Aigner Lehner Zuschin Rechtsanwälte > Linz, Austria > Firm Profile

Aigner Lehner Zuschin Rechtsanwälte
BETHLEHEMSTRASSE 3/6
4020 LINZ
Austria

Austria > Dispute resolution: commercial litigation Tier 3

Investor protection litigation is at the heart of Aigner Lehner Zuschin Rechtsanwälte‘s practice, which is well known for its wealth of experience in the financial markets industry. Practice co-head Lukas Aigner is described by clients as ‘one of the most important pioneers of investor protection law in Austria,’ with his workload including disputes related to financial derivatives and hedge fund structures. He leads the team alongside Johannes Lehner, who is a specialist in civil procedure and tort law, and offers niche expertise in disputes tied to professional football.

Practice head(s):

Lukas Aigner; Johannes Lehner

Other key lawyers:

Georg Zuschin; Maximilian Weiser

Testimonials

‘Perfect combination of excellent legal skills, experience before court, personal empathy, and high efforts of creating trust.’

‘Excellent legal skills, straight communication and exceptional persuasiveness towards witnesses and clients in difficult situations . Georg Zuschin is representing all those characteristics.  Lukas Aigner is a mastermind & charismatic team leader.’

‘Good and thorough analysis of the problem before taking on a mandate. Working extremely precisely and goal-oriented.’

‘Johannes Lehner: very analytical, precise and accurate preparation for legal disputes.’

‘Very competent and fast working.’

‘I consider them to be one of the leading law firms in the field of dispute resolution and litigation. The firm stands out due to the direct involvement of the partners in litigation and trial planning. The firm has extensive experience in resolving disputes before both ordinary courts and arbitration tribunals.’

‘Lukas Aigner has been extremely successful in dispute resolution in numerous investor protection cases in recent years, including complex financial derivatives and hedge fund structures worldwide.’

‘Lukas Aigner can be described as one of the most important pioneers of investor protection law in Austria, and he has particularly profound experience in the enforcement of disputed claims, especially in capital market law cases.’ 

Key clients

CA Immobilien Anlagen AG

City Administration of the Provincial Capital City Linz

A group of CPI Immobilien Group investors

VIE Wohnimmobilien Getreidemarkt 16 Entwicklung GmbH

A group of Wienwert investors

Unitherm Beteiligungs GmbH

A group of Wirecard AG investors

Federal State of Upper Austria

The Financial Directorate of the City of Linz

Romcab S.A.

Management Beteiligungs-gesellschaft m.b.H.

Work highlights

  • Represented CA Immobilien Anlagen AG regarding civil law claims in connection with possible partial influence on the best bidder process concerning the privatisation of the federal cooperative property companies (BUWOG) in 2004.
  • Represented the City of Linz in a litigation against Austrian Bank BAWAG P.S.K. regarding a failed transaction linked to foreign currency, which caused a €640m loss to the City of Linz.
  • Advised hundreds of CPI Immobilien Group investors on the bankruptcy of the CPI real estate group.

Based in Vienna and Linz, with two head offices and two additional regional offices, Aigner Lehner Zuschin Rechtsanwälte serves clients throughout Austria and specialises in the areas of investor protection law, capital markets, banking and finance, insurance and litigation, real estate, construction law, real estate litigation and real estate dispute resolution.

Aigner Lehner Zuschin Rechtsanwälte has proven specialists with market-leading expertise, which enables the team to understand their clients’ concerns with a detailed industry perspective and to develop clear and efficient solutions for even the most complex problems. An international network enables tailored solutions for cross-border cases and transactions.

Investor protection law: Aigner Lehner Zuschin is well known as a team of specialists for complex litigation, especially investor lawsuits. Aigner Lehner Zuschin represent institutional as well as private investors including communities and state near companies. The special expertise of the law firm lies in the fact, that knowledge is derived from the financial markets industry and a strong international network of experts and financial engineers in cooperation.

