Our Team

Thomas Starlinger is founding partner of Schima Mayer Starlinger Attorneys at Law.

Thomas Starlinger advises and represents domestic and foreign companies in all facets of energy law. In addition to regulatory and energy issues these include, in particular, arbitration proceedings, price revisions and proceedings before national regulatory authorities and the EU Commission. Further focal points of his work are public and real estate law.

After his legal education at the University of Vienna Thomas Starlinger began his career as law clerk with the Austrian Supreme Administrative Court before joining the General State Attorney’s office. He then spent 20 years with the OMV Group, initially in the central legal department, where he provided legal advice to all corporate divisions both at national and international level (eg in Canada and Pakistan). In the course of establishing a holding structure in the OMV group, he became head of the legal department of OMV Erdgas GmbH. From 2003 to 2007 he was Chief Executive Officer of AGGM Austrian Gas Grid Grid Management AG, the independent distribution system operator of most of Austria’s high pressure gas distribution grid, and, from 2004 until 2007, he chaired the committee on legal affairs of the Association of Gas and District Heating Supply Companies (Fachverband der Gas- und Wärmeversorgungsunternehmungen). When moving into private practice, Thomas became head of the energy law team at a leading Austrian law firm specialized in business and commercial law and subsequently became a partner at Starlinger Mayer attorneys-at-law.

• Legal studies at University of Vienna (PhD / Dr. iur.)

• The Legal 500 EMEA 2024, Austria, Projects and Energy - Leading Individual
• The Legal 500 EMEA Green Guide 2024 - Green Ambassador
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2023, Austria, Projects and Energy - Leading Individual
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2022, Austria, Projects and Energy - Leading Individual
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2021, Austria, Projects and Energy - Leading Individual
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2020, Austria, Projects and Energy - Leading Individual
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2017, Austria, Projects and Energy - Leading Individual
• Leading International Energy Law Specialist 2019 Austria (AI)

Panoramic: Gas Regulation 2024 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger and Laurenz Götzinger; Publisher: Lexology, London 2024. Read more…

International Comparative Legal Guide – Oil & Gas Regulation 2024 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger and Laurenz Götzinger; Publisher: Global Legal Group Limited, London 2024. Read more…

Global Legal Insights – Energy Laws and Regulations 2024 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger and Laurenz Götzinger; Publisher: Global Legal Group Limited, London 2023. Read more…

The Legal 500: Renewable Energy Country Comparative Guide – Austria Chapter
Thomas Starlinger and Laurenz Götzinger; 2nd Edition | Published: June 2023. Read more…

International Comparative Legal Guide – Oil & Gas Regulation 2023 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger and Laurenz Götzinger; Publisher: Global Legal Group Limited, London 2023. Read more…

Global Legal Insights – Energy Laws and Regulations 2023 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger and Laurenz Götzinger; Publisher: Global Legal Group Limited, London 2022. Read more…

Capacity Mechanisms in the EU Energy Market – Law, Policy and Economics | Second Edition – Austria Thomas Starlinger, Elisabeth Wielinger, and Harald Kröpfl; Edited by: Leigh Hancher, Adrien de Hauteclocque, Kaisa Huhta and Malgorzata Sadowska; Oxford University Press, 2022. Order here…

The Legal 500: Renewable Energy Country Comparative Guide – Austria Chapter
Thomas Starlinger and Laurenz Götzinger; 1st Edition | Published: June 2022. Read more…

Getting the Deal Through – Gas Regulation 2022 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger and Laurenz Goetzinger; Publisher: Tom Barnes; Law Business Research Ltd., London 2022. Read more…

Global Legal Insights – Energy 2022 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger and Laurenz Götzinger; Publisher: Global Legal Group Limited, London 2021. Read more…

Getting the Deal Through – Gas Regulation 2021 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger and Elisabeth Wielinger; Publisher: Tom Barnes; Law Business Research Ltd., London 2021.

Getting the Deal Through – Gas Regulation 2020 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger and Andrea Jana Gruber; Publisher: Tom Barnes; Law Business Research Ltd., London 2020.

