Professional notice
A young Austrian firm founded by a well-known counsel and arbitrator in the region
| People in Who’s Who Legal | 1 |
|---|---|
| Pending cases as counsel | 4 |
| Value of pending counsel work | US$450 million |
| Treaty cases as counsel | 0 |
| Third-party funded cases | 0 |
| Current arbitrator appointments | 6 (1 as chair or sole) |
| Lawyers sitting as arbitrator | 1 |
Pitkowitz & Partners was created in 2021 when the disputes and real estate teams of Vienna-based firm Graf & Pitkowitz spun off as part of a three-way demerger. The legacy firm’s 10-strong international arbitration team moved intact to Pitkowitz & Partners, now working in new premises in the Austrian capital.
Nikolaus Pitkowitz co-founded the legacy firm in 1995 and continues to lead the arbitration practice at the new firm. He was recently elected as president of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre and is a renowned arbitrator, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, alongside his practice as counsel.
The Pitkowitz & Partners team, which also features arbitration partner Roxanne de Jesus, has developed a reputation advising international investors on disputes in Austria, often partnering with well-known US or UK firms.
The firm advises clients in the telecoms, media, renewable energy, financial services, real estate and construction sectors. Its cases encompass disputes over restitution of looted art and corporate shareholdings. Its lawyers have also acted in Permanent Court of Arbitration, LCIA, SIAC, Swiss rules and ad hoc proceedings, and in proceedings before the Austrian Supreme Court.
Who uses it?
In addition to the predictable roster of Austrian multinationals and high-net-worth individuals, members of the team have also advised various Austrian government entities and public bodies, such as the province of Salzburg. Examples of international clients include Facebook, Yahoo and China’s Kinve Solar Power.
Track record
Nikolaus Pitkowitz has acted as counsel in one of Austria’s largest ever arbitrations, a multibillion-dollar telecoms dispute.
The team’s other highlights include helping a high-net-worth private client prevail in an arbitration over restitution of land in Slovenia.
Members of the firm represented Lithuanian financial institution BAB bankas Snoras as co-counsel as it defeated an €11 million claim over a “back-to-back” transaction by Austria’s Meinl Bank.
The firm was lead counsel for a client who achieved full success in an ad hoc arbitration in a US$100 million dispute over restitution for a world-famous artwork worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Recent events
Pitkowitz & Partners reports having successfully represented an engineering company in a Vienna-seated arbitration concerning the construction of a Belgian plant.
The firm says there was also a successful outcome for Austrian pipeline and plant construction company Integral in a London-seated ICC proceeding filed by Italian and Slovak claimants.
US-based defence contractor General Dynamics is using the firm in a multimillion-euro case involving its Austrian production site and claims against a Chinese supplier.
The Austrian firm has also been advising Alperton Capital and its shareholders in a cross-border dispute relating to shares in various drillship companies. These include a US$700 million ICC arbitration, a restructuring proceeding in Brazil, and various other actions in the US and British Virgin Islands. The firm has already obtained an interim award preventing the other side from disposing of disputed shares.
Nikolaus Pitkowitz continues to be active as an arbitrator. He has recently sat in a US$200 million ICC arbitration concerning the termination of energy contracts between two European companies; and a US$100 million telecoms dispute.
The firm hired Peter Machherndl as attorney-at-law, a position equivalent to counsel, from CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz in Vienna. The firm also promoted Maximilian Müller to the same position.
Client comment
A partner at a Korean law firm credits Nikolaus Pitkowitz as being “an excellent arbitrator”, while de Jesus is “intelligent, responsive, and easy to work with”.
Pitkowitz & Partners, based in Vienna, is a leading commercial law firm focused on international arbitration and complex litigation, as well as on real estate and construction law.
Pitkowitz & Partners has one of the largest dispute resolution teams nationwide, which is led by Dr. Nikolaus Pitkowitz and Roxanne de Jesus. The team combines decades of experience in a wide range of matters and is internationally known for handling high profile cases (among others the largest ever pending arbitration in Vienna) and has extensive experience conducting arbitration proceedings in Europe, USA and Asia under all leading institutional rules.
Dr. Nikolaus Pitkowitz is considered one of the leading Austrian arbitration practitioners having acted as party counsel and arbitrator in over 130 international disputes, in a range from smaller to multibillion cases. In 2023 he has been elected as President of VIAC (Vienna International Arbitral Centre) the premier international arbitration institution in Central and Eastern Europe. He also acts as Vice Chair of the International Arbitration Committee of the ABA International Law Section and as Court Member of CIMAC (Casablanca International Mediation and Arbitration Centre).
Roxanne de Jesus mainly advises clients in complex cross-border litigation and arbitration proceedings. She is experienced in joint venture disputes involving multijurisdictional legal aspects, in complex construction disputes and has a considerable track record in proceedings relating to the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards.
Industries and matters covered by Pitkowitz & Partners include energy, automotive, telecoms, arts, post M&A, joint venture, real estate and construction. A track record of matters handled can be found at www.pitkowitz.com