WEBVTT 00:00:08.800 --> 00:00:11.040 Please tell us about your self and your childhood 00:00:11.040 --> 00:00:24.000 I find it satisfying, also for me personally, to be able to look back upon my life in this Fulbright Interview, including the 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:36.120 times of my childhood. Although we are talking about war years during the 1940s, I recall that I had a good childhood. I grew 00:00:36.120 --> 00:00:44.040 up in Vienna, in Breitensee, a part of the fourteenth district. I lived with my parents there in a small, cramped public-housing 00:00:44.040 --> 00:00:56.320 apartment. However, you know, this very closeness in this apartment complex generated a community spirit amongst us tenants 00:00:56.320 --> 00:01:08.640 because, naturally, there were other young kids I could play with. I believe that this contributed to my gaining a sense for 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:23.760 relationships to other people.This phase was followed by my school years: living in the western suburbs of Vienna, I 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:41.240 attended, after elementary school, the Maroltingergasse High School in Vienna’s 16th district. This proved to be a very 00:01:41.240 --> 00:01:52.360 special, defining experience for me. When I read about the endless contemporary discussions concerning education and schools 00:01:52.360 --> 00:02:07.080 nowadays, I look back with the feeling that, largely thanks to our progressive headmaster, Norbert Janitschek, my schooldays 00:02:07.080 --> 00:02:16.320 were wonderful. This is largely due to the fact that our education there went far beyond the actual subjects being taught 00:02:16.320 --> 00:02:25.040 and, secondly, because we had what we called our School Club. This club was not organised by the school, but by the then 00:02:25.040 --> 00:02:37.560 existing "Austrian League for the United Nations“. At that time we already had the opportunity, according to an applied 00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:43.280 principle of self-administration of the Club by the pupils, to organise meetings for discussing with acknowledged 00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:51.880 personalities subjects which concerned the reconstruction and future of the Republic of Austria as well as cultural subjects. 00:02:51.880 --> 00:03:06.200 It was this experience which aroused in me a lasting interest in international affairs. During the summer holidays both I myself 00:03:06.200 --> 00:03:22.200 and some of my friends were able, at the tender age of 16/17, to visit the then only European United Nations Headquarters, in 00:03:22.200 --> 00:03:37.200 Geneva. This was entirely due to this Austrian United Nations League and our Club; the consequences were to prove enduring. 00:03:37.160 --> 00:03:55.720 And so it came that after finishing school - during and even before my student-days - I developed a desire to take 00:03:55.720 --> 00:04:07.560 a look at America, on the other side of the wide Atlantic. This desire, too, had been aroused during my time at high school. 00:04:07.560 --> 00:04:23.040 For some two or three years already, a 7th grade pupil had been selected annually and offered the opportunity 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:32.720 of attending, for a year, a high school in the United States of America. Shortly before us, 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:44.840 a pupil (about three years my senior), one Kurt Engleitner, had done just 00:04:44.840 --> 00:04:57.680 that; after returning, he retained and maintained his contact with America. I had observed just how deeply this year had left 00:04:57.680 --> 00:05:11.680 its mark on him and thought: well, might be a good idea to apply myself. The only problem was that in my seventh grade year the 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:22.760 program had just not been available. As a result, no one was selected and my plan had to be put on hold. After having passed 00:05:22.760 --> 00:05:34.280 my High School Graduation successfully, my next life-shaping decision was to commence my law studies in Vienna. All the 00:05:34.280 --> 00:05:48.920 same, I held on to my dream of spending some time in America during my studies. Well-meaning professors managed to convince 00:05:48.920 --> 00:06:06.080 me, however, that it might be wiser to complete my studies first, then to continue them at postgraduate level, as we now call it, 00:06:06.080 --> 00:06:18.520 in the USA. And so it was to be. I completed my law studies quite quickly and graduated in the summer of 1963 at the tender age 00:06:18.520 --> 00:06:36.600 of 23. In the previous summer of my final student year, 1962, I had a very special experience. I had applied for a university 00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:46.520 summer French course in France. There all of us coming from different countries formed a small, international student group. 00:06:46.520 --> 00:06:58.880 At the University of Grenoble, I encountered an American student who had just completed his law studies at the New York University 00:06:58.880 --> 00:07:15.120 School of Law and now wanted to apply for a position at the first US law firm that had just established an office in Paris. 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:29.920 Back in those days, such opportunities were rare. We had become good friends on the tennis court where we both liked to play. It 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:40.000 gives me great pleasure to disclose his name: Roger Milgrim. It was he who said to me: "You know, New York University has a 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:54.440 program specially for foreign lawyers who have already graduated, where they then study comparative law. Surely that would be 00:07:54.440 --> 00:08:09.440 something for you.