The law firm bpv Hügel has opened its first Austrian office outside the greater Vienna area in Salzburg. Site manager is Dr. Sonja Dürager (42), she already heads the IP/IT/Data Protection practice group.

bpv Hügel is thus focusing more on clients in Salzburg, Upper Austria and Tyrol as well as in neighboring southern Bavaria. This region “is one of the most economically active centers in Europe and stands for growth and innovation”, says co-managing partner Dr. Florian Neumayer.

Specialized, international

Points are the law firm with international experience and highly specialized advice. For example, the law firm has a highly respected practice in antitrust law and maintains an office in Brussels that specializes in antitrust law. In Salzburg, the area is considered “massively underrepresented”, according to a local competitor: “At F, the luminaries are based in Vienna.” Through its bpv Legal alliance with Central and Eastern European law firms, bpv is also present in Bratislava, Budapest and Bucharest.

The law firm also advises clients from western Austria on corporate law, IP/IT law and public law. The location starts in the center of Salzburg, with Sonja Dürager in particular on site. All in all, four other partners at bpv have their roots in Salzburg or Upper Austria, so that there is also a broad basis for advice in the festival city in terms of personnel. A further increase in personnel is planned.

Viennese law firms have often found it difficult to set up branches in Salzburg. An exception is the law firm Niederhuber & Partner, which has gained a foothold in public law with partner Paul Reichel. At the beginning of 2020, the WKK Law unit, which is renowned for its criminal law work, dared to make a surcharge. For her, the lawyer Dr. Vanessa McAllister an office in the city of Mozart.

Strong local competitor

Other Benn-Ibler, Schiefer or Pelzmann Gall Größ locations that have existed for a long time were hardly able to assert themselves against the strong local competition. These include Pressl Endl Heinrich Bamberger (PEHB), Ebner Aichinger Guggenberger and Zumtobel Kronberger. PEHB is by far the strongest personal unit in Salzburg and only a few months ago gained the General Counsel of Porsche Holding as a partner.