GRAF ISOLA > Vienna, Austria > Firm Profile
GRAF ISOLA Offices

STADIONGASSE 2
1010 WIEN
Austria
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GRAF ISOLA > The Legal 500 Rankings
Austria > Insolvency and corporate recovery Tier 1
GRAF ISOLA (previously known as Graf & Pitkowitz) is co-led by insolvency administrators Alexander Isola and Stefan Weileder. The team stands out for its capabilities handling in and out-of-court insolvency proceedings but also advises debtors, creditors and investors on restructuring and reorganisation measures, which includes refinancing negotiations with banks and distressed M&A. Its work spans a wide range of sectors and has recently included a number of insolvency proceedings in the banking and engineering space.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Very dynamic and responsive team, from small to larger teams. Graf Isola can cater to all requirements.’
‘Graf Isola: Elder statesman of insolvency and restructuring law in Austria. Excellent knowledge also in German and international insolvency law. A great communicator at both advisor and C-level meetings. Knows creditor negotiations and comes up with smart strategies.’
‘Stefan Weileder: Smart and strategic thinker. An absolute joy to work with and a great communicator of legal concepts.’
‘The strength is the huge experience, the relationship to former university profs and the courts in Austria.’
‘Alexander Isola is highly convincing and can transport even difficult legal issues to persons with no legal knowledge.’
Key clients
Herbitschek Gesellschaft GmbH and Herbitschek Projekt GmbH
Borckenstein GmbH (acting as insolvency administrator)
HIH
Creditors to Anglo Austrian AAB AG (former: MEINL BANK)
MAG Group
Holzstark GmbH
CTP Chemisch Thermische Prozesstechnik GmbH
Sozialverein Deutschlandsberg
coman handling gmbh
Gosch & Zmugg
CodeBridge Softwareentwicklungs GmbH
Hubert AUER KG
MTC Gaich GmbH
Work highlights
- Advising Herbitschek Gesellschaft mbH and Herbitschek Projekt GmbH following Herbitschek’s insolvency application; this included advice to Herbitschek’s shareholders on the takeover of parts of the company by way of an asset deal.
- Appointed as insolvency administrators by Borckenstein GmbH.
- Advising several creditors of Anglo Austrian AAB AG (formerly known as MEINL BANK) in the course of its insolvency proceedings.
Austria > Private client Tier 2
Private foundation law, succession law, inheritance law, real estate, and tax law are the main focal points of GRAF ISOLA’s private client practice. High-net-worth individuals and family businesses turn to the team for seamless advice, in particular in relation to wealth management and restructuring and inheritance matters. Team leader Armenak Utudjian has extensive experience in this field including handling testaments, real estate issues and company asset management. Associate Stefanie Swatek provides additional support advising on the corporate and commercial investments of private clients, trusts, and real estate planning and management.Practice head(s):
Armenak Utudjian
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Very high quality.’
‘Armenak Utudjian – one of Austria’s leading private client lawyers who brings complex issues to the point.’
‘Deep knowledge, wise counseling, very high emotional intelligence, speed.’
Key clients
Andra Privatstiftung
Bene Privatstiftung
Motycka Privatstiftung
Talent Privatstiftung
Medem Privatstiftung (former name 4 M Privatstiftung)
Peter Lisec Privatstiftung
Work highlights
- Advising Peter Lisec Privatstiftung with the administration of the foundation’s assets.
- Advising a group of Austrian foundations and its subsidiaries in a wide range of legal topics and defending them from legal claims in Austrian court worth several hundred millions of euros.
- Acted for a family foundation in defending against claims worth millions of euros in an Austrian court and arbitration proceedings.
Austria > Intellectual property Tier 3
Claudia Csáky, who heads up the IP practice at GRAF ISOLA, is ‘an experienced lawyer with a solid knowledge of trademark law’, she also covers patent disputes, copyright matters and unfair competition issues. A focus of the practice is litigation work, for example the team represents life sciences clients in patent disputes. It also provides advisory support in connection with acquisitions, assessing trademark strategies or assisting advertising agencies with copyright compliance issues.Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Claudia is a reliable and competent partner in the Austrian IP sector. I always enjoy working with her. She is competent, fast and efficient. Her practice covers the entire field of intellectual property law with a focus on trademark, copyright and competition law as well as information technology. Claudia also has specific expertise and litigation experience in patent disputes.’
‘The team at GRAF ISOLA is particularly strong in trademark litigation matters. I admire their ability to focus on the clients’ needs and to get quickly familiar with the facts of the matter.’
‘Claudia Csaky is an experienced lawyer with a solid knowledge of trademark law. She always understands clients’ needs and is a pleasant person to work with.’
