Bert Ortner heads the firm’s employment practice. Prior to joining KNOETZL, he had been a partner at a major Austrian corporate law firm for over 20 years, where his practice focused on labor and employment matters for corporate clients, real estate and corporate advisory work, and litigation as well as M&A transactions and the resolution of post- M&A disputes. Bert has represented clients in numerous landmark cases, scoring successful results in disputes involving managers‘ liability, shareholder disputes and employment law. He is one of the top legal practitioners in the staffing and workforce industry, and he represents many of the world’s leading enterprises in that sector. Bert is a trusted counsel of the Association of Austrian Staffing Enterprises. He is regularly involved in the negotiation of collective agreements with unions, representing employers in such negotiations and, if necessary, litigation, including with work councils and staff. Bert has market-leading experience in individual and mass layoffs, and he has successfully implemented legally effective measures to substantially reduce payroll costs for major Austrian manufacturing enterprises, most notably in the metal and machinery sectors.

Bert graduated from the University of Vienna in 1989 and obtained a masters degree from New York University School of Law in 1994. He is admitted to the New York (1995) and Austrian Bar (1998). He is a sworn court interpreter for English/German.