It was interesting to observe the differences between the typical Canadian lawyer and the typical Austrian lawyer. Overall, it seemed that they are both regarded as prestigious careers in society. During the scavenger hunt, one of our sources identified that a lawyer is a highly regarded career in Austria. When we think about a typical lawyer, we relate it to criminal defense, real estate, or corporate lawyers; Mag. Koepecky discussed his specialization in dispute resolution in an international context. An emblematic ethos for a lawyer is to convince others as to why their opinion is more suitable than the opposition’s. Although this is widely known, dispute resolution stands out in the sense that consensus is attempted to be built through collaborative law and arbitration. Mag. Koepecky described dispute resolution as “stories to be told” through the persuasiveness of one’s opinion. 

"For the freedom of science and the respect of human rights", University of Vienna.

 It was surprising that Mag. Koepecky considered the most important factor of resource management to be conflict management, since resource management may be perceived by others as a organization of “things” as opposed to people. The lecture proposed the additional ideas of client management and expectation management. Mag. Koepecky emphasized to plan for client contingencies through predictions of the partnership. Many students were interested in learning more about a typical client relationship. As future leaders in business, it is necessary to think critically and understand the realities of partnerships with a legal aspect. Questions that were asked revolved around the relationship with the client, and the proceedings if a dispute should arise between the firm and the client. 

Our first experience at the prestigious University of Vienna.

The legal reality in a firm is that conflict management is an important part of client care. We can relate this back to Canadian business and legal proceedings, as it is very similar to ensure that clients are satisfied with quality collaboration.  

Berta Karlik was an Austrian physicist and the first female professor at the University of Vienna. 

Peace & love,
Ashlee & David