Key clients
Werkhuizen
Hubert Burda Media (Netdoktor.de GmbH) Netdoktor.de GmbH
KTM Fahrrad GmbH
LUKOIL International GmbH
therapie-info PSISYS GmbH
Torresbarylli Werbeagentur GmbH
Brokkoli Advertising Network GmbH & Co KG
kraftWerk Agentur für neue Kommunikation GmbH
AM Baugeräte und Handels GmbH
Ferring Pharmaceutical
VELUX
Work highlights
- Advised Burda on the acquisition of netdoktor.at and netdoktor.ch.
- Advised LUKOIL in respect to copyright matters for its new advertisement strategy.
- Represented KTM Fahrrad in three landmark court cases against KTM motorcycle group.
Austria > Data privacy and data protection Tier 4
The practice at GRAF ISOLA cooperates and overlaps with other departments of the firm, such as corporate, competition and IP. Leading the practice are Marija Križanac, who ‘always offers creative, high-quality solutions, even in very complex data protection matters’, and founding partner Ferdinand Graf, whose focus includes cross-border transactions and restructurings.Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Graf&Isola company has very competent team members in different law areas, therefore our company is working with them for more than 20 years. They always offer us customized solutions, are open for any question/request and support us very professional and successfully.’
‘Marija Križanac has excellent knowledge in GDPR area, she thinks globally, especially in relation to our worldwide operating Group. Ms. Križanac supports us in finding unique solutions due to her creative thinking. Communication with Ms. Križanac is very easy and sufficient, she is a good listener, very responsive and reliable person.’
‘In-depth knowledge of international data protection/privacy law. Very client-oriented team around Marija Križanac with a pragmatic approach. Transparent billing.’
‘The data protection practice of Graf Isola Rechtsanwälte GmbH is fantastic. Lead by the brilliant Marija Križanac, they always provide practically well implementable solutions for our company. If we need quick answers, they are only one call away – Marija Križanac is very knowledgeable and does not need extensive preparation time for our issues.’
‘Marija Križanac is highly competent and a fast thinker; she whips out ideas seemingly out of the blue and gets to the point without any “lawyer-gibberish”. We also appreciate her economic understanding of our industry and our company’s needs. All in all, she is a very talented lawyer; I have recommended her many times to other business partners.’
‘I recommend clients to Marija Križanac, the head of this practice. Marija Križanac is an excellent attorney at law with a practical approach. She is very experienced in all data protection matters and always gives high-quality legal advice.’
‘The practice stands out mainly because of its lead individuals. Take Marija Križanac, the head of the practice, for example: Marija is not just a brilliant lawyer, but also a recognized scholar, which is why we hired her in the past when we needed expert opinions for data privacy-related issues.’
‘Marija Križanac is our go-to for all data privacy matters; she is very knowledgeable and has a highly practice-oriented approach. We mainly appreciate her for her on-point expert legal opinions, which have been well-received every time.’
Key clients
LUKOIL International GmbH, LUKOIL Holding GmbH
VELUX A/S; VELUX Österreich GmbH, VKR Holding A/S
Irving H. Picard (Trustee for the substantively consolidated SIPA liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC & Bernard Madoff)
Austrian Ministry of Finance
NetDoktor.de GmbH (Hubert Burda Media Group)
therapie-info PSISYS GmbH
Logwin Group
nonconform ideenwerkstatt GmbH
MSE International Healthcare Systems GmbH (MSE Group)
EMTensor
FOPI – Forum der forschenden pharmazeutischen Industrie in Österreich
AM Baugeräte HandelsgmbH
Work highlights
- Provided a legal opinion to the Austrian Minister of Finance regarding the (limits of) the obligation to submit documents to the parliamentary investigative body under data protection law in a high-profile case where the Minister of Finance was obligated by a ruling of the Constitutional Court to provide documents (including personal data inter alia of employees of the Ministry of Finance) to the parliamentary investigative body that was established to investigate the so-called “Ibiza-scandal” that brought down the Austrian government and triggered new elections in 2019.
- Assisted NetDoktor.de with the acquisition of the digital brands/websites Netdoktor.at and Netdoktor.ch from the Vienna-based netdoktor.at GmbH, which included data protection advice.
- Provided advice / legal opinions to Irving H. Picard (Trustee for the substantively consolidated SIPA liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC & Bernard Madoff) regarding possible mechanisms to obtain documents/personal data in a GDPR-compliant manner from the subsidiary of an Austrian bank for civil proceedings in the US.
