The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Austria > EU and competition

Binder Grösswang handles investigative and conceptual compliance mandates as well as the full range of EU and Austrian competition law including follow-on damage cases and matters with a white-collar criminal law aspect. Department head Raoul Hoffer excels in matters involving merger control, private enforcement and abuse of dominance, as well as those relating to data protection issues. Christine Dietz focuses her practice on state aid law and compliance as well as merger control proceedings and has particular expertise in the petrochemicals, transport and logistics sectors, among others. Counsel Isabelle Innerhofer has expertise in eDiscovery-based audits, private enforcement and distribution law, in particular assisting clients from the automotive and healthcare sectors.

bpv Hügel's team is well known for its international cartel defence and abuse of dominance practice and its client portfolio contains Austrian blue chips and international corporates. Astrid Ablasser-Neuhuber and Florian Neumayr oversee the competition team lead and Christian Schneider is in charge of the EU department. Ablasser acts in a number of merger control matters and excels at representing clients in Austrian and European courts. Thanks to his expertise in dispute resolution, Neumayr also leads the subordinated antitrust litigation group alongside his private enforcement practice. Schneider is well renowned for his experience with regulatory matters in telecoms and oil and gas industries. As co-managing partner of the Brussels office, Gerhard Fussenegger assists the Austrian team with his EU competition expertise.

Fielding an especially strong competition department including a team based in Brussels, Schoenherr (Schönherr Rechtsanwälte) covers the full range of competition law in Austria and throughout the Central and Eastern European region. The well-renowned practice is headed by Franz Urlesberger, who displays wide-ranging knowledge of multi-national competition law matters in CEE as well as merger control and anti-trust compliance programmes. Highly involved in competition-related public and private litigation, Hanno Wollmann also handles horizontal and vertical cooperation agreements for clients from a variety of sectors such as insurance, media, pharmaceuticals and energy. Counsel Stefanie Stegbauer mainly handles antitrust proceedings before the Austrian competitions authorities as well as the European commissions and is also active in merger control.

Cerha Hempel acts for corporations from a wide range of sectors, including consumer goods, electronic goods, construction and IT, in cartel proceedings and on compliance matters. The team, which is led by merger control expert Bernhard Kofler-Senoner, is very active in the private enforcement of damage claims as well as in EU and state aid law. Anna Wolf-Posch excels at advisory work and frequently assists with the implementation of compliance systems. Merger control and fines proceedings are the particular strengths of counsel Michael Mayer's practice.

Eisenberger & Herzog has an extensive internal investigations and cartel investigations practice, as part of which the firm also represents clients in national and European courts. Sector strengths include retail, pharmaceutical, media and gambling. Merger control and cartel damages proceedings as well as abuse of dominance and cartel cases form team leader Dieter Thalhammer's area of expertise. Judith Feldner is particularly knowledgeable in cartel cases and the coordination of leniency applications, also advising on compliance programmes and internal investigations.

The range of competition work offered by Saxinger, Chalupsky & Partners (SCWP Schindhelm) includes cooperation agreements, compliance, assistance during raids and merger control. The team has notable experience for clients from the retail, energy, construction and chemicals industries. Due, in part, to the firm's office in Brussels, it is regularly instructed in Europe-wide matters. Department lead Christina Hummer has particular expertise in cases revolving concerning abuse of dominance, merger filings and cartel investigations. Markus Fellner stands out for his competition disputes practice and represents large companies before Austrian and European competition authorities.

Wolf Theiss Rechtsanwalte GmbH & CoKG undertakes merger control and cartel investigations as well as abuse of dominance cases on a national and international level. The firm's varied service portfolio is enhanced by industry experience in retail, consumer products, pharmaceutical, construction, and transport. Department head Günter Bauer has experience in a wide variety of matters, specifically in dominance issues, distribution and other vertical agreements. Similarly, counsel Robert Wagner focuses his practice on vertical restraints, cooperation agreements, dominance issues and private enforcement of competition law.

Baker McKenzie • Diwok Hermann Petsche Rechtsanwälte LLP & Co KG covers the full spectrum of competition law and provides one-stop-shop services for cross-border work thanks to the firm's international presence. Department head Andreas Traugott and his team put a strong focus on regulated industries and competitions law compliance. Furthermore, the department has experience with matters at the intersection of antitrust and energy law and handles litigation as well as arbitration.

Barnert Egermann Illigasch Rechtsanwälte GmbH assists national and international blue-chip companies specifically with advisory and compliance work. The team, which is led by Isabella Hartung, also advises on merger control and acts in cartel cases. Hartung focuses her personal practice on competition advice, for instance on distribution matters, as well as contentious cartel proceedings. The department has industry experience in energy, transport, construction and media.

In addition to handling competition law advice and merger control work, CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz Rechtsanwälte GmbH also represents clients in competition law disputes, particularly in cartel and cartel fines cases. The group also has strength in multinational leniency applications. Practice head Bernt Elsner specialises in antitrust compliance as well as anti-competitive behaviour in tender procedures and Dieter Zandler has additional expertise in antitrust damage actions.

DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach advises on all key areas of competition law at a national and European level. Working closely with the firm's German and Brussels offices, the team, which is led by Claudine Vartian, is often involved in multi-jurisdictional matters and has a notable strength in matters relating to abuse of market dominance. Additionally, Vartian and counsel Florian Schuhmacher frequently assist clients with questions regarding merger control.

Leniency and settlement cases at national and European level, merger control transactions as well as compliance work with a focus on healthcare are the strong suits of DORDA Rechtsanwaelte GmbH's competition practice. Practice head Heinrich Kühnert assists clients with a variety of antitrust matters, including state aid and follow-on damages actions. Of counsel Elisabeth König regularly implements compliance programmes, for example with regard to pricing or restrictions of parallel trade.

Fellner Wratzfeld & Partners has a core focus on insolvency-related matters, for instance advising on short-term clearances. Lukas Flener, who leads the team, has particular experience in merger control filings and failing firm defence cases. Additionally, the team advises on a wide range of competition law including antitrust aspects of mergers and acquisitions in collaboration with M&A lead Markus Fellner.

Schima Mayer Starlinger Rechtsanwälte GmbH entered the market in 2018 following the merger between Starlinger Mayer and employment experts Kunz Schima Wallentin. Christian Mayer heads the EU and competition department with notable sector expertise in tourism, media and energy. He is well versed in handling immunity applications, on-site inspections, merger filings and anti-trust cases. Christoph Bezemek joined as of counsel in January 2019 to advise on state aid and competition matters.

Taylor Wessing enwc Rechtsanwälte GmbH counts dawn raids and cartel court penalty proceedings among its core areas of expertise. The team covers every aspect of competition law and is led by Martin Eckel, who has particular experience in the design and implementation of competition compliance programmes including trainings and audits. Senior associate David Konrath advises clients from the insurance, logistics and transport industries on all areas of competition law, including contractual competition restraints.