Practice Overview
A member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators since 2002, and accredited as an international commercial mediator since 2021, Thomas now draws on 20 years of experience working in private practice, the private sector, for governments, and as an international civil servant in Germany and Australia, gaining extensive dispute resolution expertise in both civil and common law jurisdictions.
Thomas combines this unique competency with his deep understanding of the dispute resolution needs of internationally operating businesses, governments, and international organisations. Thomas has acted as mediation advocate representing governments and has advised parties, counsels, governments, and international organisations on many occasions on, and in, a wide range of mediation and arbitration issues.
Thomas is well known for his innate sense of fairness. He takes full advantage of the flexible nature of facilitative mediation and adapts his style to suite the dispute and the parties’ requirements. His excellent rapport building skills, his curiosity, creativity, pragmatism and persistence as well as his deep empathy help him to get quickly to the core of any dispute. As a lawyer, Thomas has a sound understanding of the nature of business conflicts, the legal environment in which they occur and the value of established business relationships. When necessary, Thomas asks the hard questions.
Thomas is a global citizen and has worked in, and with, many States, cultures and legal systems. He is cosmopolitan, open-minded and culturally aware. He can adapt quickly to parties from different legal systems and with different negotiation styles.
Thomas has trained in online mediation and is a member of the International Council for Online Dispute Resolution (ICODR). He offers parties full access to a dedicated online mediation platform at no costs.
With his background in arbitration, Thomas is can also act in hybrid processes, combining the benefits of arbitration and mediation to the advantage of the parties.
Professional Background
Thomas obtained legal and post-graduate qualifications in Germany and Australia, including in international commercial and sports arbitration. He is common and civil law trained and has been admitted to practice by the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia. A national of Australia and Germany, Thomas is fully bilingual and acts as an international mediator and arbitrator using both English and German.
He lectures mediation at the Sigmund Freud University in Vienna and is a widely published author who gladly shares his experience and insights.
Languages
Fluent in English and German