Austria > Dispute resolution: commercial litigation Tier 4
GRAF ISOLA‘s litigation offering is now led by employment law expert Jakob Widner and is part of its wider advisory services. Consequently, the group is well placed to handle a wide range of disputes including those pertaining to IP, insolvency and restructuring, employment and corporate law. Clients include corporates, private foundations and public sector bodies.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Vienna Jewish Community
Dexia Credit Local
KTM Fahrrad GmbH
Province of Salzburg
therapie-info PSISYS GmbH
Wirtschaftskammer Österreich (Chamber of Commerce)
Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft mbH (BIG)
Work highlights
- Representing the Vienna Jewish Community and the heirs of Karl Mayländer in a dispute over the restitution of a famous Schiele artwork against the Lehman foundation; this case is pending before the courts of the state of New York.
- Representing KTM Fahrrad in a multi-jurisdictional trademark dispute against KTM Motorcycle group.
- Representing Dexia Cedit Local in a dispute against the Republic of Austria pertaining to an outstanding repayment following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers.
Austria > Employment Tier 4
GRAF ISOLA focuses its employment practice on company pension law and collective labour law. The firm advises clients from the oil & gas, IT, engineering, entertainment and non-profit social services sectors, among others. Practice head Jakob Widner also leads the dispute resolution practice group and is well versed in handling employment litigation as well as drafting contracts and separation agreements and assisting clients in restructurings.Practice head(s):
Jakob Widner
Testimonials
‘Availability is very good and very satisfying speed in delivering as promised, good communication skills.’
‘Very fast answers, very good knowledge of our industry and our needs, absolute suitability of all received advice regarding practical implementation, successful regarding avoidance of legal disputes, but also regarding satisfaction of the need of our employees, absolutely good value for money.’
‘Mr. Jakob Widner: fast, practical, reliable.’
‘Our experiences so far have been that there was always a competent contact person for the various point we have brought forward, and the questions raised were handled in a timely manner.’
Key clients
Samariterbund
JobRad
Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ)
Andritz Hydro
LUKOIL Lubricants Europe
Escada
Surecomp
cortical.io
Work highlights
- Advising Samariterbund (ASBÖ) on negotiating and clarifying the legal status of Corona-helpers (Corona-testing; Corona-vaccinations) in negotiations with involved stakeholders (national insurance providers; chamber of employees; other aid organisations), finding practical solutions to complex legal issues in support of those active at the forefront in the challenging surroundings of the Corona-crisis.
- Advising the Chamber of Commerce on the overhaul of indexation mechanisms for pension and salary schemes (successful litigation/representation before Austrian courts including the supreme court in all cases; consequences of future mechanism and planned changes).
- Advising JobRad Österreich GmbH on all employment matters relevant to setting up a presence in Austria.
Austria > Banking and finance Tier 5
GRAF ISOLA utilises its solid insolvency and restructuring expertise - co-head Stefan Weileder is a key contact for this - to advise on (re)financing issues arising from restructuring and insolvency scenarios. Weileder jointly heads the practice with Otto Wächter, whose wide-ranging banking and finance expertise includes acquisition, project, real estate and infrastructure finance, regulatory matters and banking litigation. Among the clients are public sector bodies, financial institutions and medium-sized corporates.Practice head(s):
Key clients
Lukoil
Province of Salzburg
Dexia
Steiermärkische Bank und Sparkassen AG
Work highlights
- Advising several creditors in the course of the insolvency proceedings of Anglo Austrian AAB AG (formerly: MEINL Bank).
- Advising an international French bank on various infrastructure financings, particularly in Poland.
Austria > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 6
GRAF ISOLA recently advised foreign and domestic corporations from the energy, TMT, hardware and software industries in corporate matters. The focus is on traditional and distressed M&A. Ferdinand Graf leads the practice group, which also includes Andreas Edlinger; he further advises on corporate restructurings.Practice head(s):
Ferdinand Graf
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The team regularly advises our company on complex international issues. I would say their expertise is unique – experts of such calibre are rare in any market. Top-level professionals with a matter-oriented approach, being experts in their business sector. Attention to clients’ needs and details.’
‘Professional high-level approach of Andreas Edlinger.’
Key clients
Cherry GmbH
NetDoktor.de GmbH (Hubert Burda Media)
Tyson Foods (Tyson Foods Europe BV)
LUKOIL International GmbH
Kraftwerk (“kraftWerk” technologies GmbH”)
cortical.io AG
Erdöl-Lagergesellschaft mbH
Dexia Credit Local
Peter Lisec Privatstiftung
VKR Holding A/S
Work highlights
- Advised Cherry on the acquisition of Theobroma Systems GmbH.
- Advised Burda on the acquisition of netdoktor.at and netdoktor.ch.
- Advised Tyson Foods on a cross-border restructuring.
GRAF ISOLA > Firm Profile
The firm: GRAF ISOLA was founded in 1994 and is one of the leading independent Austrian commercial law firms with offices in Vienna and Graz. The full-service firm advises in all fields of Austrian and European business law with a client base from all sectors of industry – both domestic and foreign – as well as public authorities.
