Team size: 10

First, can you please give us an idea of the sort of work your team has done recently? 

My team and I support every STRABAG company in Austria which needs legal advice. Our advisory focus is construction law, dealing with construction projects in acquisition, in completion and afterwards, public procurement law and common civil law. We particularly provide support in the following fields:  commercial and company law; real estate law; public private partnership (PPP); capital markets law; data protection, IT-law; and property and facility management.  

We only mandate external lawyers when it is mandatory, for example dealing with court cases. We are a highly qualified team; all our legal experts have passed the bar exam.  

Together with the responsible managing board members of STRABAG, I deal with all facets of the “cartel case Austria”. This is my main task. Furthermore, I provide advice on PPP projects in Vienna or support big court cases. I am also legally responsible for the capital market communication and monitoring the compliance of our special guidance in the capital market.  

CML provides an integrated service, so lawyers work closely internally with the prequalification contract management teams. Hence, we are able to offer optimal assistance from a single source.  

How does your legal strategy change during periods of instability or uncertainty?    

In challenging times, it is important to stick and work closely with our internal clients. The legal team has to develop a strategic plan dealing with similar tasks. You have to be quick and on point!  

Do you make use of any ‘legal tech’ products, and if so, for which areas of your job do you find it most useful? 

Legal tech is also used in our business unit. For example, we have a fully electronic group company tool for billing. For case management, we use a specific tailor-made software for CML, which supports the drafting of contracts, e-discovery and cost tracking.