Pitkowitz & Partners

What Pitkowitz & Partners does

Pitkowitz & Partners is a Vienna-headquartered international commercial law firm operating under the legal entity Pitkowitz Foerster Rechtsanwälte GmbH, a privately held Austrian limited liability company. Founded in July 2021 as a spin-off from Graf & Pitkowitz Rechtsanwälte GmbH by Dr. Nikolaus Pitkowitz, Dr. Martin Foerster, and Roxanne de Jesus, the firm concentrates on two practice areas: Dispute Resolution (international commercial arbitration, national litigation, and mediation) and Real Estate and Construction Law (transactions, property law, construction disputes, green lease advisory, and energy zone planning). Supporting offerings include Class Actions Advisory, Third-Party Funding Advisory, and Pro Bono work, alongside knowledge resources such as the annual Vis Moot Cheat Sheets and the co-edited Austrian Yearbook on International Arbitration.

The firm operates with a lean boutique structure of approximately 20 professionals, including four partners (Pitkowitz, Foerster, de Jesus, and Peter Machherndl, who joined as partner in January 2024) and a roster of associates. It maintains a single office at Schwarzenbergplatz 3, Vienna, but serves an international client base; founding partner Dr. Nikolaus Pitkowitz alone has acted in over 140 international arbitrations across Europe, North and South America, and Asia. The firm is recognized in GAR 100 (three consecutive years), Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, The Legal 500, Who's Who Legal, JUVE, Best Lawyers, and trend Anwaltsranking across arbitration, mediation, dispute resolution, and real estate categories.

The business model is professional-services based: legal advisory billed on hourly rates or fixed fees for defined engagements, sold directly to corporate clients and real estate sector participants through a reputation-driven go-to-market motion anchored in legal directory rankings, academic engagement, conference sponsorship (Columbia Arbitration Day, CDRC Vienna, Vienna Arbitration Days), and institutional leadership (VIAC presidency). There is no software platform, no API, and no AI/ML technology stack — the offering is delivered exclusively through partner-led engagements.

Name

Pitkowitz & Partners

Legal name

Pitkowitz Foerster Rechtsanwälte GmbH

Website

https://pitkowitz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vienna-headquartered international commercial law firm founded in 2021, specializing in international arbitration, complex litigation, mediation, and real estate/construction law for corporate clients and real estate sector participants. Operates as a 20-person boutique under Pitkowitz Foerster Rechtsanwälte GmbH.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate & Commercial Law (BPAHAAAA), Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• International arbitration services
• Commercial dispute resolution
• Real estate law
• Construction law advisory
• Litigation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Advisory Services: Professional legal services in dispute resolution (arbitration and litigation) and real estate/construction law, typically billed hourly or at fixed fees for defined engagements

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pitkowitz & Partners is a Vienna-based commercial law firm providing legal services in two core areas: Dispute Resolution (international commercial arbitration, national litigation, and mediation) and Real Estate and Construction Law (transactions, property law, construction disputes, and green lease advisory). The firm serves corporate clients and international companies requiring complex dispute resolution and real estate legal expertise.

