The settlement of disputes can be a complex and difficult matter; it not only requires a great deal of legal expertise, experience and sensitivity, but often also industry-specific know-how.
Whether it is litigation, arbitration, mediation or out-of-court negotiation: our sterling experts in litigious proceedings and conflict resolution will advise and represent you throughout Austria and internationally. We assist and support you upstream when it comes to choosing the right (procedural) strategy, subsequently during the (arbitration or court) proceedings as well as in out-of-court negotiations, up to the enforcement of your claims by way of levying execution.
For us, the top priority in all cases is to protect the interests of our clients and to weigh opportunities, risks and the costs of a lawsuit against each other, to assess them in specific terms and to communicate them transparently. Even in the most complex cases, our experts always keep an eye on the essentials in order to never lose sight of the key points in a dispute and to present them in a comprehensible manner.
All our experts have specialized in specific industries and sectors. In particular, we have broad knowledge and experience in the construction industry, the energy sector, in infrastructure and aviation. Thus, we are able to offer our clients a perfect combination of legal expertise and industry-specific know-how.
We support you before all Austrian courts in the assertion of your private law claims and rights. Even in the most complex cases, we will be there to advise and support you - from detailed preparation and legal analysis of the facts through all instances in court- if necessary – and right up to any proceedings to levy execution.
We advise you on all aspects, from the tailored drafting and review of arbitration clauses, to representation before international and national arbitral tribunals as well as actions for the setting aside or enforcement of arbitral awards before national courts. We have broad experience with all major arbitration rules and institutions, including, without being limited to, VIAC, ICC, DIS, SCC or ICSID, and we also regularly conduct ad hoc arbitration proceedings.
Furthermore, our experts are also active as arbitrators.
We advise and represent clients in all areas of civil and commercial law, including in out-of-court "alternative" dispute resolution proceedings, such as (commercial) mediation or arbitration proceedings. In such proceedings, even complex disputes can often be brought to an efficient and economically sound interest-oriented solution.
Not only do large construction and infrastructure projects often involve many parties, in most cases they also give rise to both complex legal and technical issues. The in-depth industry knowledge and sector-specific expertise of our experts can therefore be crucial when it comes to representing your interests in an optimum way.
In large international construction projects in particular, (arbitration or court) proceedings are often preceded by proceedings before a Dispute Adjudication Board (DAB). This body decides disputes quickly and in a provisionally binding manner in order to prevent delays in the execution of construction work. Here, the broad industry experience of our experts is again an asset.
The energy sector is characterized by a complex regulatory framework and a wide range of other aspects, such as long-term and stable contractual relationships, a high level of innovation in the field of renewable energies, frequent governmental involvement and high investment costs. Particularly due to the ever stronger political push for the energy turnaround, loaded fields leading to potential controversies are emerging; this may include prospecting disputes, issues of investment protection, exciting issues under constitutional law or the increased occurrence of claims for compensation based on climate-change related damage brought by NGOs and climate protectors.
We advise and support you in proceedings in courts of law as well as in arbitration proceedings. We also represent you before national and international regulatory authorities (in particular in tariff and abuse proceedings), before the Austrian Supreme Administrative Court and the Constitutional Court (VwGH and VfGH) as well as the before the European Commission and the ECJ.