantee Hypo Alpe-Adria Bank when it was in crisis in 2009. It also advised Verbund on its €1bn capital issue. Claus Schneider and practice head Richard Wolf are recommended.

Within Central and Eastern Europe, Wolf Theiss is a first tier firm,

Wolf Theiss is one of the region’s most well respected names, and has an extensive CEE footprint. It advised Gazprom on a joint venture and regulatory aspects of the implementation of the South Stream gas pipeline project from Russia to central Europe. Other major deals included advising Frankfurt-listed Puma on its conversion to European Company status in seven CEE countries.

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

The ‘excellent and very responsive’ Wolf Theiss is comfortable on high-profile deals and recently advised Apax Partners on its acquisition of German fashion retailer Takko from Advent in an auction process. Other transactions included advising Erste Bank on its €500m acquisition of a majority stake in Intermarket Bank. Practice head Dieter Spranz is ‘a strong team manager’, Horst Ebhardt is ‘outstanding’, and Clemens Schindler is ‘extremely efficient’.

Within Dispute resolution, Wolf Theiss is a first tier firm,

Wolf Theiss continued to advise Atrium European Real Estate in a raft of investor litigation before the UK High Court and Vienna Commercial Court, as well as in Vienna arbitration proceedings. Team head Bettina Knoetzl is ‘frank and outspoken’, and Christoph Liebscher, Georg Kresbach, Eva Spiegel and Andreas Theiss are also recommended. One satisfied client relates how, ‘they masterminded the strategy, developing the big picture and managing to lift the case from a low chance to a 50:50 case’.

Within EU and competition , Wolf Theiss is a first tier firm,

The ‘excellent’ Wolf Theiss provides ‘quality legal advice and top service’. It advised a European telecoms company on issues relating to its planned co-operation with a competitor. The team also advised a railway operator in proceedings relating to guidelines on fines before the Austrian Cartel Court and appeal court. Günter Bauer is ‘clearly a leader in Austrian antitrust’.

Within Employment , Wolf Theiss is a first tier firm,

Wolf Theiss finds an ‘excellent balance between precise assessment of challenging legal questions and practical advice for the client’. It recently advised Faurecia Automotive on TUPE and other regulations as part of its acquisition of an insolvent German automobile company’s factory. The group also advises Research in Motion on day-to-day employment matters in Austria, including contracts and benefits schemes. Practice head Ralf Peschek ‘sees the essence of issues and reacts quickly, and he is very knowledgeable in the field of pension plans’. The ‘fantastic’ Matthias Unterrieder ‘always responds quickly’.

Within IT and telecommunications, Wolf Theiss is a second tier firm,

Wolf Theiss is particularly strong in contentious matters for technology clients. It recently advised Expedia on potential risks under local defamation laws pertaining to translation services. The practice has also developed relationships with a number of video game developers and attracted Activision, the publisher of Call of Duty, as a new client. Georg Kresbach heads the practice.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Wolf Theiss is a second tier firm,

Wolf Theiss’ insolvency and restructuring team has close ties with the firm’s excellent CEE and corporate practices, and in 2011 advised Erste Bank on a €700m rescue financing of the bank’s loan portfolio after it faced covenant breaches and liquidity problems. Christian Hoenig and insolvency expert Eva Spiegel are recommended.

Within Intellectual property and media, Wolf Theiss is a second tier firm,

Wolf Theiss advises many pharmaceuticals and technology clients. Georg Kresbach heads the team, which advised Netgear on a new Austrian copyright levy imposed on computer hard drives. Other standout matters included representing DW Plastics and its directors in patent infringement litigation relating to beer crates.

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. CHSH Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati, Wolf Theiss and Schoenherr still dominate across the CEE, although the mid-tier Vienna firms also attract a share of these mandates.

Within Private client, Wolf Theiss is a second tier firm,

Wolf Theiss recently advised a wealthy German family on its office and their companies in various countries, and acted for a billionaire private investor in seeking malpractice damages from a law firm in a €1.6bn fraudulent tax transaction. Practice head Andreas Theiss and Clemens Schindler are recommended.

Within Public procurement, Wolf Theiss is a second tier firm,

The ‘absolutely superb’ Wolf Theiss has a ‘balanced team that works with minimum response time and universal accessibility. The team’s technical understanding sets it apart from competitors’. It is recommended for cross-border EU work, and recently advised the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on review procedures relating to public procurement framework assessments. Practice head Manfred Essletzbichler is ‘remarkably experienced in a variety of complex infrastructure tenders’.

Within Real estate and construction, Wolf Theiss is a first tier firm,

Wolf Theiss advised Invesco’s Hotel Fund on the €170m purchase and refinancing of three hotels in Germany and two in Austria, and Asfinag on the development and lease of its new traffic control centre and headquarters. ‘The experience of the firm means that it considers future problems and so avoids lawsuits later down the line’, says one client. Peter Oberlechner is ‘responsive, thorough and takes time to learn a clients’ business’. Gabriele Etzl ‘helps make it a tremendous team’.

Within Tax, Wolf Theiss is a first tier firm,

Wolf Theiss advises on private client and corporate tax structuring matters. Recent instructions include advising private equity house Triton on the tax issues arising from its acquisition of elevator components manufacturer Wittur Group. Niklas Schmidt and Clemens Schindler are recommended.