“ It was he who really convinced me about this. And so ensued a first experience, and a very positive one it 00:08:09.440 --> 00:08:19.160 proved to be, inasmuch as Americans don’t just advise you verbally, but also follow it up and subsequently continue to help 00:08:19.160 --> 00:08:29.520 you. Roger sent me university programs and application forms as one had to apply to be accepted by a university, in those days 00:08:29.520 --> 00:08:42.320 just like today. Nowadays, too, this applies in the USA, there being no general admission to studies, but rather individual 00:08:42.320 --> 00:09:00.880 selection. I combined my application to NYU Law School with one for a Fulbright-Scholarship. It worked and so to my great joy, I 00:09:00.880 --> 00:09:25.960 was finally able to travel to the USA. I must mention that in those days there were no big jets available with which one could 00:09:25.960 --> 00:09:39.720 hop over to America. We were a fairly small group of Austrian Fulbrighters who set sail on board a ship, via the long route 00:09:39.720 --> 00:09:57.600 from Genoa to New York. This was an amazing experience in itself, we were students from all different academic disciplines, 00:09:57.600 --> 00:10:13.440 studying history, technical subjects, linguistics, etc. My goodness, what an experience that voyage was. No sooner had we 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:24.200 introduced ourselves to one another, then we began discussing just what would be waiting for us in New York or in other US 00:10:24.200 --> 00:10:39.000 cities. Not one of us Fulbright Grantees had visited the USA before. We had a great time on board, the journey lasted 6 or 7 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:47.680 days if I remember correctly, first through the Mediterranean and then across the Atlantic. Even during this time on board we 00:10:47.680 --> 00:11:02.640 developed a strong community spirit. Everybody knows that at some point there is a Captain’s Dinner to which voyagers are also 00:11:02.640 --> 00:11:20.160 invited to contribute in some way to the "Performance“. The whole group decided to demonstrate an Austrian folk dance. We rehearsed 00:11:20.160 --> 00:11:30.760 hard in some cellar on board ship and fortunately the girls all had Dirndls with them. Our performance proved a huge hit at the 00:11:30.760 --> 00:11:46.920 Captain’s Dinner. Soon thereafter, early one morning, we all rushed up on deck, having heard that New York would soon be in 00:11:46.920 --> 00:12:05.000 view. I can still hear one of the Fulbright girls calling out: "Look, there’s the Statue of Liberty“! And so we sailed by the 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:29.320 "Lady Liberty“ and up into one of the berths on the Hudson River. A New York University student picked me up from there, one of the 00:12:29.320 --> 00:12:48.560 students I later became firm friends with during my time there. Then as now, the routine was that one did not attend university 00:12:48.560 --> 00:13:03.840 right away. The other students in our Fulbright group had moved on to their respective cities, not New York; I was the only New 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:14.840 Yorker in the group. Some went on to Boston, to Chicago or to other cities; I, however, had reached my destination. The 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:23.720 "Institute of International Education“ as it was called, continued to look after its foreign scholars during the entire 00:13:23.720 --> 00:13:33.600 year. To start with, they organised a week with a guest family for me. And so I discovered, for the first time, that New York 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:51.080 City was surrounded by so-called suburbs of varying character. My guest family lived in Larchmont and it was there that I began my 00:13:51.080 --> 00:14:08.160 American life and was introduced to the American Way of Life. My guest family had two small kids, aged 5 and 6, and I have 00:14:08.160 --> 00:14:30.880 remained in touch with them to this day. And so it came about that they invited me, during university term, to join them for my 00:14:30.880 --> 00:14:46.000 very first US Christmas. It was there that I explained to the kids about my sporting activities and roused their interest in 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:58.200 skiing. Funny, but I should, perhaps, explain that I had been the first Viennese to be admitted to the St. Anton am Arlberg 00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:11.800 ski-school as ski-instructor. At that time, a man called Rudi Matt was a famous head of a ski school; if I remember rightly, he 00:15:11.800 --> 00:15:28.360 had been Olympic winner in 1936, after which he set up his own ski school right there in St. Anton, Tyrol. In those days St. Anton 00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:51.480 attracted many Anglo-Saxon visitors, mostly from the USA and Britain. This proved a huge help in polishing my English 00:15:51.480 --> 00:16:03.920 because, of course, I spoke mainly English with the guests attending the school. It was there that I had another enriching 00:16:03.920 --> 00:16:18.320 experience. There was one ski-school pupil, a gentleman of some stature from America, who it turned out had been an Austrian 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:36.240 emigrant, being Jewish. As I had heard and been taught, there hadn’t been many keen Alpinists among the pre-1938 Jewish 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:56.800 population in Vienna. Here, however, was a man who adored mountain and ski sports. During the time I was ski-instructor in 00:16:56.800 --> 00:17:10.920 St. Anton during vacations, I guess about 1959 or ’60, this gentleman returned to Austria for the first time since his 00:17:10.920 --> 00:17:22.120 emigration under pressure from the Nazis. He and his family lived in one of these suburbs of New York, where he also worked 00:17:22.120 --> 00:17:37.240 and had prospered. Later on, gradually a lifelong friendship had developed between us. New York was, thus, to be a many-faceted 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:53.360 experience for me; what’s more, back in those days, the 1960’s - today probably less so - Austrians in America were in great 00:17:53.360 --> 00:18:08.720 demand to head ski schools; some managed to become quite famous there. You must know that to the East, up in Vermont and New 00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:17.560 Hampshire and also in Upstate New York, there are some excellent skiing areas. Each fall these ski resorts would present 00:18:17.560 --> 00:18:33.880 themselves in New York City in a large exhibition hall. I remember one ski school head who hailed from Killington, Vermont, 00:18:33.880 --> 00:18:45.920 who was originally from Salzburg. I resolved to go and talk to him: "Brauchen Sie vielleicht in den Weihnachtsferien noch einen 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:58.800 Skilehrer?