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DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach

SCHOTTENRING 14, 1010 WIEN, AUSTRIA
Tel:
Work +43 1 531 78 0
Fax:
Fax +43 1 533 52 52
Web:
www.dlapiper.com
Email:
Zagreb, Washington DC, Warsaw, Vienna, Tokyo, Tbilisi , and 75 more

What we say about the firm's legal practice in Austria

Banking and finance

Within Banking and finance, tier 4

DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach had a tumultuous 2010 with the departure of its eminent practice head Stefan Eder, along with the well-respected Martin Geiger and Peter Solt, to set up Benn-Ibler Rechtsanwälte GmbH. Wolfgang Lafite now heads the team, which continued to advise FIMBAG, the Republic of Austria’s banking stabilisation vehicle.

Capital markets

Within Capital markets, DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

Christian Temmel heads the team at DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach, which advised both Porr AG, the Vienna-listed construction group, and UniCredit Bank Austria and Erste Bank as underwriters in a €100m corporate bond issue.

Central and Eastern Europe

Within Central and Eastern Europe, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

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.

Corporate and M&A

Within Corporate and M&A, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

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.

Dispute resolution

Within Dispute resolution, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

Claudine Vartian heads the team at DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach, which has solid arbitration and litigation expertise and excellent CEE experience. 2010 saw significant changes to the team with the departure of Ivo Deskovic to Benn-Ibler Rechtsanwälte GmbH and the arrival of litigator David Christian Bauer from Karasek Wietrzyk Rechtsanwälte GmbH.

EU and competition

Within EU and competition , DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

The excellent Claudine Vartian leads the 11-lawyer competition practice at DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach. Standout transactions for 2010 included advising UGI Corporation on a potential claim of abuse of market dominance. The group has a broad client base that includes Bank Austria/Unicredit Group, T-Mobile, ArcelorMittal and WMF.

Employment

Within Employment , DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach is particularly strong on cross-border CEE matters, and also has experience advising healthcare providers such as Niederösterreichisches Gesundheits on labour and contractual issues. Practice head Franz Marhold has ‘outstanding tactical knowledge and a flexible approach’.

IT and telecommunications

Within IT and telecommunications, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

Claudine Vartian heads the nine-lawyer team at DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach, which leverages off the firm’s finance and corporate offering. Wolfgang Freund is also recommended.

Insolvency and corporate recovery

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach has solid experience advising on restructuring and insolvency matters with a strong CEE element. The practice had a difficult 2010 with the departure of well-respected practice head Stefan Eder to set up Benn-Ibler Rechtsanwälte GmbH; Wolfgang Lafite now leads the team.

Intellectual property and media

Within Intellectual property and media, DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach has good experience before the Patent Office and in enforcement work, and also offers a dedicated trade mark filing department. Practice head Alexander Cizek offers ‘good explanations for non-experts’, and is highly recommended for his anti-counterfeiting and trade mark enforcement experience.

Legal market overview

Within Legal market overview,

The Austrian legal market is small and flexible and there are few major global players operating out of Vienna, with the exception of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach, CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz Rechtsanwälte GmbH and Baker & McKenzie Diwok Hermann Petsche Rechtsanwälte GmbH.

Private client

Within Private client, DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach has good experience advising on private foundations. Practice head Christoph Mager led a team that advised a wealthy US oil magnate in setting up a private foundation and acquiring several new properties for an estimated €100m.

Real estate

Within Real estate, DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

Standout transactions for the ‘very proactive’ group at DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach included advising Credit Suisse on the acquisition of a €38m building in Vienna for one of its German real estate funds. Practice head Oskar Winkler is ‘extremely versatile and an excellent communicator’ able to ‘explain differences between Austrian and other jurisdictions very well to a layman’. Birgit Harasser and Andreas Schwaighofer are also recommended.

Tax

Within Tax, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

The four-associate team at DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach largely advises on tax issues arising from cross-border M&A and disputes. It continues to advise Aurelius Capital Management and its shareholders on the acquisition of an Austrian investment management company.

What we say worldwide

Please choose another DLA Piper LLP office to view full details of what we say in that region, or choose from this list to view a specific editorial reference in context.

