Legal notice, media disclosure and data protection for law firms in Austria

Five legal sources, one page

The good news first: all the details may appear on a single page that you link in the footer of every subpage, for example under “Impressum und Offenlegung” (legal notice and disclosure). The overview below shows which provision requires which part and when it applies.

The legal notice under § 5 ECG

The information must be permanently, easily and directly accessible. For lawyers, the key provision is § 5 (1) no. 6 ECG, which requires three additional items for regulated professions: the chamber, the professional title together with the member state in which it was awarded, and a reference to the professional rules including how to access them.

As the supervisory authority, firms in practice name the same bar association whose committee exercises professional supervision; a separate line “Aufsichtsbehörde: Rechtsanwaltskammer …” (supervisory authority) does no harm. The ECG does not require a membership number with the chamber, and your ERV address code (for electronic legal communication with the courts) does not belong in the legal notice either. The best place to link the professional rules is the ÖRAK's collection page, where all professional statutes and guidelines are available in their current version.

What the professional rules add

The Richtlinien für die Ausübung des Rechtsanwaltsberufes (RL-BA 2015, the guidelines on practising as a lawyer) govern how you present yourself to the public. Under § 28 RL-BA you use your first name and surname with your professional title; a registered company appears under its company name as entered in the company register. A short name is also permitted, but it has to comply with the advertising rules. If your website names people who are not lawyers, such as Rechtsanwaltsanwärter:innen (trainee lawyers) or legal associates, make their qualification clearly recognisable.

Partnership, GmbH and the company register

A sole practice is not entered in the company register, so there is no register number or legal form to state. For a Rechtsanwalts-Partnerschaft (law partnership), a Rechtsanwalts-GmbH (limited company) or a Flexible Kapitalgesellschaft (flexible company), § 14 UGB adds the company name, legal form, registered office, register number and register court. For a limited partnership without a natural person as the partner with unlimited liability, also give the details of the general partner company.

• The media owner (Medieninhaber) in the disclosure is the company, not the individual partner.
• Managing directors and shareholdings belong in the disclosure when the full disclosure requirement applies.
• Listing all licensed lawyers with their professional title keeps things clear and avoids misunderstandings about who makes up the firm.

Disclosure under the Mediengesetz

Every website is a periodical medium within the meaning of the Mediengesetz. If it only presents the firm and its services, the short disclosure under § 25 (5) MedienG is enough: name or company name, business purpose (for example “Rechtsanwaltskanzlei”, law firm) and registered office. But many firms publish articles on recent judgments, changes in the law or commentary. If the content goes beyond self-presentation and is capable of influencing public opinion, the full disclosure with the bodies authorised to represent the firm, shareholdings and the basic editorial line (Blattlinie) may be required. Where the line falls depends on the individual case; if you blog, add the details when in doubt.

A client letter or newsletter sent regularly by email is a recurring electronic medium and needs its own imprint with the name or company name and address of the media owner and publisher (§ 24 (3) MedienG). Two lines at the end of each issue are enough.

Insurance details under the Dienstleistungsgesetz

§ 22 DLG requires you to provide clients with certain information before the contract is concluded, including legal form, an address for service, chamber and professional title and, particularly relevant for lawyers, the name and contact details of your professional indemnity insurer together with the territorial scope of cover (§ 22 (1) no. 11 DLG). You may provide this information electronically. The website is the most practical place for it, because then you do not have to attach it to every power of attorney form. Breaches carry a fine of up to 3,000 euros (§ 24 DLG).

Data protection and the contact form

The privacy policy under Art. 13 GDPR is better placed on its own page than in the legal notice. It must describe exactly what your website actually does: server logs, contact form, embedded maps, online booking or analytics. For lawyers, the contact form matters in particular, because enquiries can contain data on criminal proceedings, health or family circumstances even before you accept the matter. At the same time, the duty of confidentiality under § 9 RAO also extends to your staff and service providers.

Cookies and accessibility

Under § 165 (3) TKG 2021 (Telecommunications Act), information may only be stored on or read from a user's device with consent, unless this is strictly necessary to provide the service the user expressly requested. Analytics tools with cookies, embedded videos, Google Maps or booking widgets therefore usually need consent. A law firm website that hosts its fonts itself, uses cookie-free analytics and only loads maps after a click can do without a cookie banner.

Since 28 June 2025, the Barrierefreiheitsgesetz (BaFG) has applied to certain e-commerce services for consumers, such as online bookings. A purely informational site with a contact form is not its main focus. If you let clients book and pay for a first consultation online, check whether the act applies. Microenterprises with fewer than ten employees and no more than 2 million euros in annual turnover or balance sheet total are exempt, which covers most sole practices. Readable contrast, alt texts and keyboard navigation still make sense.

Sample: what the legal notice can look like

Review the legal notice after every change in shareholders, insurance or address. If you are just setting up, you will find the whole process in the article Setting up a law firm in Austria; which other pages a firm website needs is covered in Website content.