Central Europe

With more than 110 lawyers, our Vienna office is one of the largest in Austria. More importantly, with our recognised experts, we are able to provide innovative, quality legal advice for even the most complicated assignment. Our successful corporate/M&A practice features prominently in Austria’s top-end inbound and outbound investments, while the intellectual property and competition practices frequently dominate the headlines in their respective fields. Our market-leading real estate team advises on prestigious projects in Austria and CEE/SEE. Alone or in cooperation with other Schoenherr practice groups, the dispute resolution and regulatory teams successfully represents clients in all forms of dispute resolution in Austrian and international tribunals. The banking & capital markets team is increasingly visible in all markets where we have a presence.

Starting in 2004 and experiencing continuous growth ever since, Schoenherr Bulgaria has established itself among the leading market players. Our Sofia office has become a popular address for multinational corporations looking for efficient, timely and comprehensive legal advice. A workforce of 22 lawyers with outstanding expertise in their respective areas of specialisation and an international education (Columbia Law School, Oxford, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Central European University, Universidad de Barcelona and more) can team up to cover the specific requirements of any high-end transaction in a time-sensitive manner. Whereas quality work to international standards is a matter of course, clients further benefit from our understanding of their business needs and value our ability to strongly advocate their interests. In 2009, PLC Which Lawyer? ranked Schoenherr Bulgaria among the top 10 law firms and first among international legal advisors in Bulgaria, with recommendations in corporate/M&A, real estate and competition matters.

Schoenherr, together with Croatian lawyers, commenced its activities in Croatia in 2001. Initially with a strong focus on M&A, the team profited from the thriving economic activity in Croatia at the beginning of the millennium. Schoenherr was involved in most of the headline deals, including privatisations in the insurance and energy industries (gas utilities), private to private transactions in the insurance and banking sectors and foreign investment in the pharmaceuticals and food trading industries. Building on this early success, Schoenherr has acted for many of the large real estate investors attracted to Croatia in recent years. In line with market developments, the office has recently experienced a rapid expansion of its banking & finance practice.

Established almost two decades ago, the office in Prague joined Schoenherr in 2009. Traditionally focused on assisting foreign investors with setting up their businesses in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the team has grown into a renowned legal advisor for international and domestic companies in all areas of commercial law. The Prague office is a recognised leader in a number of areas, including competition, large scale privatisations, domestic and cross-border M&A, corporate restructuring, construction and real estate, financing, regulatory law and employment. Client satisfaction has been repeatedly reflected by international awards, such as the 2011 ACQ Law Awards for "Cross-border Law Firm of the Year in Czech Republic" and "Commercial Arbitration Law Firm of the Year in Czech Republic" as well as the 2007 International Law Office "Client Choice Award" for Czech Republic.

Located in the heart of the European Union, our Brussels office provides valuable assistance so Schoenherr can effectively represent its high profile cases before the European Commission. Established in 1996, a presence in Brussels has played a key role in Schoenherr’s becoming a highly-regarded firm in the area of competition and EU law, not just in Austria but throughout its network of offices. This was recognised when Schoenherr’s EU & competition practice was ranked amongst the top 25 competition practices worldwide in PLC’s Competition Super League. The CEE/SEE expansion of Schoenherr goes hand in hand with an increased workflow in EU-related merger control and antitrust litigation.

Schoenherr’s Warsaw office is a full-service practice that focuses on corporate, mergers & acquisitions, banking & finance, real estate, energy, IP/IT and public procurement law. The 20-lawyer team advises domestic and international clients on investing in Poland and on cross-border transactions. Our Warsaw team has particular experience in restructurings, energy matters (including wind park developments), major public procurement matters (e.g. motorways) as well as major project development and project finance matters. Our client list includes international corporate groups from several practice areas, including international banks, real estate developers, investment funds, manufacturers and industrial companies. Most lawyers at the Warsaw office have studied in other countries in addition to their education in Poland. Furthermore, several lawyers have benefited from several months’ work experience in the other offices of our network. We advise our clients in several languages, including English, German, French, Swedish, Italian and Polish.

Opened in 1996, schoenherr’s Bucharest office is one of the most experienced international firms on the Romanian market. The 55-lawyer team advises mainly foreign investors on the complete range of corporate and commercial legal issues, with an emphasis on sophisticated corporate, finance and real estate transactional work. The Bucharest office is active in a large number of renewable energy (windparks) projects. It has built an impressive track record in the oil and gas retail, telecommunication, insurance, banking, pharmaceutical, construction, real estate development and IT industries. Its banking & finance team enjoys an excellent reputation in transactional and regulatory finance and capital markets work. The real estate team regularly acts on the largest property transactions in the country. The dispute resolution practice has expanded significantly over the past year, necessitating the hiring of a new partner for that team. The Romania office has also recently established a new communications, media and technology desk.

Schoenherr has a long history of working with local offices to advise Austrian and other foreign investors in Slovakia. In 2009, Schoenherr finally established its own office in Bratislava with the aim of improving and expanding its scope of work there. The team, which consists of lawyers with previous experience at international law firms, advises international and domestic businesses on their investments, M&A activities, restructurings, competition issues and real estate acquisitions and development.

Schoenherr’s Ljubljana office was established in 2001. It has since developed into a leading international firm on the Slovenian market. We advise predominantly foreign investors on the complete range of corporate legal issues, including large-scale privatisations, private equity investments, real estate acquisition and project finance, as well as non-transactional work such as competition advice and litigation. We have extensive experience in the energy, telecommunication, insurance, banking, retail, construction, real estate development, life-sciences, media and debt collection sectors. The team is comprised of 14 lawyers, all experienced and specialised in at least one of the Schoenherr core business sectors. Most of our lawyers have a good command of both English and German and have been with the Schoenherr Ljubljana office from its beginning.

Schoenherr opened its Kyiv office in 2006. It focuses on corporate, mergers & acquisitions, real estate and project finance. It also advises international clients on investing directly in Ukraine and on their local subsidiaries. In its successful early years the office has represented international clients in the insurance, construction, real estate and banking sectors.