Law firm
Law firm for Criminal Law, Compliance and Whistleblowing in Austria
We offer customised solutions for special challenges. The firm’s founder, Dr. Elias Schönborn, not only specialises in Criminal Defense, but also has particular expertise in avoiding criminal law risks and the confidential Internal Investigation of possible legal violations. Austria-wide, discreet and with strategic foresight.
Dr. Elias Schönborn
Personalised. Professional. At your side in criminal law.
Due to his early specialisation in the field of criminal law, Dr. Elias Schönborn can look back on a large number of successful Criminal Defense cases in Commercial and Medical Criminal Law.
Criminal proceedings are often a threatening experience for the accused persons. In such critical moments, it is our role to guide you with prudence, expertise and human understanding and to defend you competently. With our in-depth legal knowledge and experience from a large number of criminal proceedings, we offer you a defense strategy that is designed to comprehensively protect your rights and interests.
Proven expertise in the areas of compliance and whistleblowing
Dr. Schönborn is co-author of the first Austrian handbook on Criminal Compliance. In addition to his work as a lawyer, Dr. Elias Schönborn is also a certified Compliance Officer and regularly advises companies and public institutions on the design of effective compliance structures, the identification and minimisation of criminal law risks and the conduct of Internal Investigations. He also specialises in all legal issues relating to whistleblowing and is co-author of the first legal commentary on the Austrian Whistleblower Protection Act (HSchG). In addition to his practical work, Dr. Schönborn is a lecturer for renowned providers such as ARS, AWAK and MANZ.
You can find more information about our services here. Further information on the areas of law in which we specialise can be found here.
EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
| since 2023 | Independent Attorney at Law & Criminal Defense Lawyer (law firm es.law in Vienna) |
| 2018 – 2023 | Associate/Attorney at Law at DORDA (White-Collar Criminal Law, Medical Criminal Law, Compliance, Civil Procedural Law) |
| 2023 | Legal 500: Honoured as 'Rising Star' (White Collar Crime) |
| 2022 | Certified Whistleblowing Officer training at the Institute for Internal Auditing Austria |
| 2022 | Recipient of the Promotional Award by Juristische Blätter |
| 2021 | Secondment as Inhouse Legal Counsel at GlaxoSmithKline Pharma GmbH in the area of Compliance |
| 2021 | Certified Compliance Officer training at Wirtschaftsförderungsinstitut Wien |
| 2020 | Bar Exam in the district of the Higher Regional Court of Vienna with honours |
| 2016 – 2019 | Doctoral studies in law at the University of Vienna, merit scholarship holder; graduated with honours |
| 2016 – 2017 | Judicial clerkship in the district of the Higher Regional Court of Vienna with honours |
| 2012 – 2016 |
Diploma studies in law at the University of Vienna and the London School of Economics and Political Science, specialising in criminal justice and criminal science;
top 10% of graduates in the 2015/16 academic year; recipient of three merit scholarships |
EXPERIENCE
- Successfully defended a leading global technology company in the healthcare sector in a criminal case as an accused association, achieving the termination of the investigation within a few months.
- Represented an aggrieved investor as a private party against an Austrian entrepreneur in cross-border criminal proceedings with a total amount of damages in the double-digit million range.
- Successful defense of a managing director in an international criminal investigation for allegations of fraud in the millions – termination of the investigation proceedings.
- Developed an anti-corruption guideline and provided ongoing criminal law compliance advice for a global medical device manufacturer.
- Advised and supported a global automotive supplier during an internal investigation following a whistleblower report of criminally relevant allegations.
- Created a compliance guideline and conducted a workshop for a public institution on anti-corruption and the avoidance of conflicts of interest.
- Successfully defended an accused managing director in a criminal investigation for allegations of embezzlement in the millions – proceedings were terminated after a few months.
- Represented a former professional soccer player as a private participant in an investigation related to a crypto fraud case with a six-figure amount of damage.
BOOKS
PROFESSIONAL ARTICLES
- Stampiglienbeschluss als rechtsstaatliches Feigenblatt
- Die Presse Rechtspanorama vom 29.1.2024 (together with Seidl)
- Ausgewählte strafrechtliche Schwachpunkte des HSchG (2024)
- ecolex 2024/1, 13
- Das strafrechtliche Nachspiel zu den Corona-Förderungen (2023)
- Die Presse Rechtspanorama vom 10.7.2023 (together with Dondras)
- Kapitel „Einbindung der Polizei“ und „Strafrechtliche Zulässigkeit von Lösegeldzahlungen“
- Anderl (Hrsg), #Cybercrime, 2023 (together with Steinhofer)
- How to implement an effective Criminal Compliance Management System (2023)
- CEJ 2023, Volume 9 No 1, 36
- Criminal Compliance mit System meistern (2023)
- ZWF 2023, 11 (together with Keimelmayr)
- Effektive Rechtsausübung und prozesstaktische Erwägungen für Privatbeteiligte (2023)
- ÖJZ 2023, 86
- Buchbesprechung – Korruption im Krankenhaus – effektiv vermeiden, gegensteuern und aufklären (2022)
- RdM 2022, 236
- Dürfen Strafverfolgungsbehörden Beschuldigte zur (biometrischen) Entschlüsselung von Endgeräten zwingen? (2022)
- JBl 2022, 361 (together with Seidl)
- Haftung & Prävention: Aktuelle Antworten zum “Fake President Fraud” (2022)
- Compliance Praxis 1/2022, 31 (together with Spadinger)
- Keine Geschäftsführerhaftung bei Cyber-Attacke – Zugleich eine Besprechung von OGH 8 ObA 109/20t (2022)
- ecolex 2022, 144 (together with Löw)
- Behördenzugriff auf Handys gehört gesetzlich geregelt – und begrenzt (2022)
- Die Presse – Rechtspanorama vom 10.1.2022 (together with Seidl)
- Anti-corruption compliance in times of the covid-19 pandemic – criminal law risks and incentives for compliance-management-systems in the healthcare sector (2021)
- CEJ 2021, Vol 7 No 1, 5
- Antikorruptions-Compliance in Zeiten der COVID-19-Pandemie (2020)
- RdM 2020, 268
- Offene Fragen zur Korruption im privaten Sektor nach § 309 StGB (2019)
- JSt 2019, 419
- Aktive Korruption als Untreue? (2019)
- ZWF 2019, 174
- Die Verursachung von Prozessrisiken aus strafrechtlicher Sicht (2019)
- JSt 2019, 228
- Der rechtlich begründete Anspruch im Korruptionsstrafrecht (2019)
- JSt 2019, 9
- Die Richtlinie zur Europäischen Ermittlungsanordnung – Kernfragen zu strafprozessualen Effizienzbestrebungen im Unionsrecht und Szenarien möglicher Rechtsschutzdefizite nach nationalem Recht (2017)
- juridikum 2017, 58
- Zur strafrechtlichen Beurteilung des konzerninternen Cash Pooling (2016)
- JSt 2016, 421
LANGUAGES
- German
- English
MEMBERSHIPS
| Association of Austrian Defense Lawyers (VÖStV) |
| Austrian White Collar Crime Association (AWCCA) |
| Association for Commercial Criminal Law (Wistev) |
| European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA) |
| Vienna Bar Association (RAK Vienna) |
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CONSULTATION APPOINTMENT
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