Riss, Olaf

"The image of what lawyers do is often shaped by media coverage and feature films: in a conflict situation, they take sides for one party or the other. This is an important part of our work, but only a small part. In my view, lawyers make their most important contribution by designing the rules that govern how we all live together. If these rules are well thought out, conflicts don't arise in the first place. I try to focus my research on this goal."

• Property law, credit security law, and insolvency law
• Banking contract law and financial market law
• Terms and conditions law and consumer law
• Existing rights and property development contract law
• Economic analysis of law
• In each case, including European references

• 1996-2000 Law degree (University of Vienna)
• 2001-2011 Assistant at the Institute for Civil Law (University of Vienna)
• 2002-2003 Postgraduate university course (University of Vienna) Information and Media Law
• 2004 Doctorate in Law with distinction (University of Vienna)
• Since 2006 Senior Researcher / Consultant / Associated Researcher at the Institute for European Tort Law of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the University of Graz
• 2013 Awarded teaching qualification in civil law, corporate law, and civil procedure law (University of Vienna)
• 2014 Bar exam passed with distinction (Vienna Higher Regional Court)
• 2012-2016 Trainee lawyer and lawyer in Vienna
• 2014-2019 Professor of Civil Law (University of Linz)
• 2019-2025 Professor of Private Commercial Law (University of Klagenfurt)
• Since February 2025 Professor of Austrian and European Civil Law at the University of Vienna