The 2027 editions of the Best Lawyers® Awards in Austria, Germany and Switzerland reflect the continued strength of the region's legal markets. Selected entirely through peer review, honorees represent a highly distinguished cross-section of legal talent, drawn from millions of evaluations submitted by lawyers assessing peers in the same practice areas and geographic regions. Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions and Litigation results lead across all three countries, spanning hundreds of firms from Vienna and Zurich to Germany's multi-city legal sector.
Evaluating Legal Excellence
Best Lawyers recognition is determined through a Purely Peer Review® methodology grounded in peer evaluation, with lawyers assessed by fellow practitioners in the same practice areas and geographic regions. Research combines evaluations from each cycle with cumulative historical feedback, drawing on millions of confidential evaluations analyzed globally.
Within that framework, "Lawyer of the Year" honors go to those receiving the highest overall peer feedback in their practice area and region, while Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch recognizes earlier-career lawyers demonstrating professional excellence.
Scope of the 2027 The Best Lawyers in Austria™
The 17th edition of The Best Lawyers in Austria draws on 11,202 evaluations submitted this cycle and 70,000 cumulative historical evaluations. A total of 500 lawyers across 175 firms were recognized for professional excellence across 47 practice areas and five geographic regions, representing approximately the top 8% of the legal community in Austria. Of those, 31 received the "Lawyer of the Year" honor.
Recognition is heavily concentrated in Vienna, which accounts for 482 of the 500 awarded lawyers. The remaining honorees are distributed across Linz, Innsbruck, Graz and Salzburg.
Austria's Leading Practice Areas
Corporate Law leads Austria's 2027 results, followed by Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Banking and Finance Law, Litigation, Real Estate Law and Labor and Employment Law.
The continued prominence of these six practice areas year over year reflects the enduring demand for legal services across the country’s core business sectors. Corporate and M&A work remain central to the market despite selective transaction activity, while Banking and Finance recognition points to continued restructuring and refinancing work.
Real Estate Law reflects financing pressures, insolvencies and isolated transactions. Litigation addresses commercial complexity and restructuring-related disputes, while Labor and Employment Law highlights ongoing adjustments around teleworking, workforce regulation and employment models.
Austria's corporate environment is also being shaped by a significant shift in financial crime enforcement and regulation:
- Expanded Financial Crime Legislation: New legislation expanded financial crime procedures, classified false declaration of losses as a criminal offense, introduced punitive surcharges and capped daily cash payments at 10,000 euros.
- Surge in Enforcement Actions: Austria's Anti-Fraud Office recovered more than 154 million euros in 2025, up more than 47 million euros from the prior year, concluding 7,288 financial criminal proceedings and putting a stop to 411 fraudulent companies, as detailed by the Austrian Ministry of Finance.
- Tightened Corporate Governance: Austria has also made amendments to its corporate governance framework, tightening board duties, disclosure requirements and minority shareholder protections, a legislative shift tracked via official statutory filings with the Austrian Parliament.
Celebrating Austria’s "Lawyer of the Year" Recipients
The following legal professionals also earned the "Lawyer of the Year" honor in Vienna across the leading practice areas in The Best Lawyers in Austria 2027:
- Andreas Schwaighofer, Grama Schwaighofer Vondrak Rechtsanwälte GmbH — Real Estate Law
- Christian Herbst, Schönherr Rechtsanwälte GmbH — Corporate Law
- Christian Klausegger, BINDER GRÖSSWANG Rechtsanwälte GmbH — Litigation
- Günther Hanslik, CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz Rechtsanwälte GmbH — Banking and Finance Law
- Konrad Gröller, Freshfields — Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Sieglinde Gahleitner,Rechtsanwaltskanzlei Gahleitner — Labor and Employment Law
Gender Trends in Austria
According to official data from the Austrian Bar Association, women represent over 25% of practicing lawyers nationwide while constituting more than 52% of registered trainee lawyers.
The 2027 Best Lawyers results reflect this ongoing gender imbalance among senior practitioners. However, as the growing pipeline of trainee lawyers advances through the profession, peer-reviewed recognition is well positioned to reflect that progress over time.
Discover all the honored lawyers by visiting our Find a Lawyer in Austria page.
Findings From the 2027 Edition of The Best Lawyers in Germany™
Best Lawyers continues to expand its reach across the legal profession through its 17-year partnership with Handelsblatt, Germany’s leading business and financial news source.
