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Cerha Hempel

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About

Firm overview:

CERHA HEMPEL is one of Austria’s leading corporate law firms, with an integrated Central and Eastern European practice. With a team of over 200 lawyers, CERHA HEMPEL offers clients expertise and experience in all areas of corporate and commercial law in Austria and Central and Eastern Europe. Comprehensive specialist knowledge and hard work, but also an understanding of the client’s business environment are pre-conditions for CERHA HEMPEL. The organisational structure links up core teams with specialists, allowing to deliver top-notch advice and first-class service to clients. CERHA HEMPEL can look back on a successful track record. Over the past 20 years CERHA HEMPEL has played a leading role in virtually all significant transactions in Austria. This distinguishes CERHA HEMPEL as one of the leading law firms in the fields of mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, privatisations, financings, real estate, litigation & arbitration. The expertise – combined with years of experience in Central and Eastern Europe and the Lex Mundi network – ensures that clients receive high-quality, intellectually rigorous advice, across disciplines and across borders.

CERHA HEMPEL has offices in Bratislava, Budapest, Bucharest, Prague, Sofia, Ljubljana and Vienna. In addition, CERHA HEMPEL has close relations with leading law firms in jurisdictions where they do not have their own offices. The CERHA HEMPEL offices in Central and Eastern Europe primarily specialise in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate and commercial law, banking and finance, and real estate and project development.

All of CERHA HEMPEL’s Central and Eastern European offices have continuous access to the resources and skills of the entire CERHA HEMPEL network.

CERHA HEMPEL was named "Law Firm of the Year Austria" 2025 by the renowned British specialist publisher "The Lawyer" in recognition of its outstanding and innovative achievements.

M&A and Corporate: we focus not only on classic M&A, but also on private equity transactions, and we specialise in resolving complex, often cross-border issues in a practical and commercially-oriented manner. Due to the diversity of our clients, we have developed particular expertise in public M&A, including takeover law and regulatory compliance under financial markets laws.
Antitrust & Competition: our clients benefit from our comprehensive experience and pre-eminent track record in many of the highest profile cartel proceedings and most prominent Phase II merger control proceedings in recent years. Our Antitrust & Competition Practice Group advises and represents Austrian and international clients before national and European competition authorities in all areas of national and European competition law. 
Banking & Finance: CERHA HEMPEL supports its clients in the borrowing and investment decisions they make, such as in the context of financial and liquidity planning and treasury operations. It advises both borrowers and lenders alike. Recognised as a leading corporate law firm in the regulatory sector, CERHA HEMPEL advises international banks on establishing Austrian branches and offices and with respect to selling and trading securities in Austria. As advisor to over 100 managed investment funds which it represents in Austria regarding trading and compliance issues, CERHA HEMPEL has extensive expertise in the banking and finance sector.
Capital Markets: CERHA HEMPEL has handled the largest capital markets transactions in Austria over the past 25 years and has set the standards for this area. It handles all aspects of IPOs, capital increases and bond issuances, advising potential issuers and underwriters on due diligence issues, as well as preparing prospectuses in accordance with international standards and drafting documentation for capital increases.
Real Estate & Construction: CERHA HEMPEL supports its clients in everything from project development, negotiating and drafting financing agreements, preparing planning and construction agreements, to residential and commercial leases and claims management. 
Litigation & Arbitration:  whether it be construction disputes, unfair competition, contractual interpretation, insurance law, warranty issues, or damages in contract or tort, CERHA HEMPEL’s success rate is enviable. The team at CERHA HEMPEL covers the entire spectrum of corporate and commercial law, and focuses on giving its clients a clear picture of the opportunities and risks involved. Members of the firm act as arbitrators, chairpersons and counsel.

Employment: our team of employment law specialists provides advice on all aspects of employment law, from individual employment to ­collective bargaining, from contract drafting to specific terms of employ­ment, and options for greater flexibility in employ­ment relationships.

Tax Law: CERHA HEMPEL offers clients comprehensive expertise on the tax-optimised structuring of transactions, especially with respect to mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructurings, as well as group taxation, holding structures, inbound and outbound investments, debt and equity financing and the taxation of financial instruments.

