Highlighted by clients for combining ‘legal excellence and business drive in an outstanding way’, DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach Rechtsanwälte GmbH’s practice under the leadership of Elisabeth Stichmann is recommended for multijurisdictional transactions, with clients benefiting from the expertise gathered in the firm’s various international offices. Specialising in both corporate and capital markets law, Maria Doralt comfortably operates across the full spectrum of cross-border M&A, while Ekaterina Larens, who was promoted to partner in May 2024, is well versed in advising clients setting up their business in Austria.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Maria Doralt has to be singled out in the DLA team. She has a strong corporate background but also is firm and ambitious in M&A deals.'

  • ‘DLA is one of the very few truly global firms with offices all over the world. It stands out for this also in the Austrian market, but also has a very strong local Austrian footprint and a great team.’

  • ‘I have known Maria Doralt for more than two decades. She has always stood out as an exceptionally gifted lawyer and communicator. She is the best M&A transaction lawyer in the market.'

  • ‘This team stands out, not only because of its high level of expertise, but also because of its exceptionally quick comprehension, its solution-orientation and its understanding of economics.

  • ‘Elisabeth Stichmann: always available, quick and proactive response, and a pragmatic approach.'

  • 'Maria Doralt has a friendly, considerate and understanding demeanour. We highly and often recommend her.'
  • ‘DLA Piper has a unique business driven approach – it combines legal excellence and business drive in an outstanding way.'
  • 'DLA Piper always provides seamless service throughout teams, which is a huge asset.'

Key clients

  • Artariastraße Holdings GmbH
  • Capvis
  • FFF Real Estate II Sarl
  • General Electric Company
  • J&F Mineracao Ltda
  • Joom
  • Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC)
  • MAS Capital (Private) Limited
  • Merkur Sportwetten GmbH
  • MeSoFa Vermögensverwaltungs AG
  • Orex GmbH
  • Painter Investments Sarl
  • PetroRio
  • Pfizer Corporation Austria
  • PORR AG
  • Protime NV
  • Raiffeisen Bank International AG
  • Rudolf Heintel Gesellschaft m.b.H.
  • Stephan Zöchling
  • team.blue
  • YouGov Plc

Work highlights

  • Advised LAFC on its strategic partnership with and investment in FC Wacker Innsbruck.
  • Advised Stephan Zöchling on the acquisition of all shares in Sber Vermögensverwaltungs AG in liquidation.
  • Advised international online research data and analytics technology group YouGov plc on Austrian aspects of the acquisition of GfK CP, the European Consumer Panel Business of Germany based GfK SE for a headline purchase price of $342m.

Lawyers

Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Elisabeth Stichmann

Other key lawyers

Maria Doralt, Ekaterina Larens, Christoph Mager