The 18th edition of The Best Lawyers in Germany recognizes 7,086 legal professionals across 87 practice areas, representing the top 4% of lawyers in Germany across 1,348 distinct firms. Additionally, 226 practitioners achieved the "Lawyer of the Year" distinction.
Unlike single-city legal communities, Germany's results demonstrate a decentralized, multi-hub distribution across several prominent economic regions. Nordrhein-Westfalen leads with 1,582 recognized lawyers, reflecting the collective strength of several major legal centers across the Rhine-Ruhr region. This is followed closely by strong regional concentrations in Hessen (1,498), Bayern (1,473), Berlin (1,026) and Hamburg (945).
Corporate Law leads the most represented practice areas, followed closely by Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Intellectual Property Law, Labor and Employment Law and Litigation.
The Next Generation of Excellence: Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Germany™
The sixth edition highlights 2,497 emerging professionals across 36 practice areas, representing the top 5% of lawyers in Germany across 498 firms. Reflecting the expanding footprint of talent, 125 firms are represented exclusively by these honorees.
Geographically, the concentration of developing talent shifts slightly to Hessen, which leads the country. Mirroring the broader market trends, Corporate Law stands as the most prominent specialty among these awardees. Real Estate Law also maintains significant visibility among these emerging professionals, reflecting a steady workload in project development, financing and regulatory compliance during a period of ongoing industry adjustment in the real estate sector.
A Record-Breaking Research Cycle
Germany’s 2027 research cycle reflects exceptional scale and participation across both established and emerging legal talent, driven by record-breaking voter engagement that continues to reach new heights each year.
- The Best Lawyers in Germany: Vetted by 383,742 individual evaluations this cycle alone, contributing to an authoritative, cumulative historical database of 2,028,633 overall evaluations.
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Germany: Assessed by 282,938 evaluations this year, bringing its collective historical database to 930,290 total evaluations.
Where Germany’s Legal Talent Clusters
As businesses face new commercial risks, practitioners in these five practice areas serve as key resources:
Corporate Law
To comply with updated commercial laws, companies in Germany face immediate changes to their operations in 2026. Businesses must review existing contracts to align with updated withdrawal rights, compulsory disclosures and Right to Repair obligations. Those bidding on public contracts face new documentation requirements under stricter procurement due diligence rules. Clauses permitting large cancellation fees or unilateral price increases are under scrutiny as unfair terms restrictions tighten. Stricter rules on environmental advertising claims are also expected under the EU Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive.
These honorees have achieved the "Lawyer of the Year" honor within Corporate Law:
- Alexander Kiefner, White & Case LLP — Hessen
- Georg Maier-Reimer, Oppenhoff & Partner Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater mbB — Nordrhein-Westfalen
- Jens Wenzel, Hengeler Mueller — Berlin
- Jochen Ettinger, Dissmann Orth Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft Steuerberatungsgesellschaft GmbH — Bayern
- Jürgen Rieg, Kuhn Carl Norden Baum Rechtsanwälte PartG mbB — Baden-Württemberg
- Till Soyka, Langrock Voß & Soyka — Hamburg
Mergers and Acquisitions Law
M&A remains central to Germany's commercial legal sector despite a period of adjustment. Germany's public M&A sector declined by approximately 37.5% in 2025, with 20 offers totaling 17 billion euros, as the going-private trend persisted alongside limited IPO activity. A 500 billion euro government-backed infrastructure and climate fund is expected to stimulate activity in energy, construction and utilities.
The "Lawyer of the Year" award for was presented to:
- Claus-Peter Fabian, CMS Hasche Sigle — Baden-Württemberg
- Georg Linde, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP — Hessen
- Hartwin Bungert, Hengeler Mueller — Nordrhein-Westfalen
- Martin Oltmanns, Flick Gocke Schaumburg — Berlin
- Stefan Hoffmann, Hoffmann & de Vries Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälten mbB — Hamburg
- Steffen Oppenländer, Milbank LLP — Bayern
Intellectual Property Law
IP recognition reflects Germany's continued prominence in technology, patents, innovation and brand protection. AI-generated inventions can receive patent protection provided a human contributor is named as the inventor, with listing AI itself as inventor not permitted. Legal debate continues over whether AI can hold rights such as copyright authorship or be the subject of other IP protections. A draft amendment to Germany's Unfair Competition Act would introduce stricter rules on misleading environmental claims in advertising.
