Cerha Hempel

Cerha Hempel

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Christian Aichinger

Christian Aichinger

Senior Counsel, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Insolvency & Restructuring. Christian areas of practice include capital markets, banking & finance, insolvency law, corporate law and mergers & acquisitions. Christian provides our clients with advice on equity transactions, restructuring and insolvency, issuance of corporate bonds and on a variety of acquisition and project financing deals. Christian is a very experienced capital markets and finance attorney with more than 15 years of experience in this field. With his economic and legal background he advises domestic and international clients in connection with any kind of financing and capital market transactions. His transactions primarily include loans and related security instruments, corporate bonds including convertibles as well as equity markets issues of listed companies.  
Holger Bielesz

Holger Bielesz

Partner, Litigation & Arbitration, White Collar Crime, Compliance & Investigations, Insolvency & Restructuring   With more than 20 years of courtroom practice under his belt, Holger has extensive experience in all manner of proceedings pertaining to the recognition, enforcement and annulment of arbitral awards. His most recent work as counsel in arbitration matters relates to agency law and cross-border matters including obtaining interim relief for parties and ICSID cases. Holger frequently speaks on topics concerning commercial law and its dispute-related aspects.
Albert Birkner

Albert Birkner

Managing Partner, Head of Department of Takeovers & Antitrust Albert specializes in mergers and acquisitions, public takeovers, corporate reorganizations, joint ventures and trusts with a special focus on Austria and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE/SEE). He has developed particular expertise in the fields of structuring and implementation of corporate transactions, takeover mechanics and the modelling of co-ownership structures. Albert has expanded his expertise to structuring and maintenance of private trusts and to the implementation of trust structures within M&A transactions. Albert has been and is a lead partner on many prominent matters for several years already and holds an extremely vast track record. Albert is also an author and regular contributor of a number of publications.
Daniel Dibon

Daniel Dibon

Senior Associate, Contentious Business Department, Litigation & Arbitration, Corporate, Private Clients & Trusts Daniel joined the firm in 2022 and has been practising in the field for nearly ten years. His work focuses on corporate and shareholder disputes, as well as contentious matters involving estates and trusts, particularly in high-value cases. He regularly acts as counsel and as tribunal secretary in arbitral proceedings, both domestic and international, most recently under the VIAC, ICC and Swiss Rules. In addition to his practice, he contributes to academic and professional discussions by publishing in the field of corporate law.    
Samuel Farokhnia-Mimnagh

Samuel Farokhnia-Mimnagh

Senior Associate, Arbitration, Contentious Business Department Samuel  is a qualified Irish solicitor with close to a decade of experience in conducting international arbitration. He routinely acts as counsel in commercial arbitrations under a variety of institutional rules (such as the ICC, VIAC and LCIA rules) as well as in investment arbitrations. Sam has specialized in arbitrating large energy, construction and complex manufacturing disputes, as well as those in the pharmaceutical and advertising sectors. As part of CERHA HEMPEL’s arbitration team, Sam frequently works with local counsel in other jurisdictions to coordinate effective arbitration strategies as part of CERHA HEMPEL’s one-stop shop arbitration offering.  
Heinrich Foglar-Deinhardstein

Heinrich Foglar-Deinhardstein

Partner, Corporate, Insolvency & Restructuring, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Clients & Trusts, Private Equity & Venture Capital Heinrich is a key partner in the firm’s Corporate/M&A practice. He is a partner since 2013 and focuses on corporate reorganisations, cross border-transactions and on private clients and Trust Law. He is actively involved in solving various forms of disputes and reorganisations within trusts and private clients and is frequently working for Austrian family businesses, private foundations and family trusts in particular with view to their matters under Austrian corporate law, takeover law and law of succession.  
Claudia Hanslik-Schneider

