Member Spotlight – Never say never: why Klaus Oblin the aspiring novelist became a first-class lawyer
Klaus Oblin is a highly successful, seasoned Viennese litigator who loves the cut and thrust of the court room with its challenges and reasoned debate. For him, dispute resolution is like a game of chess; a chance to outmanoeuvre and outsmart the opposition.
The law according to Klaus needs to be interesting and stimulating, the more complex the case the more satisfying when the resolution is successful.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given his proclivity for the complex, Klaus’s great passion in life is the written word and reading weighty novels by past literary giants. As with his legal work, Klaus likes his reading material to be in-depth and intricate. His favourite writers include Thomas Mann and he’s currently reading the sprawling Forsyte Saga volumes by John Galsworthy – not exactly an easy bedtime yarn.
Indeed, at school Klaus wanted to be a writer, but “by the rule of exclusions” (ie, he would never make a career as a novelist, footballer, actor or artist) he studied law instead and now runs his own successful practice that focuses exclusively on dispute resolution and arbitration.
Klaus is a boutique legal practice based in the heart of Vienna. The firm has 15 lawyers and a string of awards to its name and is constantly expanding its team and horizons – taking on more international work, running webinars, media briefings, events online and off and appearing in a number of publications.
Not bad for a would-be novelist.