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 | 5 |
| Value of pending counsel work | US$500 million |
| Treaty cases as counsel | 0 |
| Current arbitrator appointments | 7 (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-attorney international arbitration team moved intact to the new firm, 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 is vice president of the Vienna International Arbitration Centre and is a renowned arbitrator, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, alongside his practice as counsel.
The Pitkowitz & Partners team – which also counts partners Roxanne de Jesus and Martin Foerster among its 11 attorneys – 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 Lithuania’s Bankas Snoras 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
The Austrian firm has been advising Alperton Capital and its shareholders in a cross-border dispute relating to Alperton’s shares in various drillship companies. These include a US$400 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. Pitkowitz & Partners is representing Kinve Solar Power in a multifront dispute over a joint venture, which saw the firm secure an Austrian Supreme Court recognising a CIETAC award. The case has also led to seizure of assets by Austrian criminal authorities and litigation in Bulgaria and Germany, among other jurisdictions.
The firm is defending Austrian pipeline and plant construction company Integral in a London-seated ICC proceeding filed by Italian and Slovak claimants.
Pitkowitz & Partners, based in Vienna, is a leading commercial law firm. The firm’s focus is on international arbitration and complex litigation, as well as on real estate and construction law.
Pitkowitz & Partners forms one of the largest dispute resolution teams nationwide and 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 biggest ever pending arbitration in Vienna) and has extensive practical experience conducting arbitration proceedings in Europe, USA and Asia under all leading institutional rules.
Dr. Nikolaus Pitkowitz is considered a preeminent practitioner. He acted as party counsel and arbitrator in well over 130 international disputes, in a range from smaller to multibillion cases. Among others, he serves as Vice President of VIAC (Vienna International Arbitral Centre) and as Court Member of CIMAC (Casablanca International Mediation and Arbitration Centre).
Roxanne de Jesus focusses on complex cross-border litigation and international arbitration. She is experienced in joint venture disputes involving multijurisdictional legal aspects, and has a considerable track record in advising private clients as well as clients operating in the construction sector.
Industries covered include construction, TMT (technology, media and telecom), automotive, manufacturing, energy, hospitality, real estate, food, services and retail. A track record of matters handled can be found at www.pitkowitz.com