Sharing our expertise, time and support is important to us as we are committed to extending our knowledge and help to our immediate community and beyond.
Each of our lawyers and staff has a cause that is close to their heart and that they support with passion. In the past, our team members have given their time and financial support to the following institutions or causes:
In September 2018, our KNOETZL team and their families joined the Around the World in a Day-charity run; a global race with a local focus, which was hosted by Hilton Hotels in Vienna in support of Sterntalerhof, an institution supporting families with terminally ill children and Das Hunger Projekt, which fights famine worldwide.
Access to legal expertise is often not affordable for some. Providing legal services to those who don’t have the financial capability and need help in navigating the local justice system is where KNOETZL stands out.
While legal aid is mandatory for lawyers in Austria, KNOETZL takes this obligation very seriously and rarely outsources this work. We have a high standard of quality and give our lawyers involved in legal aid proceedings the time and resources to focus on these cases.
Eligibility for free legal aid is decided by the local Bar Association (Rechtsanwaltskammer) on a case by case basis after evaluating a person’s financial situation. There are three areas for legal aid:
We get most cases in the area of criminal law which include accusations of theft, coercion, assault and battery, fraud, murder and attempted murder, dangerous threats, sexual assault, drugs, financial offenses, etc. We also frequently work on cases in the civil law arena, which often concern rental law and some family law cases, which we are particularly passionate about when the well-being of children is at stake.
We are very proud of the commitment, dedication and energy our lawyers put into their legal aid work. Even our young, trainee lawyers are so involved in these cases that, when starting out at KNOETZL, they learn very quickly how to present pleas and how to conduct trials. Consequently, our lawyers distinguish themselves both in the community and at court when defending legal aid cases, and have established themselves as passionate legal advisors who take their tasks seriously and give their all – because KNOETZL cares.
Katrin Hanschitz is Co-Chair of the International Life Sciences and Health Law Committee of the International Section of the American Bar Association (“ABA SIL”) as well as member of the Steering Committee of the ABA SIL International Litigation Committee and member of the Vienna Chapter of the ABA SIL.
Florian Haugeneder is the Vice President of the Austrian Arbitration Association (ArbAut).
Bettina Knoetzl is notably involved in the leadership of the Litigation Committee of the International Bar Association, including service as its Co-Chair during 2016 through 2017. Bettina is the first woman chair of the 150-year established Vienna Lawyers’ Association SOUPIRIUM, which meets once a month to informally discuss and influence legal and political topics. She is the President of the Advisory Board of Transparency International (Austrian Chapter), the Austrian representative of the ICC-FraudNet and Member of the Advisory Board of ZBP, the Career Center of the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Moreover, she teaches aspiring lawyers every year at the Austrian Law Academy (Anwaltsakademie) to share her knowledge and experience with the next generation of attorneys.
Patrizia Netal has been a Director, pro bono publico, of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot since 2012 and is an active member of the organization for more than 15 years.