Claudia Hanslik-Schneider

Senior Associate, Public Law & European Law Claudia joined CERHA HEMPEL in 2019 after having gained substantial experience as an assistant professor at the Institute for Austrian and European Public Law at Vienna University of Economics and Business and by working at the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture as a legal specialist in connection with the Renewable Energy Expansion Act. She advises on a broad range of Public Law, with a particular focus on Constitutional Law and Environmental Law (especially Energy Law and Construction and Zoning law). Additionally, Claudia is author of several legal publications. She published a commentary on provisions of the Limited Profit Housing Act together with Constitutional Judge Univ. - Prof. Dr. Michael Holoubek. She is also author of a commentary on several provisions of the Renewable Energy Expansion Act together with staff members of the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation, and Technology (BMK).  
Andrea Harrich

Andrea Harrich

Senior Associate, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate, Distripution Law, Compliance & Investigations, Private Equity & Venture Capital Andrea advises domestic and internationals banks on all aspects of banking law, in particular on regulatory matters, including compliance, secrecy and liability issues, financing, contract law and corporate housekeeping, outsourcing and on payment services. Her main areas of practice include banking & finance, capital markets, banking supervision law and contract law, derivate financial instruments, investment funds (UCITS), Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs). She also focuses on securitization transactions and factoring, AML-compliance, finance leasing, cash pooling, derivatives, investment funds, banking and insurance supervision law. Andrea is an author of numerous articles on banking and civil law and frequently serves as a lecturer at seminars on these topics, including the University of Liechtenstein as well as the University Krems.  
Jakob Hartig

Jakob Hartig

Partner, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Clients & Trusts, Private Equity & Venture Capital. Jakob has more than 10 years of professional experience in particular in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, and foundation law. He has profound experience in advising national and international clients on cross-border and multi-national transactions and on highly complex national and cross-border corporate law matters. He has a strong focus on complex and high end corporate work, including complex joint ventures and other forms of participations, as well as domestic and cross-border corporate reorganizations. In addition, Jakob is also author of numerous publications on his areas of expertise and a lecturer at respective seminars.
Clemens Hasenauer

Clemens Hasenauer

Managing Partner, Head of Department Corporate Transactions, Mergers & Acquisitions, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate, Compliance & Investigations, Private Equity & Venture Capital Managing Partner Clemens Hasenauer is Head of the Department Corporate Transactions since 2007 focusing on M&A and public takeover transactions. His broad experience includes numerous complex public and private M&A transactions and he is particularly renowned for structuring large international joint ventures and public takeovers. Clemens is also a university lecture (holding M&A classes for post-graduate studies) and is author of a number of publications, in particular in the field of corporate, M&A, takeover and capital markets law. In addition, he is the academic chair of the most renowned annual legal conference in Austria (Business Circle's RuSt) which has a strong focus on legal and tax aspects of mergers, acquisitions and other transactions and he is responsible for the overall program of the Business Circle M&A Summit in Austria, which is an industry meeting for experts in the field of M&A and corporate development. Clemens is regularly named and recommended as expert and leader in his field as well as top ranked within guides, journals and publications.
Stefan Huber

Stefan Huber

Partner, Public Law & European Law, Compliance & Investigations, White Collar Crime, Public Procurement, Litigation & Arbitration. Stefan is a leading expert in Austrian higher education law, public law, and European law, with extensive experience in compliance, criminal law, and white-collar crime. He is also recognized as one of Austria’s foremost specialists in export control law. His practice further focuses on environmental law, constitutional law, EU law, and public procurement. He teaches at the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland and the Vienna University of Applied Sciences. Further, he regularly speaks at and chairs conferences and continues to publish on public law and state aid law.
Peter Knobl

Peter Knobl

Partner, specialised in  Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Tax Law, Compliance & Investigations Peter’s areas of focus include banking and capital markets, banking regulatory, restructuring of banks, investment funds, payment services, stock exchange services and settlement, investment services, insurance regulatory. Peter further advises Austrian licenced banks (SIs and LSIs), investment firms, insurances, corporate issuers, fund management companies and stock exchange operating companies on compliance and regulatory law queries.
Bernhard Kofler-Senoner