United Arab Emirates

Offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Australia

Austria

Offices in Vienna

Belgium

Offices in Antwerp and Brussels

Bahrain

Offices in Manama

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Offices in Sarajevo

China

Offices in Beijing and Shanghai

Czech Republic

Offices in Prague

Germany

Offices in Cologne, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin

Egypt

Offices in Cairo

Spain

Offices in Madrid

France

Offices in Paris

Georgia

Offices in Tbilisi

Hong Kong

Offices in Hong Kong

Hungary

Offices in Budapest

Indonesia

India

Italy

Offices in Milan and Rome

Japan

Offices in Tokyo

Kuwait

Offices in Safat

London

Offices in London

Netherlands

Offices in Amsterdam

Norway

Offices in Oslo

North West

Offices in Liverpool and Manchester

Oman

Offices in Muscat

Poland

Offices in Warsaw

Qatar

Offices in Doha and Doha

Romania

Offices in Bucharest

Russia

Offices in Moscow and St Petersburg

Scotland

Offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh

Sweden

Offices in Stockholm

Singapore

Offices in Singapore

South Korea

Slovakia

Offices in Bratislava

Saudi Arabia

Offices in Riyadh

Thailand

Offices in Bangkok

Turkey

Offices in Istanbul

Ukraine

Offices in Kiev

United States

Offices in San Francisco, Seattle, Palo Alto, San Diego (Downtown), Boston, Los Angeles, Tampa, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington DC, New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, Las Vegas, North Carolina, Austin,Texas, Houston, Texas, Reston, Virginia, Minneapolis, Atlanta, La Jolla, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Diego (Golden Triangl, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Orlando, New Jersey, and Maryland

Vietnam

West Midlands

Offices in Birmingham

Yorkshire and the Humber

Offices in Leeds and Sheffield

Serbia

Offices in Belgrade

Search News and Articles

Legal Developments by:
DLA Piper LLP

  • Sentencing guidelines for corporate manslaughter

    In February 2010 the Sentencing Guidelines Council (the SGC) issued definitive guidelines to courts on imposing appropriate sentences for corporate manslaughter and health and safety offences causing death. The SGC states that fines imposed on companies found guilty of corporate manslaughter should not fall below £500,000, while fines in respect of health and safety offences that are a significant cause of death should be at least £100,000. Crucially, the SGC declined to provide for a fixed link between the imposed fine and the turnover or profitability of the offending company.

    - DLA Piper UK LLP

Legal Developments in Austria

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to

  • Austria: Advantages of Establishing a Company's Headquarters in Austria: Part 1

    Choosing or changing a multinational company's headquarters involves considerations of quality of living and political stability in addition to economic and legal issues. This arti-cle, in two parts, outlines some of the advantages of and basic information about choos-ing Austria for a company’s headquarters. Part 1 is an overview of Austria's social and political background and of some legal forms to consider for a holding company. Part 2 will introduce Austrian tax law and provide additional legal information.
    - Schönherr

  • Hungary: Why is equity protection ineffective in Hungary?

    The Hungarian Companies Act ("CA") and others have long contained provisions to protect creditors. One provision prohibits a limited liability company from paying dividends to its shareholders if it does not have sufficient funds.
    - Schönherr

  • Austria: Termination of contracts after initiation of insolvency proceedings

    One of the primary objectives of the reformed Austrian Insolvency Act ("IO"), which entered into force on 1 July 2010, has been to increase the number of successful corporate reorganisations and to facilitate the continuation of business operations during financial crises. After the initiation of insolvency proceedings, the creditors of an insolvent debtor shall not be entitled to revoke or terminate contracts that are essential for continuing the debtor’s business operations.
    - Schönherr

  • Environment Romania

    Romania
    - Schönherr

  • Environment Bulgaria

    Bulgaria
    - Schönherr

  • Environment Austria

    Austria Christian Schmelz and Bernd Rajal - Schönherr Rechtsanwälte GmbH
    - Schönherr

  • Austria: Mandatory declaration of minimum remuneration in job postings

    The latest amendment of the Austrian Act on Equal Treatment (Gleichbehandlungsgesetz – GlBG; in force since 1 March 2011) sets into force a provision requiring the declaration of minimum remuneration in job postings. As of 1 January 2012, any infringement of this provision may lead to sanctions.
    - Schönherr

  • The Handbook of Competition Enforcement Agencies 2011

    Neli Nedkova and Dessislava Iordanova - Wolf Theiss In 2010 the activity of the Bulgarian Commission for Protection of Competition (the Commission) showed a trend of increasing focus on compliance shifting slightly from the antitrust area. Proceedings that have started and the most recent decisions show that this trend is likely to continue in 2011.
    - Wolf Theiss

  • Bulgaria: VAT re gulations on construction right transfers amended

    From 1 January 2012, the transfer of a construction right will be VAT exempt only until the construction permit is issued. The previous regime had allowed the exemption until the completion of the rough construction.
    - Schönherr

  • Foreign investors face new barrier when acquiring Austrian companies

    On December 8, 2011 an amendment of the Foreign Trade Act 2011 (Außenwirtschaftsgesetz 2011, until then Außenhandelsgesetz 2011, “FTA 2011”) entered into force imposing a substantial new barrier on foreign investors when acquiring shares in Austrian companies that operate in areas of public security and order. This amendment came as a surprise as part of the Budget Consolidation Act 2012 (Budgetbegleitgesetz 2012), governing different topics. The key points of the new barrier for foreign investors are the following:
    - Binder Grösswang Attorneys-at-Law
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