Public Law & European Law: CERHA HEMPEL advises and represents clients before public administrative authorities and courts, as well as the European Court of Justice regarding questions of aviation law, public procurement law and telecommunications law, all of which the firm has been handling since such sectors were liberalised by the EU. The firm’s lawyers have achieved an above-average rate of success in such cases. CERHA HEMPEL also has many years’ extensive experience in commercial licensing law, healthcare law, university law, construction law, environmental law, and medical and pharmaceutical law.

White Collar Crime: for many years, CERHA HEMPEL has been one of the leading law firms providing advice on white collar crime. We regularly advise and represent Austrian and international companies, corporate bodies and private individuals in all areas of white collar crime, including in connection with allegations of financial crime, corruption, property crime and economic sanctions, to name but a few.

FinTech & Crypto-Assets Law: we advise a wide range of clients within the fintech and crypto-asset industry, including global crypto-asset service providers, token issuers, mining operators and hosting providers, credit and financial institutions, payment service providers, and decentralized finance participants. In this fast-moving and increasingly regulated field, we help businesses stay ahead by adapting quickly to new legal requirements. We support businesses with market entry in Europe and leverage our extensive network to help our clients comply with local requirements. Our experienced team has the know-how to efficiently navigate regulatory procedures and maintains strong relationships with regulators. Our pragmatic and client-focused approach is centered on helping our clients innovate while mitigating legal risks.

International Experience: with offices in Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Prague, Sofia and Ljubljana CERHA HEMPEL possesses an extensive network in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, together with broad-based expertise and many years’ experience.

Languages

  • Armenian
  • Bosnian
  • Bulgarian
  • Chinese
  • Croatian
  • Czech
  • Dutch
  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Hungarian
  • Italian
  • Polish
  • Romanian
  • Russian
  • Serbian
  • Slovak
  • Spanish
  • Tagalog
  • Slovenian

Memberships

  • Aktienforum
  • Alumni association of the University of St. Gallen
  • American Bar Association
  • Arbitral Women
  • ASA
  • Austrian Bar Association
  • Austrian Arbitration Association
  • Austrian-Brazilian Association of Commerce - Associação de Comércio Austro-Brasileira
  • Austrian Corporate Law Society - Advisory Board
  • Austrian Council of Shopping Centers
  • Austrian Franchise Federation
  • Austrian Spanish Lawyers Association
  • AVCO - Austrian Private Equity and Venture Capital Organisation
  • BWG Österreichische Bankwissenschaftliche Gesellschaft
  • CELA - Chinese European Legal Association
  • Czech Bar Association
  • Deutsche Handelskammer
  • EELA (European Employment Lawyer Association)
  • Employment Law Alliance
  • European Community Studies Association Austria (ECSA)
  • EuroFranchise Lawyers (EFL Group)
  • FIABCI Austria MB
  • Founding member of Forum Restructuring and Turnaround Vienna (ReTurn)
  • German-British Lawyers' Association
  • German Fiscal Association (DtStJG)
  • GVÖ
  • Hungarian Bar Association
  • IBA (International Bar Association)
  • ICC Austria
  • ICDR Young & International
  • International Fiscal Association (IFA)
  • International Tax Law Alumni Association
  • Juridisch-Politischer Leseverein
  • KSV
  • LCIA (London Court of International Arbitration)
  • Lex Mundi - The World's Leading Association of Independent Law Firms
  • Managementclub Vienna
  • New York Bar Association
  • ÖGNI
  • Österr. Amerikanische Gesellschaft (ÖAG)
  • Österr.Franchiseverband
  • Österr. Gesellschaft für Medizinrecht
  • Österr. Japanische Gesellschaft
  • Öst.Verein.Schiedsgerichtsarkeit
  • Österreichische Vereinigung für Gewerblichen Rechtsschutz und Urheberrecht (ÖV)
  • Real Circle
  • ReTurn (independent authority center for restructuring, reorganizations and turnarounds)
  • Scottish Arbitration
  • Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
  • Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht
  • The Law Society
  • Turnaround Management Association
  • UNION Viennese Society of Attorneys at Law
  • VDRÖ
  • Vienna Bar Association
  • Vienna Bar Association (Council)
  • Verein der Freunde Rechtswissenschaft.
  • Wiener Advokatengesellschaft UNION
  • YAAP Young Austrian Arbitration Practitioners
  • Young Industry (platform within the Federation of the Austrian Industry for young economic operators from industry and related sectors)

Staffing Figures

  • 260 Number of staff at CERHA HEMPEL
  • 110 Number of lawyers at the Vienna office
Content supplied by Cerha Hempel