GRAF ISOLA has 25 qualified lawyers including six partners – most are recognised experts in their field and have years of international experience. The firm is internationally known for its hard work approach and efficient and creative way of handling complex cases in a solution-oriented manner. GRAF ISOLA has an extensive network with international leading law firms across the globe – with whom the firm regularly co-operates based on a best friends philosophy.
Areas of practice
Banking and finance: the firm provides advice on the full range of banking law and on all types of financing, in particular acquisition and project financing. The firm has built a strong banking litigation practice involving banking, regulatory, and capital markets disputes -it has advised and represented in some of the largest cases/litigations in the aftermath of the financial crisis.
Corporate/M&A: the firm’s specialists advise on all matters of corporate law – often on complex corporate transactions such as restructurings, spin-offs, mergers and transformations – both in Austria and cross-border. Recent work highlights include advising a prominent Russian conglomerate on cross-border restructurings and capital measures and advising one of the largest Austrian publicly listed corporations on the spin-off and subsequent merger of subsidiaries.
Competition and antitrust: the firm has extensive expertise in (national and European) merger control, cartels and antitrust proceedings, dawn raids and internal audits, abuse of market dominance proceedings, structuring of distribution systems and co-operation agreements between companies.
Dispute resolution: GRAF ISOLA is a top-tier firm for all types of complex commercial litigation and arbitration – both domestic and international. The firm has extensive experience in arbitration proceedings under all leading institutional rules and has become increasingly well known for its work in high-profile cases in the areas of restitution of looted art, social media/data protection, telecommunication, white-collar crime and shareholder disputes.
Employment: advice on all areas of individual and collective employment law – both in terms of an ongoing consultation, as well as in the course of restructurings and business acquisitions (M&A-related).
Insolvency and restructuring: the firm has for decades long been a leading firm for insolvency and restructuring and has in recent years advised on almost every major insolvency/restructuring case in Austria. Key strength areas include in particular: advice on restructuring and insolvency (in and out of court), insolvency administration, distressed M&A, voidance law, capital replacement law, capital maintenance law, insolvency dispute resolution and international insolvency law.
IP and IT: advice on all areas of intellectual property law and information technology spanning from the registration of trade marks, strategic advice on trade mark creation, and development and the protection of all sorts of intellectual property claims (including patent rights).
Projects/procurement and infrastructure: the firm is renowned for its advisory work on large-scale projects especially in the infrastructure and transport sector (PPP projects and project finance), leading expertise on preparation and structuring of procurements, conduct of procurement proceedings and on advising private bidders in their procurement participation (classic and sectorial area).
Real estate and construction: the firm provides comprehensive advice relating to real estate and property spanning real estate transactions in the form of asset and share deals, project development, real estate financing including collateral agreements, developer and condominium agreements, building rights agreements, rent/lease (commercial and housing), leasing, special licence agreements and Austrian property transaction law.
Estate planning/trust and estates: leading expertise on counselling individuals, enterprises and family-run businesses on asset structuring and succession planning.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Banking and finance | Otto Waechter | o.waechter@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Competition and antitrust | Ferdinand Graf | f.graf@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Data protection | Marija Krizanac | m.krizanac@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Compliance and white-collar crime | Alexander Isola | a.isola@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Compliance and white-collar crime | David Seidl | d.seidl@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Corporate/M&A | Ferdinand Graf | f.graf@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Dispute resolution | Jakob Widner | j.widner@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Employment | Jakob Widner | j.widner@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Estate planning/trust and estates | Armenak Utudjian | a.utudjian@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Insolvency and restructuring | Alexander Isola | a.isola@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Insolvency and restructuring | Stefan Weileder | s.weileder@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
IP and IT | Claudia Csáky | c.csaky@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Projects/procurement and infrastructure | Marija Krizanac | m.krizanac@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Real estate and construction | Armenak Utudjian | a.utudjian@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Regulatory | Jakob Widner | j.widner@grafisola.at | (+43 1) 401 17-0 |
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Dr Ferdinand Graf | Ferdinand Graf heads the M&A, competition and cartel law practice groups. He… | View Profile |
![]() | Dr Armenak Utudjian | Armenak Utudjian is recognized as an expert especially in the fields of… | View Profile |
![]() | Dr Otto Waechter | The practice group lead by Otto Wächter concentrates on complex regulatory issues… | View Profile |
![]() | Mag Stefan Weileder | Stefan Weileder is co-heading the insolvency and restructuring group together with Alexander… | View Profile |
![]() | Mag Jakob Widner | Jakob Widner heads the firm’s Labour and Employment Law Practice and has… | View Profile |