“("Might you be needing another ski-instructor?“); he engaged me on the spot, so that was another "Historic Experience“ 00:18:58.800 --> 00:19:11.720 for me. I should mention our student group at the New York University School of Law: we were truly international which was 00:19:11.720 --> 00:19:34.000 unusual at the time; nowadays it is far more common. It was there that I came into contact with all sorts of nationalities, many of 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:47.800 them my fellow students. The oldest of us was already a judge in the Sudan, whilst half my international student colleagues hailed 00:19:47.800 --> 00:20:04.280 from South America. This was to prove important for me, inasmuch as it afforded me the opportunity to undertake a trip around 00:20:04.280 --> 00:20:11.560 South America at the end of my year in New York, when everyone had already returned to their home countries. I shall be 00:20:11.560 --> 00:20:24.280 describing how I immediately had the opportunity to do a bit of legal work whilst in New York; this meant I could scrape a few 00:20:24.280 --> 00:20:34.440 dollars together and buy a cheap air ticket and so set out on my journey around South America. In those days the legendary PAN-AM 00:20:34.440 --> 00:20:47.280 airline still existed and they had such a ticket on offer. This meant I was able to visit all my old friends from New York 00:20:47.280 --> 00:21:00.400 University after they had returned safely home and were already working back there. So I travelled all around South America. But 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:15.360 let me return to New York. To discover another, totally different legal system, having just completed my studies of Austrian Law, 00:21:15.360 --> 00:21:29.720 proved a simply amazing experience. Today it is generally known that the American Case Law System is no longer purely as such 00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:46.840 there. Certain areas of law have been standardised by means of codified laws. The earliest such codification is the Uniform 00:21:46.840 --> 00:22:00.920 Commercial Code, valid even then practically in all States of the US. However, back in the 60ties and even later in the 70ties, by 00:22:00.920 --> 00:22:16.760 contrast to our codified laws, our court decisions were not yet generally available or accessible. Even Austrian Supreme Court 00:22:16.760 --> 00:22:28.240 rulings which can easily be read online these days, were then hard to come by. I must say, these differences in legal systems 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:51.080 were truly fascinating and so were their effects upon clients, judges and lawyers alike. I must therefore make it quite clear 00:22:51.080 --> 00:23:20.680 that this Fulbright Program was to prove decisive after my return here, because of what I learned during that time. When one visits 00:23:20.680 --> 00:23:37.080 a foreign country, especially the United States of America on the other side of the Big Pond, one is bound to be interested in what 00:23:37.080 --> 00:24:04.520 the differences are, what one springs especially to mind. I discovered that people over there were more communicative than 00:24:04.520 --> 00:24:22.960 they were in Europe, especially in Vienna. This was true at all levels of society, among students and adults alike. This was the 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:48.280 case with our apartment-sharing communities and out in the so-called suburbs, with their gardens devoid of any fencing. In 00:24:48.280 --> 00:25:02.160 other words, there are no fences between neighbours, but everyone respects one another all the same. That really was new 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:14.120 for me! Another feature that sticks in my mind and which influenced me lastingly, 00:25:14.120 --> 00:25:23.200 is that at student parties one is always asked one’s 00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:36.120 name. Later, when saying goodbye at the end of the party, the person in question invariably remembered one’s name and would 00:25:36.120 --> 00:25:53.920 say: "Heinz, it was nice meeting you.“ Yes, that impressed me. Not only that, however, the willingness to help and then actually 00:25:53.920 --> 00:26:09.920 to remain in touch, too. If one was invited to some private occasion - this has gradually spread even to Austria - there 00:26:09.920 --> 00:26:26.120 always followed the so called Thank-you-Notes. It was not common practice in Vienna to say thankyou in writing, be it to a family 00:26:26.120 --> 00:26:46.200 or to a friend who has thrown a party. So these were my first impressions and they truly delighted me, were to influence me for 00:26:46.200 --> 00:27:05.760 life. Here I should like to mention a bit about the professional Impetus: I had at the end applied for a legal job, particularly 00:27:05.760 --> 00:27:21.560 also with the support of Austrian contacts. After all, we are talking about 1963, when I first came to New York to start 00:27:21.560 --> 00:27:40.760 studying at NYU and in which year the Austrian Cultural Institute