Bernhard Kofler-Senoner

Partner, Head of Competition Practice Group, Antitrust & Competition, Compliance & Investigations, Distribution Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Bernhard leads CERHA HEMPEL’s Competition Practice Group, which he has built from the ground up, shaping it into one of the largest and most respected competition law teams in Austria. He is widely acknowledged by clients and peers for his deep expertise across all areas of competition law. In November 2024, Bernhard was elected by his peers as President of the Austrian branch of the Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht and, in December 2024, Bernhard was elected to the board of the Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht in Germany, reflecting his standing in the market and recognition by his peers. Bernhard regularly advises on high-profile cartel and abuse of dominance cases on both the national and EU level.  He is also highly regarded for his work on merger control, handling proceedings both at the Austrian and the EU level. His reputation for navigating complex tech and Phase II merger cases continues to grow and he has also significantly expanded the team’s private enforcement portfolio.
Georg Konrad

Georg Konrad

Partner, Corporate, Insolvency & Restructuring, M&A, Compliance & Investigations, Public Procurement, IT & Privacy, Private Equity & Venture Capital. Georg is a leading Austrian attorney in the areas of information technology, telecommunications and similar fields. He regularly assists Austrian and global clients with IT contracts, international data transfers and a broad variety of technology projects. Georg is a partner with CERHA HEMPEL since 2008 and has been further active in public procurement matters since 2001.
Mark Krenn

Mark Krenn

Partner, Real Estate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, IP & Unfair Competition. Mark has established CERHA HEMPEL as an undisputed market leader in the strategic segment of residential development and building organizer projects. In addition to his real estate expertise, Mark demonstrates remarkable versatility and strategic foresight across diverse sectors. Further Mark has successfully integrated innovative Legal Tech tools, such as the  M&A project management platform "Closd" and "Lexis Create" (formerly Henchman). As an lecturer in the Legal Tech Certificate Program at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, he contributes significantly to shaping the next generation of legal professionals. Mark in addition  is widely recognised for his deep expertise in intellectual property law, with a particular focus on transactional IP, licensing structures, and strategic brand management.  
Hans Kristoferitsch

Hans Kristoferitsch

Partner, Head of Department Regulatory and White Collar, specialised in Public Law & European Law, Antitrust & Competition, Compliance & Investigations, White Collar Crime, IT & Privacy Partner with CERHA HEMPEL since 2013 and Head of the Department Regulatory and White Collar. Hans is leading in areas of data protection, telecommunications, e-commerce and regularly assists Austrian and global clients with international data transfers, outsourcing projects, cloud computing and behavioral advertising. He hes assisted and coordinated GDPR compliance, regulatory projects for numerous large multinational clients. ​Also an expert in white collar crime and took the lead in some of the biggest internal investigations in Austria. Hans frequently represents companies damaged by criminal conduct in trials and asset tracing. Active in all areas of regulatory, public, administrative law and handles various cases under the fundamental freedoms, including infringement proceedings before the European Commission, as well as other areas of EU law He is a university lecturer for EU law and gives lectures on compliance, data protection and criminal law and is an author of several publications (textbook Austrian data protection law).​  
Peter Lewisch

Peter Lewisch

Senior Counsel, White Collar Crime, Public Law & European Law, Antitrust & Competition Peter, a criminal law specialist,  leads the white collar crime team. He is also a full professor for criminal law at the University of Vienna and director of the Law School’s Centre for Business and Financial Crime. He is regarded as the leading Austrian lawyer for complex and high profile business crime and white collar cases, in particular for cases with an international background. Peter enjoys wide recognition among the judiciary, the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice. Peter is also known for his profound knowledge of pertinent questions of constitutional law and of the ECHR.
Marcus Lusar

