Dr Hans Kristoferitsch > Cerha Hempel > Vienna, Austria > Lawyer Profile

Cerha Hempel exhibits proficiency across a wide range of public law matters and excels in administrative litigation, with co-lead and ‘fantastic strategic thinker’ Hans Kristoferitsch leading on a number of cases related to European, state aid and data protection law. Kristoferitsch is joined as practice head by Stefan Huber, who ‘pairs excellent legal knowledge with exceptionally short turnaround times’ and specialises in environmental, constitutional, EU and procurement law. Armin Schwabl contributes to the team’s wide offering with his focus on product regulation, telecommunication, trade and waste matters.

Bringing to bear a ‘profound comprehension of Austrian and EU competition law,’ Cerha Hempel is often instructed on mergers and cartel cases spanning multiple European jurisdictions, assisting on merger control proceedings, and providing advice on FDI regulations and subsidy screenings. The firm acts for clients bringing private enforcement claims for damages as a result of cartel operations and is also noted for its state aid practice. Practice head Bernhard Kofler-Senoner frequently appears before EU bodies on both cartel matters and merger proceedings, including Phase II hearings. Anna Wolf-Posch offers extensive experience in merger control and FDI notifications, which she coordinates in Austria and across the CEE region, while Hans Kristoferitsch is noted for his knowledge of state aid regulations, representing clients in such matters before the ECJ.

Praised by clients for providing ‘top-notch legal services and outstanding results’, Cerha Hempel combines a wealth of experience in white-collar crime with expertise in economics, business, and EU law. Advising corporates on crime prevention compliance is one of the team’s standout features, and one of Stefan Huber‘s specialisms. He leads the team alongside Hans Kristoferitsch and Peter Lewisch, who clients name as the ‘first port of call when it comes to complex legal issues in the area of white-collar crime’. Kristoferitsch is an expert in matters requiring knowledge of regulatory law, and is recommended for in-house investigations with data protection elements.

Cerha Hempel‘s matters in the projects and energy field are handled by lawyers spanning the firm’s M&A, real estate, finance and public law teams, with a strong track record in assisting clients with projects that are tied to transactions. The firm acts for a number of public bodies but also maintains a strong presence in the real estate market, where it advises developers in relation to a range of construction projects. A three-man team consisting of Clemens Hasenauer, a public M&A specialist, EU and public law expert Hans Kristoferitsch and Stefan Huber, whose practice spans environmental and constitutional law, leads the group.

Cerha Hempel delivers ‘practical solutions’ in the field of data protection, advising clients on their responsibilities around cross-border outsourcing, data transfer and cloud computing projects, while also representing clients in actions before the Austrian data protection authority and the courts pertaining to data breaches. Team head Hans Kristoferitsch offers his clients a ‘pragmatic approach’ to data protection, assisting international clients on the rollout of new mobile apps and other matters that concern handling of customer data, while also advising on GDPR compliance and contentious EU law cases. Armin Schwabl, who is also admitted in New York, advises on regulatory data protection matters, while Boris Treml supports businesses in implementing GDPR, carrying out data risk assessments and IT outsourcing projects.

Cerha Hempel‘s TMT practice brings together expertise in IT, data protection and e-commerce matters, and often works alongside the M&A department to advise clients on both complex technology projects and to see through transactions in the TMT field. The team is led by a three-man group made up of Hans Kristoferitsch, whose practice includes IT law and data privacy, telecoms and data privacy specialist Armin Schwabl and Christoph Reiter, who handles IT contracts, e-commerce matters and tech-centred transactions.