Offering a wealth of experience in compliance matters, Cerha Hempel excels at the intersection of white-collar crime with business and EU regulatory law. Praised by clients as ‘one of the market leaders in the field of white-collar crime’, the team’s focus areas encompass the full spectrum of investigations, including those of parliamentary committees, as well as court and appeal proceedings. Stefan Huber is an expert in sanctions compliance and leads the team alongside Hans Kristoferitsch, who is a key contact for work related to public and administrative law, and Peter Lewisch , who is well versed in matters with international elements.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Our first port of call whenever a legal issue on white-collar crime arises in Austria. They have outstanding legal skills and the ability to find common ground and viable solutions. The team we are working with can deal with all our complex questions. ’

  • 'Very flexible, pragmatic, and solution-oriented team of experts in white-collar crime areas. There is no question about the team's professional competence and highly appreciated pragmatism. Stefan Huber has in-depth experience within its field. He enjoys what he is doing and the team works very well together.’
  • ‘High level of expertise, good service quality.’

  • ‘Stefan Huber is efficient, works solution-oriented, and has a high professional competence.’

  • ‘Stefan Huber is always available, professional, friendly, open, and pragmatic. Very positive atmosphere at any time and appreciative collaboration on both sides. ’

  • ‘Clearly one of the market leaders in the field of white collar crime.Very strong and efficient team with tons of experience. ’

  • ‘Peter Lewisch is one of the greatest legal minds and a great team player. He always offers solutions and is the perfect partner to navigate through stormy times. Stefan Huber is very efficient and great to work with. He is very experienced and a great lawyer.’

  • ‘Hans Kristoferitsch has a lot of experience, knowledge, and a quick understanding of client needs. He challenges the client very diligently upfront to develop the most suitable strategy. Very convincing.’

Key clients

  • Gas Connect Austrian GmbH
  • GATX Rail Austria GmbH
  • Two high ranking public officials
  • 3P GmbH
  • Wiener Stadtwerke
  • Wien Energie GmbH
  • STRABAG SE
  • SPAR Warenhandels-AG/SES
  • Illwerke
  • RHI
  • Sunpor
  • Bloch3

Work highlights

  • Represented Gas Connect in a corporate criminal trial for alleged environmental crimes, leading to a full acquittal of Gas Connect and its staff.
  • Represented Wien Energie GmbH in police investigations arising from exploding energy prices in 2022 and related loans from the City of Vienna and the Republic of Austria.
  • Advised streamline, a world-wide initiative by RHI, on sanctions compliance.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Peter Lewisch, Hans Kristoferitsch, Stefan Huber

Other key lawyers

Holger Bielesz