was founded in New York City. This was to prove of real 00:27:40.760 --> 00:28:00.520 importance to me. The first head of the Institute was one Dr. Wilhelm Schlag, with whom I was to remain firm friends till his 00:28:00.520 --> 00:28:16.840 all too early death. Let me explain that he later returned to Austria and assumed responsibility for the Austrian Federal 00:28:16.840 --> 00:28:30.680 Museums in the Cultural Ministry. Back in those days, the great museums were still attached to the Ministry and had not yet been 00:28:30.680 --> 00:28:46.120 outsourced. Willi Schlag helped me with my visa and working permission, so as to remain a bit longer in the USA, without 00:28:46.120 --> 00:29:03.040 breaking the strict Fulbright regulations. Fascinating about Dr. Schlag, with regard to New York City in particular and its 00:29:03.040 --> 00:29:14.640 historical background, was the fact that many Austrian immigrants were gathered primarily in New York. It was through Dr. Schlag 00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:27.680 and the Institute that many of these people for the first time formed strong bonds again with their country of birth. It was at 00:29:27.680 --> 00:29:40.560 cultural events in the Institute which I sometimes attended, that I came to know many former Austrians. On one occasion by chance, 00:29:40.560 --> 00:29:54.320 I succeeded in impressing Dr. Schlag: NYU which maintained intercultural programs alongside the actual study programs had 00:29:54.320 --> 00:30:24.640 been looking for foreign students willing to go and visit local schools in NYC to talk to pupils about their home country, as a 00:30:24.640 --> 00:30:37.240 part of their history and geography lessons. I volunteered immediately and figured, well, I’ll go to the Austrian Cultural 00:30:37.240 --> 00:30:49.840 Institute and let them help me gather material to distribute in those schools. And it happened that I came to know schools in the 00:30:49.840 --> 00:30:59.520 less salubrious districts of New York City that one otherwise would never have visited. There are amazing differences between 00:30:59.520 --> 00:31:10.040 areas in New York City, even on the Island of Manhattan. In those days, at least, the Lower East Side was a distinctly 00:31:10.040 --> 00:31:22.520 underprivileged area and the public schools there were a pefect match. Nevertheless I found that the young people were genuinely 00:31:22.520 --> 00:31:34.720 interested in what I had to tell them about Austria and how life had been there after the War. Yes, my memories of these occasions 00:31:34.720 --> 00:31:46.440 remain vivid. Then, I was the only member of the NYU international student group of the academic year 1963/64 who was 00:31:46.440 --> 00:31:54.960 to remain there after the studies had been completed and work as a foreign lawyer for a law firm: "Debevoise Plimpton Lyons and 00:31:54.960 --> 00:32:09.760 Gates“, as they were then called. This firm was one of those Wall Street law firms which were already large back then. This 00:32:09.760 --> 00:32:29.960 experience was to prove significant during my subsequent career. Back in the 60’s and 70’s here in Austria, there were no major 00:32:29.960 --> 00:32:52.760 legal partnerships. Attorneys usually operated singly or on a father-son basis, but not in attorney-partnerships. The senior 00:32:52.760 --> 00:33:15.640 partner back then of this New York firm I worked for was called Eli Whitney Debevoise. As pronounced in American English the 00:33:15.640 --> 00:33:28.720 first name "Eli“ sounds a bit funny. He had, at some stage of his long career, also worked in government service and had, during 00:33:28.720 --> 00:33:38.880 the occupation of Germany, been what I think was called, Assistant High Commissioner for Germany. As a result he still 00:33:38.880 --> 00:33:54.280 maintained links with that country. If I may mention, I recall a historical fact which was indeed interesting: in 1952, he had 00:33:54.280 --> 00:34:04.920 been head of the negotiating team of the Western Allied Powers which negotiated the so-called Bonn Treaties with West Germany. 00:34:04.920 --> 00:34:18.560 This treaty has served as a substitute for a peace treaty with Germany ever since. A long time after that treaty had been 00:34:18.560 --> 00:34:36.040 signed, in 1964 certain implementation laws were required to be passed by the West Geman parliament in Bonn. There had been, it 00:34:36.040 --> 00:34:44.520 must be remembered, differences of interpretation between the political parties of clauses in the Bonn Treaties. I’ve no wish 00:34:44.520 --> 00:34:54.640 to expand on this, but these differences had been of a lasting nature so that in the end the politicians said: Well, then let’s 00:34:54.640 --> 00:34:59.240 ask the man who negotiated this matter for the Western Allies. So, they set about finding him and eventually had reached Mr. 00:34:59.240 --> 00:35:04.000 Debevoise. That’s how it came about that he was asked 00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:10.800 to give a legal opinion regarding the clauses in dispute. It suited him 00:35:10.800 --> 00:35:23.920 perfectly to have the assistance of a German-speaking lawyer - me - for interpreting the literature already available in Germany on 00:35:23.920 --> 00:35:41.080 the matter. I recall another coincidence. Another significant partner in the firm also had links with Vienna, having headed the 00:35:41.080 --> 00:35:53.560 legal delegation during negotiations establishing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) there. This required a 00:35:53.560 --> 00:36:02.760 so-called "Status Agreement“ with the Republic of Austria which he had negotiated. To this end, he had spent more than six months 00:36:02.760 --> 00:36:11.760 in Vienna and I reckon that this contributed to his consideration that "this young 00:36:11.760 --> 00:36:18.600 Viennese lawyer could be useful to us when dealing with arbitration with German clients“. 