Thomas Starlinger, Österreichische und europäische Strategien für die Energiewirtschaft, imh Seminarreihe “Recht für die Energiewirtschaft”, 5.7.2019

Getting the Deal Through – Energy Disputes 2018 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger; Publisher: William D Wood, Neil Q Miller, Holly Stebbing, Lauren Varnado & Ayaz Ibrahimov; Law Business Research Ltd., London 2018.

Getting the Deal Through – Environment and Climate Regulation 2018 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger; Herausgeber: Carlos de Miguel Perales, Per Hemmer; Law Business Research Ltd., London 2017.

Global Legal Insights – Energy 2018 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger, Anita Trenkwalder und Eva Kubr; Herausgeber: Philip Thomson, Julia Derrick; Global Legal Group Limited, London 2017.

Die Rechtsrahmen in D-A-CH werden neu gesteckt
Thomas Starlinger, Energy Talks, Ossiach 2017.

Gas Netzkodizes
Thomas Starlinger, 5. Vienna Forum für European Energy Law, Wien 2017

Legal Aspects of EU Energy Regulation – The Consolidation of Energy Law Accross Europe: Austria
Thomas Starlinger; Herausgeber: Peter D Cameron, Raphael J Heffron; Oxford University Press, 2. Aufl. Oxford 2016.

Getting the Deal Through – Environment and Climate Regulation 2017 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger und Verena Pell; Herausgeber: Carlos de Miguel Perales, Uría Menéndez, Per Hemmer, Bech-Bruun; Law Business Research Ltd., London 2016.

Getting the Deal Through – Environment and Climate Regulation 2016 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger und Verena Pell; Herausgeber: Carlos de Miguel Perales und Per Hemmer, Uría Menéndez and Bech-Bruun; Law Business Research Ltd., London 2015.

Capacity Mechanisms in the EU Energy Market – Law, Policy and Economics – Austria Thomas Starlinger und Harald Kröpfl; Herausgeber: Leigh Hancher, Adrien de Hauteclocque und Malgorzata Sadowska; Oxford University Press, 2015 

The 2014 Austrian Energy Efficiency Act: New Challenges for Energy Suppliers in Austria
Thomas Starlinger, CEE Legal Matters 2015, 73.

Getting the Deal Through – Gas Regulation 2015 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger und Peter Polak; Herausgeber: David Tennant, Torquil Law; Law Business Research Ltd., London 2015.

Getting the Deal Through – Climate Regulation 2015 – Austria
Thomas Starlinger und Harald Kröpfl; Herausgeber: Per Hemmer, Bech-Bruun; Law Business Research Ltd., London 2014.

Austria – Latest developments and debated issues relating to Austrian Energy Regulation
Thomas Starlinger und Harald Kröpfl, European Energy Journal, April 2014.

Getting the Deal Through – Gas Regulation 2014
Thomas Starlinger und Harald Kröpfl; Herausgeber: David Tennant und Jennifer Davis; Law Business Research Ltd., London 2014.

Latest developments and debated issues related to Austrian Energy Regulation
Thomas Starlinger und Harald Kröpfl, Legalink 2014

Decoupling and where is the gas world coming to? Special focus: Europe
Thomas Starlinger und Tamara Karlovsky, The International Who´s Who of Energy Lawyers, Law Business Research Ltd, London 2013.

Certification of TSOs, Opinions of the European Commission – Brief critical analysis”
Thomas Starlinger und Tamara Karlovsky, European Energy Journal, Band 3, Ausgabe 2, April 2013.

Material Changes To The Austrian Gas Market Due To The Austrian Gas Act 2011
Thomas Starlinger und Tamara Karlovsky, Expert Guide – Energy & Natural Resources, Juni 2012.

Betriebliche Umweltförderungen
Thomas Starlinger und Tamara Karlovsky, Wirtschaftsblatt, 06.06.2012.

Getting the Deal Through – Climate Regulation – Austria
Thomas Starlinger und Stefan Korab, Hrsg. Callum Campbell, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Underground Gas Storage in Europe: A Legal Overview
Thomas Starlinger, Juan I. González Ruiz, Fumiko Thränhardt, Heike Trischmann, Energy Law Group, International Energy Law Review, Band 28, Ausgabe 7, 2010, 288.

Looking out for New Energy Markets
The 2009 Guide to Energy and Project Finance, 2009, 07.

Der Regelzonenführer im österreichischen Erdgasmarkt
gwa 9/2004.