Product overview

Pitkowitz & Partners is a Vienna-based commercial law firm offering legal services rather than technology products. The firm operates two primary legal service lines: Dispute Resolution (encompassing international arbitration, national litigation, and mediation) and Real Estate and Construction Law. Supporting specialized services include class actions advisory, third-party funding advisory, and Pro Bono work. The firm also produces knowledge resources including annual Vis Moot Cheat Sheets for the international arbitration competition community. As a law firm, the practice does not operate a software platform or modular product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dispute Resolution Services Comprehensive dispute resolution services including international commercial arbitration, national litigation, and mediation for corporate clients across multiple industry sectors.
• Real Estate and Construction Law Legal services covering real estate transactions, property law, construction disputes, green lease advisory, and energy zone planning for developers, investors, and property companies.
• Class Actions Advisory Advisory services on collective redress and class actions in Austria, including analysis of the Austrian-style class action framework.
• Third-Party Funding Advisory Advisory services on third-party funding in international arbitration, including analysis of funding agreements and related legal considerations.
• Pro Bono Legal Services Unpaid legal services including support for Ukrainian refugees in Austria with housing law advice, contract drafting, and state support consultation.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FHWien der WKW (Real Estate Management)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026Annual Immobilienfrühstück (Real Estate Breakfast) co-hosted with university. Focus on current topics in real estate law and market developments. Martin Foerster serves as founding partner hosting these events.
• UNCITRAL (United Nations Commission on International Trade Law)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 November 2023Team members spoke at UNCITRAL training for Saudi Arabia delegation on UNCITRAL Model Law on International Arbitration and mediation texts.
• WU Wien Vis Moot TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2023Main sponsor of WU Vienna team for Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Provides coaching, cheat sheets summarizing case issues, and kick-off events.
• Weizmann Institute of ScienceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2023Annual Weizmann Lecture hosted at firm premises featuring scientists from Weizmann Institute. Open to clients and guests for interdisciplinary exchange.
• DIS (German Institution of Arbitration)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 November 2022Joint event with DIS and Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA) on common arbitration culture in DACH region. Roxanne de Jesus participated as panelist.
• Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2022Dr. Nikolaus Pitkowitz elected VIAC President (2022-2025). VIAC is the leading international arbitration institution in Central and Eastern Europe. Partnership involves leadership and institutional development.
• Columbia Law School - Columbia Arbitration DaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2022Headline sponsor of Columbia Arbitration Day for 10+ consecutive years. Conference brings together scholars, practitioners, arbitrators, judges and students for annual discussion on international arbitration challenges.
• AIJA (International Association of Young Lawyers)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2021Sponsor of AIJA seminars on Construction Disputes. Martin Foerster served as organizer of on-site program and previously as President of Real Estate Commission.
• CDRC Vienna (Consensual Dispute Resolution Competition)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2021Silver sponsor. Competition founded by Nikolaus Pitkowitz in 2015. Brings together 28 universities and 50 experts in mediation and negotiation. Supported by IBA and VIAC.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DLA Piper: Global law firm with a significant Vienna office and a broad international arbitration practice. Overlaps with Pitkowitz & Partners on Austria-based arbitration matters but serves a much wider range of practice areas and geographies.
• Baker McKenzie: Global law firm with a long-established Vienna office and active international arbitration practice. Competes for CEE arbitration mandates and complex commercial litigation in Austria at the top of the market.
• White & Case: Global law firm consistently ranked in GAR 100 with a strong international arbitration practice and a Vienna office. Competes for the same cross-border arbitration mandates, particularly those seated in Vienna or involving CEE parties.
• Hogan Lovells: Global law firm with a substantial international arbitration practice and a Vienna office. Competes for cross-border arbitration mandates, particularly those involving energy, infrastructure, and investor-state disputes overlapping with Pitkowitz & Partners' sector experience.
• Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan: Global litigation and arbitration boutique with a consistently top-ranked international arbitration practice. Competes head-to-head with Pitkowitz & Partners for high-value arbitration counsel mandates, particularly investor-state and complex commercial matters.
• CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz: Austrian-headquartered arm of the CMS global law firm network with a significant dispute resolution and real estate practice. Directly comparable in Austrian market coverage but offers a far broader full-service platform.
• Freshfields: Global elite law firm with a leading international arbitration practice and a Vienna office. Competes for the same big-ticket CEE arbitration mandates as Pitkowitz & Partners, but operates a much broader global practice across many practice areas.

Direct peers

• Wolf Theiss: Austrian-headquartered full-service law firm with strong CEE coverage and a well-regarded dispute resolution practice. Competes directly with Pitkowitz & Partners for international arbitration matters seated in Vienna and for Austrian real estate mandates.
• Schoenherr: A leading Austrian and Central European full-service law firm headquartered in Vienna with one of the largest dispute resolution and real estate practices in the region. Directly comparable to Pitkowitz & Partners in arbitration depth and Austrian real estate law rankings.
• Binder Grösswang: Austrian full-service law firm with a strong dispute resolution and real estate practice. Direct competitor in the Austrian legal market for both arbitration and real estate mandates, similarly ranked in Chambers and Legal 500.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pitkowitzpartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pitkowitz & Partners