In Intellectual Property Law, the "Lawyer of the Year" distinction was presented to:
- Bernhard Arnold, ARNOLD RUESS Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaft mbB — Nordrhein-Westfalen
- Gregor Schmid, Taylor Wessing Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB — Berlin
- Julian Eberhardt, Eisenführ Speiser Patentanwälte Rechtsanwälte PartG mbB — Bremen
- Jürgen Held, Vogel & Partner Rechtsanwälte mbB — Baden-Württemberg
- Michael Goldmann, Harte-Bavendamm Rechtsanwälte — Hamburg
- Rembert Niebel, SKW Schwarz Rechtsanwälte — Hessen
- Tilman Müller-Stoy, Bardehle Pagenberg — Bayern
Labor and Employment Law
Germany's minimum wage rose to 13.90 euros per hour at the start of 2026, with a further increase to 14.60 euros planned for 2027. The government plans to replace the daily working hour limit with a 48-hour weekly maximum, alongside a new obligation to implement electronic time recording. Core EU AI Act obligations for high-risk AI systems now apply, covering HR tools such as candidate pre-screening and performance analytics and requiring traceable documentation.
The following practitioners have been awarded the "Lawyer of the Year" honor for their work in Labor and Employment Law:
- Charlotte Beck, addworx legal Arbeitsrecht– Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälten mbB — Berlin
- Christian Arnold, Gleiss Lutz — Baden-Württemberg
- Christian Betz-Rehm, maat Rechtsanwälte Späth und Partner PartG mbB — Bayern
- Doris-Maria Schuster, Gleiss Lutz — Hessen
- Peter Schrader, Laborius mbB — Niedersachsen
- Sebastian Naber, Neuwerk Rechtsanwälte PartG mbB — Hamburg
- Timon Grau, Pusch Wahlig Workplace Law — Nordrhein-Westfalen
Litigation
Litigation has remained in Germany's top five practice areas since replacing Real Estate Law in the 16th edition. Specialized Commercial Courts have been established across several German states, with proceedings able to be conducted in English for disputes of 500,000 euros or more. A Federal Ministry of Justice draft proposes modernizing arbitration law with digitalization and expanded English-language proceedings.
In Litigation, the "Lawyer of the Year" award was presented to:
- Alice Broichmann, Kröck Dispute Resolution — Bayern
- Carsten Witzke, RSM Ebner Stolz — Hamburg
- David Quinke, Gleiss Lutz — Nordrhein-Westfalen
- Meike von Levetzow, Noerr Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB — Berlin
- Roman Wexler-Uhlich, BRP Renaud und Partner mbB — Baden-Württemberg
- Vanessa Wettner, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP — Hessen
Gender Trends in Germany
As with Austria, male lawyers represent the majority across Germany's 2027 Best Lawyers results. The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch data offers an encouraging counterpoint. Labor and Employment Law stands out as a practice area where female honorees outnumber their male counterparts. Energy Law and Health Care Law also reflect relatively strong female representation within the results, while Insurance Law has achieved full parity among its honorees.
To explore who was recognized in this year’s awards, visit our Find a Lawyer in Germany page.
Insights From the 2027 Edition of The Best Lawyers in Switzerland ™
The 17th edition saw its highest voter turnout to date, with more peer evaluations submitted during this cycle than in any previous year. These 15,747 evaluations, alongside 128,009 cumulative historical votes, form the foundation of this year's results. The recognitions highlight 727 recognized lawyers from 181 firms across 51 practice areas, accounting for approximately the top 7% of the Swiss legal market. Within this group, 60 exceptional practitioners were also awarded the "Lawyer of the Year" honor.
Switzerland's leading legal talent is anchored primarily in the major commercial hubs of Zürich and Geneva, with additional representation extending across Lausanne, Basel and Berne.
Key Drivers Shaping Switzerland's Top Areas of Specialization
The following analysis highlights the shifting regulations and commercial trends influencing the results across this edition's top five Swiss practice areas:
Corporate Law
Legislative updates, including amendments to the Ordinance on Minimum Taxation of Large Corporate Groups, align Switzerland with international global reporting requirements. This enables multinationals with annual revenues of 750 million euros or more to submit consolidated information directly to the Federal Tax Administration for all partner countries rather than having to submit it to each tax authority separately, as outlined in the Swiss Federal Council's centralized filing framework.