Large volume civil disputes: Due to a strong academic background Aigner Lehner Zuschin are highly recognised for their outstanding legal due diligence with the scope of developing enforceable claims. As an example Aigner Lehner Zuschin are in the lead of the litigation between the City of Linz and BAWAG PSK. The lawsuit is one of the largest ever brought to an Austrian Court, dispute amount is EUR 640m; Since the lawsuit was filed to court, the case has been covered strongly by Austrian as well as international media. In August 2022 the Supreme Court decided that the Swap 4175 was invalid. After years of intense ligation in court, the team of legal representatives of the City of Linz succeeded in negotiating a settlement with the legal representatives of BAWAG PSK.

Furthermore Aigner Lehner Zuschin are assigned by CA Immobilien Anlagen AG to enforce civil claims in context to the bid process around the 2004 privatisation of state run undertakings (BUWOG flats) worth EUR 960m. Aigner Lehner Zuschin also represent CA Immo as a victim in the criminal proceeding against former Austrian Minister of Finance Karl-Heinz Grasser among other defendants. The 1.9bn claim filed in May 2020 against the Republic of Austria and the state of Carinthia represents the largest civil law claims ever pursued in Austria.

Department Name Email Telephone
Vienna Mag. Lukas Aigner l.aigner@aigner-partners.at +4313619904
Linz Dr. Johannes Lehner j.lehner@aigner-partners.at +43732272850
Photo Name Position Profile
Lukas Aigner photo Mag Lukas Aigner Founder and naming partner
Johannes Lehner photo Dr Johannes Lehner Naming partner
Number of lawyers : 5
German
English
French
Italian
Spanish
Slovakian

TESTIMONIAL: Aigner Lehner Zuschin Rechtsanwälte have impressed me in the past as a law firm that has used particularly sophisticated litigation strategies to enforce claims for damages even against numerous major litigants. Lukas Aigner has particularly profound experience concerning the enforcement of contentious claims, especially in capital market law cases. Johannes Lehner has a broad background in commercial law, so that both stand out as a team with remarkable assertiveness in contentious litigation proceedings. I consider Aigner Lehner Zuschin Rechtsanwälte to be one of the leading law firms in the field of dispute resolution and litigation. The firm has succeeded in implementing an innovative litigation strategy to keep the cost risk in the proceedings low and is able to implement economically even highly complex matters in court and to cut through them in every respect.


TESTIMONIAL: I always appreciate the friendly and efficient responsiveness of the Aigner team to my requests. Over the last twelve years I had in several cases – some of them in court – the opportunity to evaluate and assess their strengths in supporting me.


TESTIMONIAL: I highly appreciate Aigner Lehner Zuschin for its great professional competence, goal-oriented approach and many years of experience in the field of commercial litigation. The latest developments in case law and the status of other pending proceedings are presented comprehensively but understandably, strengths and weaknesses of the legal position are shown in a very clear manner. Prudent legal caution is applied, also with regard to the client’s litigation risk. I also liked the initiative in processing and reviewing the facts of the case. As a result of this not only the legal thinking but also the professional understanding of the subject matter of the case is excellent.


TESTIMONIAL: All team members I worked with are very dedicated to their clients. Johannes Lehner combines his outstanding litigation expertise with strong knowledge in real estate law and strong government know-how. He takes personal care of the cases in all aspects. Lukas Aigner is well known in Austria and the firm has a number of other attorneys and associates, so that the personnel requirements are always in place to handle even very resource-intensive disputes. The personal involvement of the partners in the cases should be emphasized. The matters under dispute are handled in a leading manner by the responsible partners themselves in order to ensure best quality, which of course has a positive effect on direct communication and knowledge of the facts.


TESTIMONIAL: The coordination between the two branches of Aigner Lehner Zuschin Rechtsanwälte functions absolutely smoothly, so that from the client’s perspective the entire law firm operates as a well-rehearsed unit. The team members are very focused on each client and they are always looking for special solutions. I was impressed by the perseverance in each case, in addition a short answer time has also proved to be very agreeable.


TESTIMONIAL: Lukas Aigner is the founder of the law-firm but still accessible for every customer and very well informed about the cases. Johannes Lehner is very competent and helpful but also digs deep when handling cases and has an outstanding innovative approach for litigation.