00:36:18.600 --> 00:36:24.200 It was thanks to him that I gained experience of international arbitration 00:36:24.200 --> 00:36:32.440 procedures early on in my career. Oh, by the way, his name was Robert B. van Mehren, but everyone called him Bob van Mehren. He 00:36:32.440 --> 00:36:47.120 had a twin brother who was a renowned Professor of Law at Harvard University Law School. This is how I came to have so many 00:36:47.120 --> 00:37:00.640 wonderful international contacts. But at last it was time to return to Vienna; or, to be honest, I had to return, having first 00:37:00.640 --> 00:37:12.280 visited my international colleagues in South America. I returned briefly to New York from there and really had the feeling of 00:37:12.280 --> 00:37:33.440 "coming home“. I found it tough leaving New York finally and returning to Austria. Here’s a favourite saying of mine: "I never 00:37:33.440 --> 00:37:53.920 had a cultural shock after coming over to New York from Austria, but I surely had a cultural shock in 1966, when I returned to 00:37:53.920 --> 00:38:14.480 Austria from America“. I wanted to apply for a job with one of the legal practices here, one of the very few back then who dealt 00:38:14.480 --> 00:38:28.440 already in commercial law and the economic sector. As I already mentioned, there were no legal partnerships in Austria serving 00:38:28.440 --> 00:38:49.080 major businesses in those days. I remember how, at one job interview, I introduced myself accordingly, as one does on such 00:38:49.080 --> 00:39:01.920 occasions to this day and told my interviewer about my US experience. And here it comes: this decidedly prominent lawyer 00:39:01.920 --> 00:39:11.360 interrupted me with the words: "Where were you, young colleague? In America? For goodness’ sake, they don’t have a legal system 00:39:11.360 --> 00:39:20.520 over there!“ Let me briefly explain the continental differences: Codified Law on the one side and Case Law on the other side. Back 00:39:20.520 --> 00:39:38.880 then, over here, the prevalent feeling even amongst business people tended to be: "We don’t need lengthy and complex contracts 00:39:38.880 --> 00:39:48.560 to be drawn up, it’s all set out in the General Civil Code or the Commercial Code anyway. Who needs long legal draftsmanship for 00:39:48.560 --> 00:39:58.320 agreements?“ In practice, however, in international commercial and contract law, the Wall Street firms did indeed require their 00:39:58.320 --> 00:40:12.120 contracts to be drawn up with great precision, because of the Case Law system. As a result Americans paid great attention to 00:40:12.120 --> 00:40:26.040 the facts and circumstances in drafting the contracts they drew up. They did this so as to clearly define the starting out basis 00:40:26.040 --> 00:40:41.360 of both parties to the contract. This resulted in long contracts and the practice was subsequently to be established in all forms 00:40:41.360 --> 00:41:02.360 of contract. The fact that nowadays company acquisition contracts, in particular, require a "due diligence“ analysis - in 00:41:02.360 --> 00:41:15.040 those days the expression didn’t even exist here in Europe - shows that the practice stems originally from America. Then 00:41:15.040 --> 00:41:22.560 again, both our business and our legal world learned all this from the Anglo-Saxon law sector, for example the famous 00:41:22.560 --> 00:41:27.960 "representations and warranties“ in a takeover agreement, setting out for the 00:41:27.960 --> 00:41:36.040 warranty obligations on the part of the seller the relevant facts of the case in detail. 00:41:36.040 --> 00:41:43.080 Today all this is common practice. All that the business world and the legal community 00:41:43.080 --> 00:42:04.640 has actually learned from the Anglosaxon legal system. I subsequently had the chance, instead of joining a private law 00:42:04.640 --> 00:42:17.760 practice in order to gain my first professional experiences, to have been accepted into the Solicitor General’s Office 00:42:17.760 --> 00:42:23.600 (Finanzprokoratur). There I was offered a real opportunity. This office, namely, 00:42:23.600 --> 00:42:33.160 effectively constitutes a real public law-firm of the Republic of Austria. You have to know that this office 00:42:33.160 --> 00:42:40.160 has a long tradition going right back to the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, 00:42:40.160 --> 00:42:57.560 the Habsburg Empire. Indeed, my boss there had himself begun in that public office at its then branch office in Lemberg (Lwiw) in 00:42:57.560 --> 00:43:16.440 the Ukraine. This appointment proved fascinating and it was in this Solicitor General’s Office that I experienced how it is to 00:43:16.440 --> 00:43:31.200 work within a group of lawyers. I was later to remark, in recognition of this: in those early years in Austria, "the 00:43:31.200 --> 00:43:43.040 Finanzprokuratur was the first and only law firm in Austria“. It is for this reason that I remain in touch even today with former 00:43:43.040 --> 00:43:57.480 colleagues, now retired. I also know the current President of the Finanzprokuratur, Wolfgang Peschorn. Nevertheless, I eventually 00:43:57.480 --> 00:44:07.920 had to make up my mind (some five years later, having passed the respective Bar Examination and a specific Solicitor‘s General 00:44:07.920 --> 00:44:20.000 exam) whether I was going to remain where I was or turn to some other legal occupation for my career. It was about that time that 00:44:20.000 --> 00:44:36.360 I bumped into an old school mate of mine - not from my class - but from the same school, the Maroltinger High School, I’ve 00:44:36.360 --> 00:44:49.600 mentioned before. He had worked in a renowned practice and had now decided to set up his own law practice. Quite spontaneously 00:44:49.600 --> 00:45:01.360 we resolved to do just that together! And so the "Heller & Löber“ practice was born. I was to spend my entire professional career 00:45:01.360 --> 00:45:21.320 with this friend, Kurt Heller. As a start we were able to form our own partnership, making use of my New York experiences. We 00:45:21.320 --> 00:45:34.040 very