Austrian law firm Schoenherr has recruited Michael Magerl from Haslinger / Nagele as managing partner of its Linz office.

Magerl, a transactional specialist with extensive experience in banking and restructuring law, has spent his career navigating the Upper Austrian legal market, and his knowledge and expertise will further strengthen the leading Austrian independent firm as it continues to grow.

Michael Lagler, the managing partner of Schoenherr, said Magerl is “an experienced partner and excellent manager for our recently opened office in Linz,” adding he was “known for his professional expertise and many years of experience.”

He described Magerl as “a significant asset to Schoenherr and especially the Linz office.”

Magerl, who joins the firm at the start of September, said it was “a unique opportunity,” noting it marked the expansion of the firm’s relatively new Linz office, adding "our strengthened team in Linz will further expand its position in the Upper Austrian market.”

Magerl will be joined by fellow Haslinger / Nagele alumni Bettina Kranawetter, who joins Schoenherr’s Linz office as an associate. The additions coincide with the Linz office’s move into newly expanded office space on 6 September.

Magerl joined Haslinger / Nagele in 2007 and has since worked for the firm in the areas of banking, regulatory and contract law, spanning the full range of financial services products, as well as restructuring law and advice on international commerce. He was also a member of his former firm’s management board.

Kranawetter first joined Haslinger / Nagele as a trainee in 2015 and re-joined as an associate in 2018. Her principal practice areas include banking and capital markets, and commercial and corporate law.

Following the opening of their Linz office in November last year, Schoenherr has continued to grow. The firm is well regarded by the Mergermarket league tables for Austria, having been named as a leading M&A legal adviser by that publication for three consecutive years.

The firm previously promoted arbitration expert Victoria Pernt to counsel in August 2020, five years after joining the firm, reflecting the importance of her work in supporting commercial and investment arbitrations. Activity in that area is expected to rise—Vienna is a critical neutral hub for such disputes.

Pernt’s promotion follows that of Leon Kopecky. He was promoted to partner in February as part of a five-partner Austrian cohort in a ten-partner round, with two partners joining the senior band of equity partners, including tech-focused Austrian corporate lawyer Thomas Kulnigg.

Earlier this year, US firm Littler Mendelson also bolstered its presence in Austria through its alliance with Vienna-based law firm Gerlach Rechtsanwalte. At the same time, Baker McKenzie hired the experienced public procurement law specialist Kathrin Hornbanger.

Schoenherr rival Wolf Theiss promoted three Vienna-based partners—Clara Gordon, Matthias Schimka and Robert Wagner—in July as part of a five-partner promotion round. The firm also promoted two partners in Zagreb.

Elsewhere in central Europe, Polish firm NGL Legal recently hired a three-person healthcare team from Hogan Lovells, while in June JS Legal and Zieba & Partners combined to form B2R Law.