Practice Area
Business & Company Law
Business decisions require legal structures that hold up even in disputes. We support companies and management from choosing a legal form and day-to-day contractual work through to restructuring, succession and liquidation, with a focus on liability, risk management and the interests of those involved.
When to Seek Advice
When Clients Come to Us
- A company is to be formed or restructured.
- Shareholders need robust rules for decision-making, exit and succession.
- Contracts with customers, suppliers or employees need to be drafted.
- Management or corporate officers face allegations of liability.
- A business is being transferred, acquired or wound down.
Typical Scenarios
The Legal Issues Involved
Formation and Legal Form
Choice of legal form, constitutional documents, commercial register matters and ownership structure, including for foreign businesses with projects in Austria.
Relations between Shareholders
Shareholders’ agreements and constitutional documents, voting and share acquisition rules, compensation clauses and resolution of deadlocks.
Contracts and Employment Law
General terms and conditions, supply, service and cooperation agreements, and employment contracts and terminations.
Restructuring, Succession, Liquidation
Changes of legal form, share transfers, handover to the next generation and orderly winding-up.
Our Approach
How We Handle Your Matter
Clarify the business objective
Clarifying the business objective and the interests involved.
Review contracts and commercial register entries
Reviewing existing contracts, resolutions and commercial register entries.
Explain structuring options and the consequences of decisions
A proposed structure setting out the key decisions and their consequences.
Coordinate commercial register matters and tax advice
Implementation, including commercial register matters and coordination with tax advisers.
Represent you in disputes
Support in disputes, including representation in court.
Legal Framework
Key Legislation
- UGB
- Austrian Business Code—status as a business operator, the commercial register, accounting and business transactions.
- GmbHG / AktG
- Company-law foundations for formation, corporate bodies, resolutions and officers’ liability.
- ABGB / AngG
- Contract law, damages and statutory warranty rights, and the foundations of the employment relationship.
Initial Consultation
Documents for the Initial Consultation
The more complete the documents, the more reliable the initial assessment.
- Commercial register extract and constitutional documents
- Existing contracts and resolutions relating to the project
- Current annual accounts or balance sheets, where relevant
- Tax adviser’s contact details
Business & Company Law: Discuss Your Case
Call or write to us—we generally respond within one working day.