quickly developed into "Heller, Löber, Bahn & Partners“. This was very much a development promoted by my Fulbright time 00:45:34.040 --> 00:45:50.000 and my work experience immediately thereafter in the USA. There were particular qualities which I had learned and grown 00:45:50.000 --> 00:46:03.280 accustomed to during my study and work period in America. Here’s just one example from our subsequent partnership: when a client 00:46:03.280 --> 00:46:15.120 came to our law-office to see me, I developed the habit of introducing him to the other partners. Even when dealing with a 00:46:15.120 --> 00:46:47.240 case on my own we used to say: do meet my colleague "So-and-so“. Another thing which impressed me in America - and I doubt whether 00:46:47.240 --> 00:46:57.680 this has changed there to this day - was the general willingness occasionally to offer free help to others on a professional 00:46:57.680 --> 00:47:20.520 basis. Many people there devoted a lot of their time to - let me use the English term - "pro bono activities“. Here we would call 00:47:20.520 --> 00:47:33.800 this "philanthropic work“ or "free professional support“. However, the Latin term, pro bono, reflects exactly the mind-set 00:47:33.800 --> 00:47:47.440 of the person in question. This was to remain a keynote for the rest of my ensuing career - for the legal partnership and for 00:47:47.440 --> 00:48:08.680 myself personally. So, I gradually became interested and involved in our professional association - the Rechtsanwaltskammer (Bar 00:48:08.680 --> 00:48:20.840 Association). This was to result in nearly 20 years of pro bono activity. Those were interesting times, serving under the 00:48:20.840 --> 00:48:37.480 association’s legendary President, Walter Schuppich who had cultivated legal connections among various national Bar 00:48:37.480 --> 00:48:46.720 Associations and Chambers of Lawyers very early, back during the days of the Cold War and the Iron Curtain countries. His work 00:48:46.720 --> 00:48:56.920 resulted in the early establishment of the so-called International Conference of Bar Association Presidents in Europe. 00:48:56.920 --> 00:49:07.960 Bar Presidents from Hungary and other neighbouring countries, including even Romania, used to gather annually in Vienna to 00:49:07.960 --> 00:49:19.080 discuss issues of the day. I found this acitivity fascinating. As a result of these international exchanges - not to forget 00:49:19.080 --> 00:49:38.840 encountering other cultures as well - our Austrian legal partnership was the first to establish an office in Budapest in 00:49:38.840 --> 00:49:51.960 1989, immediately after the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the opening-up of the Eastern Comecon-block; ours was the very first 00:49:51.960 --> 00:50:02.320 non-Hungarian, foreign legal practice there. We had to acquire a licence in order to open our office. It was soon followed by 00:50:02.320 --> 00:50:13.400 offices in Prague and Bratislava which, in turn, gave rise to an interest of some German colleagues and friends, to link up with 00:50:13.400 --> 00:50:31.520 us in order to form a joint set-up here in Vienna. The result was the first cross-border merger of legal practices between Germany 00:50:31.520 --> 00:50:42.560 and Austria. We called our new partnership: "Bruckhaus Westrick Heller Löber“. Allow me to add a very touching and interesting 00:50:42.560 --> 00:50:55.800 detail: our German friends said, “We want equality of names reflected in our firm name, so that it does not look like the 00:50:55.800 --> 00:51:09.640 Germans are taking over the Austrians.“ This new partnership led to lasting friendships and a harmonious professional attitude. It 00:51:09.640 --> 00:51:30.240 is fair to maintain that this, too, has its roots in my American experiences. Even if nowadays conditions are quite different - 00:51:30.240 --> 00:51:46.960 with digitalisation and worldwide networks - back then this Fulbright Program had a real influence on both myself and some of 00:51:46.960 --> 00:51:56.120 my German partners who had, in turn, also been Fulbright Fellows in the USA. Basically, Fulbright has influenced my entire life 00:51:56.120 --> 00:52:10.520 positively. There came a point when our international legal partnership had to decide (and this was some time before I 00:52:10.520 --> 00:52:22.560 retired), whether we could continue without the Anglo-Saxons in this globalised world? The consideration resulted in our 00:52:22.560 --> 00:52:34.880 becoming the major international partnership, Freshfields-Bruckhaus-Deringer. Here the Lingua Franca also 00:52:34.880 --> 00:52:48.480 played a role - the international Legal Lingua Franca: and this is English. This was all part of a long continuous process and 00:52:48.480 --> 00:53:02.800 paints, for myself looking back, a sweeping, pleasing picture. 00:53:02.800 --> 00:53:05.520 Outstanding experiences of the Fulbright time 00:53:05.520 --> 00:53:18.320 I have already mentioned that I was active in a special School Club back in my highschool days. As far as I know, only four such 00:53:18.320 --> 00:53:30.440 clubs existed in Vienna. These Clubs were organised by the Austrian League for the United Nations. Back in those days there 00:53:30.440 --> 00:53:45.200 existed, as today, an international union of national UN associations. The aim was to deepen understanding about the 00:53:45.200 --> 00:53:56.080 United Nations and they were of special importance during the 1960’s. By chance - but there are no coincidences in life - an 00:53:56.080 --> 00:54:06.480 international conference of this international union (WFUNA: "World Federation of United Nations Associations“) was held in 00:54:06.480 --> 00:54:16.440 New York just at the beginning of my time there. You must remember that back then, one couldn’t simply hop over in a jet to 00:54:16.440 --> 00:54:28.000 attend, quite apart from the high costs. So I went to the august executive committee of this Austrian League of the United Nations 00:54:28.000 --> 00:54:35.840 and offered them: "Might I perhaps be able to represent the League there and so help economise?