bpv Huegel maintains a strong dispute resolution practice, handling commercial litigation cases before the courts in Austria and of the European Union. Our team of experienced lawyers is equally well-versed in both national and international arbitration.

We are best known for resolving complex disputes, often involving novel points of law. The team has been involved in many ground-breaking cases where few precedents existed.

Our work in the fields of private enforcement of competition law, carbon emission certificates and energy agreements, for example, is illustrative but by no means exhaustive. We have been a pioneer in these fields for over a decade, having begun our involvement when private enforcement was virtually unheard of in Austria. We have defended against the first significant follow-on damages claims brought in Austria and continue to be involved in the most prominent private enforcement cases. Inter alia, we have also represented clients on the plaintiff side in commercial litigation, even against international organisations.

In arbitration, we represent clients in institutional as well as ad hoc arbitrations. Among others, we were successfully involved in an arbitration concerning long-term energy transportation, which due to Austria’s geographic location between East and West is a core issue for the Austrian economy.

The team also actively participates in dispute resolution institutions. Florian Neumayr, heading the practice, is a mediator for the Energy Community and serves as a member of the Domestic Advisory Board of VIAC, the premier international arbitration institution in Central and Eastern Europe.

Our work invariably has cross-border elements, and we are well versed in working with foreign law firms on multi-jurisdictional matters. Inter alia, we have significant experience in coordinating the international defence against follow-on claims arising out of cartel and construction cases.

While we cover almost the full range of industry sectors, we have been involved particularly in major disputes in the construction, energy and network-based sectors. We also act for high net worth individuals in resolving their international disputes.

As a full-service firm, we pair, where necessary, practice specialists in areas such as corporate, M&A, and tax with dispute resolution practitioners to provide comprehensive solutions to our clients under one roof.

• Florian Neumayr, Co-Managing Partner of the firm, heads the dispute resolution practice at bpv Huegel and is, in the words of Chambers , “going from strength to strength as a litigator”. He is considered amongst the no 1 practitioners in antitrust private enforcement in Austria. With over a decade of experience, he has been involved in many ground-breaking commercial litigation cases. He has also made himself a name as arbitration counsel. He has represented and advised, inter alia, in relation to ICC, VIAC, Hong Kong rules as well as ad hoc arbitration proceedings.
• Florian Plattner, Partner in the Moedling office, has strong experience in dispute resolution, both in litigation and arbitration. Over the last years, he has played a key role in many of the firm’s major dispute resolution cases.
• Christian Macho, Partner, focuses on commercial litigation in the Baden office of bpv Huegel. Amongst other engagements, he lectures at the Danube University Krems.
• Florian Gibitz, Partner in the Vienna office, having more than 20 years of experience in civil, corporate and M&A matters, regularly advises and represents in post M&A and arbitration proceedings entailing complex corporate and or civil law legal issues.