Marcus Lusar

Senior Associate, Corporate, M&A, Insolvency & Restructuring Marcus is a Senior Associate at CERHA HEMPEL with several years of experience in insolvency, corporate/M&A, and IT law. His practice focuses on the intersection of restructuring and corporate matters, with a particular emphasis on advising clients in the IT and TMT sectors. He has substantial experience representing creditors in complex insolvency proceedings and regularly acts in both court and out-of-court disputes involving insolvency claw-back claims.
Michael Mayer

Michael Mayer

Counsel, Antitrust & Competition, Distribution Law, Complinace & Investigations Michael has been a key member of CERHA HEMPEL’s Competition Practice Group for more than 11 years. He has considerable experience in all areas of competition law. His focus lies in merger control and fines proceedings both before the Austrian competition authorities and the EU Commission, as well as in the implementation of compliance systems. Michael has advised national and international clients in a wide range of industries, in particular in the sectors of consumer goods, electronic goods,  construction, oil & gas, IT and media.
Christopher Peitsch

Christopher Peitsch

Partner, Employment Law, Litigation Christopher joined CERHA HEMPEL more than a decade ago as junior associate and became partner in 2023. He specializes in employment law and assists clients in all aspects of employment law. Christopher not only regularly publishes on current developments in employment but is also asked regularly by big Austrian newspapers for input on hot topics. He was teaching employment law at the University for Applied Sciences (FH Vienna of WKW) and is often booked for presentations with a strong focus on working time law. Christopher has established a large international network over the last ten years and is member of the Employment Law Alliance (the largest employment network in the world with just one representing firm per country). In 2024, he has been promoted to the Board and acts as the Global NextGen Chair, shaping the future of the entire organization and all its NextGen members.    
Lorenz Pracht

Lorenz Pracht

Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions, Capital Markets, Compliance & Investigations, Corporate, Tax Law, Banking & Finance, Insolvency and Restructuring Lorenz is a key member in our firm’s M&A practice. He has profound experience in complex cross-border M&A transactions, joint ventures and capital markets law. He has advised numerous large national and international corporate clients in complex M&A projects, joint ventures and on capital markets law. Moreover, he advises several publicly listed Austrian companies on corporate law. In addition, he frequently lectures on M&A and capital market disclosure requirements.
Johannes Prinz

Johannes Prinz

Partner, Tax Law, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions.   Johannes is dual qualified as Austrian attorney and as a tax adviser. He is a tax expert focussing on taxation of corporate groups and corporate restructuring, tax planning, taxation of mergers and acquisitions and private equity investments, value added tax, non-profit organizations, withholding tax and tax treaty issues, domestic and cross-border group internal reorganisations and business restructuring, holding structures, taxation of inbound and outbound investments, as well as structured finance.
Alexander Reich-Rohrwig

Alexander Reich-Rohrwig

Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Private Equity & Venture Capital, Commercial. Alexander has been advising national and international clients on highly complex commercial law matters, cross-border transactions and the establishment and structuring of joint ventures for many years. His practice areas include M&A, corporate law, joint ventures, private equity and venture capital but also banking & finance and capital markets. He has been involved in numerous complex cross-border transactions &  corporate and financing matters.
Christoph Reiter

Christoph Reiter

Partner, Insolvency & Restructuring, IT & TMT, Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions. Christoph is an IT/TMT and restructuring/M&A partner with CERHA HEMPEL with over 13 years of practical experi­ence. Christoph is a very versatile lawyer, advising on all fields of civil and contract law with a strong focus on IT & tech contracts, venture and tech transactions and restructurings. Another focus of his prac­tice is e-commerce, where he supports clients on all relating legal aspects under Austrian and EU law. Another main focus of Christoph’s practical work is cybersecurity. In this respect, Christoph is advising clients on the legal aspects of, in particular, the NIS 2 Directive and relating national legislation. Christoph frequently speaks and writes on topics relating to insolvency, corporate, IT and civil law.    
Philipp Schaubach

