Professional notice
The Vienna boutique is defending an ICSID award it won against Argentina
| People in Who’s Who Legal | 2 |
|---|---|
| People in Future Leaders | 1 |
| Pending cases as counsel | 10 |
| Value of pending counsel work | US$4.14 billion |
| Treaty cases as counsel | 3 |
| Third-party funded cases | 0 |
| Current arbitrator appointments | 11 (4 as chair or sole) |
| Lawyers sitting as arbitrator | 4 |
Vienna disputes boutique Knoetzl was founded in 2016, largely out of a breakaway team from another Austrian firm, Wolf Theiss. Name partner Bettina Knoetzl is a prominent litigation and white-collar crime lawyer in the country.
The team that joined from Wolf Theiss included its former head of international arbitration, Florian Haugeneder. He is a well-known figure in the local arbitration scene and recently served as president of the Austrian Arbitration Association.
Another founding partner is Patrizia Netal. She is well known as a director of the Willem C Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot.
Partner Natascha Tunkel has experience in insolvency-related matters and is Knoetzl’s head of investigations.
Knoetzl works on commercial arbitration as well as investment disputes.
Track record
For Casinos Austria, the firm secured an ICSID award against Argentina in 2021 over an unlawful expropriation. With interest and costs, it is worth around US$36 million. The firm is now defending the award in annulment proceedings.
In 2016, the firm helped the Austrian State Printing House win a €5 million ICC award against Kosovo.
Recent events
Netal was appointed as the first female vice president of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre, having been a member since 2020.
Client comment
One well-known insurance company that uses the firm praises its tenacity and expertise. They also highlighted Netal for her outstanding service: “No matter how complicated the topic seems she always shows interest in every little technical detail and knows how to process the information she’s given.”
KNOETZL is a leading Austrian law firm dedicated to providing the highest quality of advocacy in arbitration and litigation, asset recovery and business crime.
KNOETZL’s arbitration practice encompasses international commercial arbitration, investment protection and arbitration-related court proceedings. KNOETZL’s expertise includes construction and engineering, energy, post-M&A, gaming, hospitality, automotive, IT and telecommunications, life science, healthcare and pharmaceuticals and aviation. The members of the arbitration team are routinely engaged as counsel and arbitrators under all significant arbitration rules.
KNOETZL’s team has been successfully involved in some of the largest and most complex commercial arbitrations in Austria and the CEE region of the last decade, and on behalf of some of the world’s largest companies. KNOETZL has a consistent track record of delivering favorable results to its clients. The distinct ability of KNOETZL to collaborate with partner law firms, experts and in-house counsel ensures high standards and efficient handling of the most complex cases.
KNOETZL is proud of providing high-end arbitration work with a truly cultural and gender diverse team at all levels, including partners. Our lawyers are widely regarded as leaders and innovators in the CEE and SEE regions, with top-tier international law firms routinely seeking out KNOETZL as co-counsel. The role KNOETZL’s team members hold in different institutions is testimony to the firm’s significance in the field of international arbitration.
Website: www.knoetzl.com