“ And the gentlemen in the 00:54:35.840 --> 00:54:46.920 committee agreed which is why, at age 23, I was by far the youngest representative amongst the delegates from all over the 00:54:46.920 --> 00:55:11.240 world. I was even received by U Thant, then Secretary General of the United Nations, for a conversation. A photo of myself 00:55:11.240 --> 00:55:20.280 standing beside and being greeted by him was taken and was published alongside my report on the conference, in the Austrian 00:55:20.280 --> 00:55:34.760 League‘s magazine. Of course, I was mighty proud of attending such a conference back then - positive about this experience was 00:55:34.760 --> 00:55:48.640 that my interest in international political developments and the international organisations was well and truly roused, as a 00:55:48.640 --> 00:56:04.280 result. This conference took place in September 1963 during John F. Kennedy’s Presidency. He addressed the gathered WFUNA 00:56:04.280 --> 00:56:28.480 delegates with a speech. I recall one general saying of his: "Do not ask what your country can do for you - ask what you can do 00:56:28.480 --> 00:56:42.760 for your country!“ Sadly, I had to be present in the United States - we’re talking about November 1963, my first semester at 00:56:42.760 --> 00:56:50.800 NYU - when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. That was a truly shocking experience. 00:56:50.800 --> 00:56:53.960 The Fulbright application process 00:56:53.960 --> 00:57:04.560 Let me return to my early interest in the Fulbright-Program: I had actually heard about this opportunity towards the end of my 00:57:04.560 --> 00:57:15.920 high school days and really wanted to take part. Here I feel bound to include a name I still remember and which all former 00:57:15.920 --> 00:57:29.640 Fulbrighters will remember, too: Frau Trude Wild. This Mrs Wild was always really helpful. She was always tactful if she had to 00:57:29.640 --> 00:57:42.800 tell someone they hadn’t a chance, or that a study-year in the USA would be of no value, depending on a person’s professional 00:57:42.800 --> 00:58:04.040 ambitions or their study progress. When I first applied, before I started studying, I didn’t stand a chance at this point. And 00:58:04.040 --> 00:58:10.040 then, later on, I remember the advice of my professors at university here in 00:58:10.040 --> 00:58:28.480 Vienna: "Young man, complete your studies here, first.“ This seemed sensible to me at the time, so I wasn’t disappointed at 00:58:28.480 --> 00:58:45.920 failing to get a Fulbright Scholarship. With regard to the selection process, I should add that it was my old friend Roger 00:58:45.920 --> 00:59:01.640 Milgrim whom I got to know at the University of Grenoble and who had explained to me that I could apply for a scholarship from 00:59:01.640 --> 00:59:10.520 other institutions as well, if I were to be accepted for the special progam at NYU Law School which I already mentioned. There 00:59:10.520 --> 00:59:26.240 was a Ford Foundation Fellowship, for which I then applied, all in writing and via surface mail. I carried out this application 00:59:26.240 --> 00:59:34.560 parallel with that for a Fulbright Travel Scholarship and which would cover more than just my travel costs. I have already 00:59:34.560 --> 00:59:47.560 mentioned that we continued to be looked after in New York, including full health and accident insurance coverage for the 00:59:47.560 --> 01:00:08.000 entire year. Back then, I applied to the Fulbright Commission in Vienna, in writing with a vast mass of documents, well laced with 01:00:08.000 --> 01:00:15.200 the several recommendations one had to append. This application was followed by a long interview 01:00:15.200 --> 01:00:26.800 and I was thrilled when, some time later, I received the news that I had been accepted. 01:00:26.800 --> 01:00:29.920 First experience after arrival in NY 01:00:29.920 --> 01:00:48.480 Having arrived in New York, I did not go to the university straight away. I first joined the guest family I have already 01:00:48.480 --> 01:01:08.400 talked about and spent about a couple of weeks with them in Larchmont, a suburb of New York. Even prior to sailing for New 01:01:08.400 --> 01:01:19.400 York I had wondered: how can I improve my financial situation there? As I had acquired five brand-new pairs of skis cheaply 01:01:19.400 --> 01:01:33.080 whilst working as ski-instructor in Austria, I packed them into my bags with the intention of selling them at a profit in New 01:01:33.080 --> 01:01:50.400 York. The only trouble was that cheap skis were already sold at discount rates there in the major department stores; I was 01:01:50.400 --> 01:02:01.000 grateful, finally, to be able get rid of them to buyers in a Swiss ski club. 01:02:01.000 --> 01:02:17.680 I owe my earliest experiences in the USA to my guest family. With them I was able to experience American family life as well 01:02:17.680 --> 01:02:24.040 as life in the suburbs, surrounded by one’s neighbours. 01:02:24.040 --> 01:02:27.280 Neighbourhoods in America 01:02:27.280 --> 01:02:34.960 As far as the neighbours were concerned, I saw how much more they all 01:02:34.960 --> 01:02:55.800 helped one another than I remembered by comparison from Austria. Parties were quickly organised with little ado, something that 01:02:55.800 --> 01:03:23.600 was not usual in Austria. I noticed how differently from Austria the adults there treated the youngsters. There was none of that 01:03:23.600 --> 01:03:47.280 authoritative talking down so common here at the time. In the suburban neighbourhoods, local people called each other by their 01:03:47.280 --> 01:04:04.680 first names as a matter of course, regardless of their age. I also noticed how friendly everyone was to one another: "Nice 01:04:04.680 --> 01:04:16.400 seeing you!“, "Hope to see you again!