Philipp Schaubach

Senior Associate, Antitrust & Competition, Foreign direct investment (FDI), Supply chain compliance, Compliance & Investigations, Mergers & Acquisitions, Distribution Law From cartel investigations to complex, multi-jurisdictional mergers, Philipp operates at the forefront of competition law. He has played a leading role in high-profile cases, representing clients in cartel proceedings and advising major market players on high-stakes merger control filings. In addition, Philipp is a member of CERHA HEMPEL’s cartel litigation and private enforcement practice.  
Armin Schwabl

Armin Schwabl

Partner, Public Law & European Law, IT & Privacy, White Collar Crime, Compliance & Investigations Armin is a regulatory lawyer with a particular focus on product regulation, telecommunications, trade, waste and environmental law. Prior to CERHA HEMPEL, Armin was a research and teaching fellow at the Institute for Austrian and European Public Law at Vienna´s University of Economics and Business and worked furthermore at the U.S.-law firm Covington & Burling LLP in Brussels. Armin is a lecturer for Public Law at the University of Applied Sciences Vienna.
Michaela Siegwart

Michaela Siegwart

Partner, Public Procurement, Litigation & Arbitration, IP & Unfair Competition, Insurance Michaela has represented clients in contentious proceedings for 25 years and developed a deep expertise in representing clients in, among other legal areas, insurance and construction litigation. Her diligence and commitment to her clients has allowed her to become preferred counsel for major Austrian companies as well as various public entities and companies. In addition Michaela has extensive expertise in procurement law and is also a speaker at seminars in the field of construction related procurement.  
Wolfgang Sindelar

Wolfgang Sindelar

Senior Counsel,  Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Insolvency & Restructuring, Real Estate & Construction, Capital Markets, Employment Law, Private Clients & Trusts. Wolfgang is a senior corporate / M&A lawyer with more than 10 years of professional experience in particular in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, capital markets law, corporate law, real estate and property law, insolvency law and foundation law. He has many years experience advising national and international clients and is the author of numerous publications.  
Harald Stingl

Harald Stingl

Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, Banking & Finance, Insolvency & Restructuring, Private Equity & Venture Capital. Harald  is a key corporate / M&A partner and has 25 years of experience in complex cross-border corporate, M&A, restructurings, distressed entities, joint ventures and private equity as well as corporate financing transactions. He joined CERHA HEMPEL in June 2014 and has advised a number of large corporate clients in cross-border acquisitions, investments and divestments and has been lecturing M&A, corporate and partnership law at the University of Vienna for many years and has published on a broad range of corporate and M&A related subjects, amongst others on cross-border mergers, corporate succession and restructurings, due diligence, private equity as well as defence measures in takeover situations.  
Thomas Trettnak

Thomas Trettnak

Partner, Corporate/M&A, Insolvency & Restructuring, Private Equity & Venture Capital, Private Clients & Trusts. Thomas is a long-standing and key partner in our firm’s M&A practice. He is concentrating in mergers & acquisitions and corporate reorganizations with a special focus on insolvency & restructuring as well as venture capital and private equity mandates across the CEE region. Thomas is Head of CEE Insolvency & Restructuring Practice, concentrating in mergers and acquisitions and corporate reorganizations with a special focus on insolvency & restructuring, as well as venture capital and private equity mandates. Thomas is particularly renowned for cross-border transactions, often for Anglo-Saxon clients in view of his admission to the New York Bar.  
Benjamin Twardosz

Benjamin Twardosz

Partner, Tax Law, White Collar Crime, Corporate,  Public Law & European Law, Private Clients & Trusts. Benjamin is Partner at CERHA HEMPEL since 2018. He is one of the most renowned experts for tax litigation and stamp duty in Austria and he has worked at the Austrian Supreme Administrative Court (2004-2006). Benjamin specialises in corporate tax law, international tax law, tax litigation, fiscal criminal law, real estate taxation and real estate transfer tax, stamp duty and wage related taxes. He has industry expertise within the real estate sector, the gaming industry, Brazilian clients and private equity funds.​ Benjamin is editor of two commentaries, on the Fiscal Criminal Code and the Stamp Duty Act and co-editor of the "Handbook on Voluntary Self-Disclosure". Benjamin is  one of the most well-known tax lawyers in Austria and a member of the Scientific Committee of the Federal Chamber of Public Accountants and Tax Advisors, a public body that renders expert opinions on tax laws.
Peter Vcelouch