The "Lawyer of the Year" honor for Corporate Law was awarded to:
- Andreas Rötheli, Lenz & Staehelin — Geneva
- Jean-Luc Chenaux, Kellerhals Carrard — Lausanne
- Peter Böckli, Böckli Bühler Partner — Basel
- Philipp Haas, Advestra AG — Zurich
Litigation
The ICC approved revised arbitration rules designed to make dispute resolution faster and less complex. Amendments to Chapter 12 of Switzerland's Private International Law Act have modernized how parties structure agreements, manage multi-party disputes and enforce awards. New Supplemental Rules for Trust, Estate and Foundation Disputes address the complex cross-border dynamics of private wealth cases.
These individuals have been chosen for the "Lawyer of the Year" award in Litigation:
- Balz Gross, Homburger AG — Zurich
- Bernhard Berger, Kellerhals Carrard — Berne
- Daniel Staehelin, Kellerhals Carrard — Basel
- Miguel Oural, Lenz & Staehelin — Geneva
Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Switzerland's M&A sector recorded 502 transactions and a deal volume of approximately $166.8 billion in 2025, outperforming the previous year despite a challenging economic environment. Inbound transactions rose 65% to a record 104 deals, reflecting international appetite for Switzerland's stability and specialist niche industries. Private equity activity surged 45% to 116 deals.
Within Mergers and Acquisitions Law, the "Lawyer of the Year" distinction was earned by:
- David Ledermann, Lenz & Staehelin — Geneva
- Dieter Dubs, Bär & Karrer AG — Zurich
- Mathieu Blanc, Kasser Schlosser avocats — Lausanne
- Rolf Wüthrich, burckhardt LTD — Basel
Banking and Finance Law
The Bern Financial Services Agreement between Switzerland and the United Kingdom established a mutual recognition regime for cross-border financial services. FINMA introduced new requirements for the systematic integration of climate and environmental risks into bank and insurer governance processes. A major overhaul of the Anti-Money Laundering Ordinance now requires identification of the natural person behind every complex corporate structure, with digital assets subject to equivalent standards.
The "Lawyer of the Year" honor for Banking and Finance Law is given to:
- Marco Häusermann, Niederer Kraft Frey Ltd — Zurich
- Shelby R. du Pasquier, Lenz & Staehelin — Geneva
Tax Law
Switzerland is navigating a significant shift in international corporate taxation. The country introduced new filing obligations under the OECD's global minimum tax framework, requiring large multinational groups to report and pay a minimum 15% tax rate. Several Swiss regions have responded with research and development credits and innovation incentives to remain competitive as a business location.
The following individuals have been chosen for the "Lawyer of the Year" award in Tax Law:
- Stefan Oesterhelt, Homburger AG — Zurich
- Thomas Jaussi, JP Steuer AG — Basel
- Xavier Oberson, Oberson Abels SA — Geneva
Gender Benchmarks and Leadership Progression
Male lawyers represent the majority throughout Switzerland's largest practice areas, reflecting the established composition of the legal workforce. This distribution aligns with the historical timeline required to achieve senior-level recognition, with the highest concentration appearing in high-volume sectors like Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Banking and Finance Law.
Market trends indicate an ongoing shift as the professional pipeline advances across the industry. This progression is already visible in specialized fields, where both Biotechnology Law and Maritime Law have achieved full parity among their recognized practitioners.
Niche Sectors See Notable Growth
Beyond the top five, several smaller practice areas recorded strong percentage gains in Switzerland's 2027 results. Bet-the-Company Litigation and Financial Institutions led the way, with Sports Law, Venture Capital Law and Trusts and Estates also showing notable growth. These represent a selection of the fastest-growing smaller practice areas, with additional disciplines including Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Public Law, Construction Law and Labor and Employment Law also recording notable gains across the edition.
See the featured lawyers on our Find a Lawyer in Switzerland page.
For further context, see the 2026 editions for Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
The Lawyers Who Define the Industry
The 2027 Best Lawyers editions for Austria, Germany and Switzerland reflect a region where commercial legal expertise remains in strong demand and peer-reviewed recognition carries real weight. Spanning corporate, transactional and disputes practices across hundreds of firms, the results recognize practitioners across all career stages, from established figures to emerging lawyers already earning the confidence of their peers.
Austria, Germany and Switzerland each bring their own legal traditions, commercial priorities and professional cultures to these results and it is that individual strength, country by country, that defines the broader excellence of the region.
Explore the full Find a Lawyer directory to discover leading legal professionals across international jurisdictions.
Disclaimer: Best Lawyers recognitions are routinely evaluated to ensure the integrity of our data. Due to evolving professional circumstances, including shifts in an attorney’s active practice status, the total number of recognized lawyers may adjust over time.