Peter Vcelouch

Partner,  Real Estate & Construction, Litigation & Arbitration, Public Law & European Law, Insolvency & Restructuring. The Head of our Real Estate & Construction Practice Group, Peter Vcelouch, is well-respected for his expertise in national and international construction-related matters. He regularly advises on planning and construction contracts and represents clients in claim management matters, in construction-related litigation and arbitration proceedings as well as in general dispute resolution matters. In Addition Peter is active as a frequent lecturer and is author of numerous publications in his area of specialization.
Oliver Völkel

Oliver Völkel

Partner, FinTech & Crypto-Assets Law, Banking & Finance, Corporate, Capital Markets Oliver is a recognised expert in crypto-assets law and advises in particular on issues related to FinTechs. His clients include numerous well-known domestsic and foreign companies and banks. Oliver is co-publisher and author of the legal handbook 'Blockchain rules' which was published in second edition in 2024. He is also a co-publisher and author of the go-to commentary on the EU Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation. Since 2018, Oliver is a lecturer on crypto asset law at the University of Vienna.
Irene Welser

Irene Welser

Senior Partner, Head of Department Contentious Business, specialised in Litigation & Arbitration, Corporate, Public Law & European Law, Real Estate & Construction, IP & Unfair Competition, Private Clients & Trusts. Irene is a passionate litigator and arbitrator who consistently represents major domestic and international industry leaders in Austrian court proceedings. Her commitment to these clients and record of success is widely recognised and results in clients entrusting her on an ongoing basis with their most difficult and challenging cases. It is in large part due to her remarkable achievements as a commercial lawyer that she has developed a Private Client practice representing high net worth individuals and private estates. In addition to her work as an attorney, Irene regularly publishes and lectures on current developments in litigation and arbitration. She is Global Chair Emeritus of the Litigation Arbitration Dispute Resolution Section of Lex Mundi, regularly speaks at conferences, and – in addition to being an honorary professor - lectures at universities on arbitration and D&O liabilities.
Anna Wolf-Posch

Anna Wolf-Posch

Partner, Foreign direct investment (FDI), Antitrust & Competition, Compliance & Investigations, Mergers & Acquisitions, Supply Chain Compliance Anna regularly advises international clients on high-profile cases. Anna furthermore has a reputation for her handling of complex international merger control cases as lead counsel on an EU and national level. Anna remains at the forefront of major cartel investigations and is widely recognized for her ability to design and roll out corporate compliance structures tailored to complex regulatory environments. Anna is also a prominent academic voice. She contributed the chapters on the data-related obligations of gate-keepers in Rupprecht Podszun’s Nomos commentary on the Digital Markets Act. She also authored the chapters on online sales and on most provisions of the Fair Competition Act (FWBG) in Egger/Harsdorf-Borsch’s commentary on the Austrian Cartel Act. Furthermore, Anna is the editor of a forthcoming handbook on Digital Economic Law.  
Thomas Zivny

Thomas Zivny

Partner, Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, Healthcare Thomas is primarily active in the field of capital markets, project finance, healthcare and corporate law. His team advises banks in connection with project financing in the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe, focussing in particular on real estate financing. The spectrum ranges from financing and restructuring to disposals and covers the entire lifecycle of the real estate. In the field of debt capital markets, Thomas advises issuers of corporate bonds as well as bank issuance programmes. In addition he serves a wide range of healthcare clients, ranging from private hospitals  and various medical imaging centers. The advice often includes the establishment, relocation or restructuring of outpatient clinics and group practices, including commercial, corporate and regulatory aspects.