“ and the like. That was not common practice either in Austria or in Vienna in the old days. 01:04:16.400 --> 01:04:20.520 Differences between studying in Austria and the US 01:04:20.520 --> 01:04:40.360 Many older people will remember that back then in Austria, upfront-lecturing was the norm at Austrian universities with the 01:04:40.360 --> 01:04:49.480 focus entirely upon the lecturing professor. This is, perhaps, still largely the case today, whereas in America students were, 01:04:49.480 --> 01:05:02.400 even then, expected to figure things out and research for themselves. I should point out that in American Law Studies 01:05:02.400 --> 01:05:14.520 university lectures were often preceded by Reading Assignments which would then, at the lecture, be discussed between the 01:05:14.520 --> 01:05:38.080 professor and his students. I made the most of this from the start, since I was able, as a result, whilst still student, to 01:05:38.080 --> 01:05:50.600 learn and improve my mastery of American spoken legal English, something almost unheard of in Austria back then. I must 01:05:50.600 --> 01:05:58.360 nevertheless stress that during my law studies in Vienna I encountered some remarkable personalities amongst the professors. 01:05:58.360 --> 01:06:13.480 I remember, for example, Professor Fritz Schwind, well known beyond the bounds of Austria in the field of Civil Law. I must 01:06:13.480 --> 01:06:31.120 also mention Professor Günter Winkler for Constitutional Law. He was immensely knowledgeable on the works of Hans Kelsen. Kelsen 01:06:31.120 --> 01:06:43.200 had emigrated to the USA - had had to emigrate. Creator of the Austrian Constitution (1920 &1929) who subsequently developed the 01:06:43.200 --> 01:07:02.760 "Pure Theory of Law“ and wrote a book about this. With Günter Winkler and a small group of interested students, we interpreted 01:07:02.760 --> 01:07:23.040 and discussed this book. The subject was concerned with positive or "Statutory Law“, actively distanced from theories and from any 01:07:23.040 --> 01:07:39.160 ideological interpretation or creation of the law. This is how he spread and endorsed the "Pure Theory of Law“ and this impressed 01:07:39.160 --> 01:07:53.400 me enormously. Let me return, however, to the question about the differences. I stick to my conviction that this method of 01:07:53.400 --> 01:08:06.880 training in America is very special: the method requires students to discuss legal cases right from the start and then assess a 01:08:06.880 --> 01:08:21.280 case for themselves on the "Case Law“ principle, before discussing it with their professor. Secondly, this method has the 01:08:21.280 --> 01:08:33.000 advantage of students being well prepared, right from the start, for the actual practice of their legal professions. I was 01:08:33.000 --> 01:08:43.960 gradually to become convinced myself of this advantage. I must also mention that US lawyers early on not only co-operated across 01:08:43.960 --> 01:08:55.920 their specific legal fields, in order to benefit from the expertise of others - for example in legal partnerships - but 01:08:55.920 --> 01:09:07.040 also made a point of this when preparing a case with a client. This means recognising the given abilities 01:09:07.040 --> 01:09:13.480 of colleagues and both impressed and influenced me in my work considerably. 01:09:13.480 --> 01:09:16.200 Campus life at NYU 01:09:16.200 --> 01:09:40.000 Campus life at US universities has a very special importance with regard to one’s studies. New York University is situated 01:09:40.000 --> 01:09:52.120 close to Washington Square, way down near the start of Fifth Avenue. Round there is the wonderful district of Greenwich 01:09:52.120 --> 01:10:04.520 Village which constitutes a real neighbourhood together with a unique neighbourliness 01:10:04.520 --> 01:10:15.040 which was very much influenced by New York University. This results from the fact that 01:10:15.040 --> 01:10:30.640 most of the students hail from a huge variety of areas and cities. This, in turn, is 01:10:30.640 --> 01:10:42.160 caused by the American university system itself. By now, of course, you find this here in Europe, too, but back then this 01:10:42.160 --> 01:10:53.920 feature of US student life seemed very special to me. On campus, it must be added, one was expected to observe a very specific 01:10:53.920 --> 01:11:10.720 etiquette. One learned the rules of courtesy and consideration with regard to communal living on campus. This I had never 01:11:10.720 --> 01:11:26.440 encountered in Vienna and it affected the behaviour of the students amongst themselves. That was very different from 01:11:26.440 --> 01:11:41.360 Austria. The following example of student behaviour may sound a touch banal. It was normal practice to study real hard during the 01:11:41.360 --> 01:12:00.600 week, but then to make sure one had a good date with a nice girl for the weekend. Even during the working week there was much 01:12:00.600 --> 01:12:15.840 conniving about these dates. One might say to a friend: "Got a date for the weekend already?“ This was a certain formality which 01:12:15.840 --> 01:12:37.400 was unknown back home. I recall how cleverly some of the young ladies played around with this custom and I do not really mean to 01:12:37.400 --> 01:12:46.680 say to their own advantage. It meant a student did not need to go a-wooing directly but would offer a suggestion obliquely. Over 01:12:46.680 --> 01:12:55.960 and above meeting for a coffee, one might have undertaken some good activity together. These weren’t real "relationships“ 01:12:55.960 --> 01:13:07.520 between the boys and girls, but there existed a certain "hierarchy“ amongst the male students and so it was advantageous 01:13:07.520 --> 01:13:19.600 to be able to say with pride: "Well, I’ve got my date for the weekend!“ I found this truly exceptional. It had to do with 01:13:19.600 --> 01:13:32.840 campus life, as a result of which we were able to meet up regularly or undertake some activities, apart from our studies. 01:13:32.840 --> 01:13:45.360 There existed a greater formality there than was to be found in Vienna, where students’ habits were more easygoing. 01:13:45.360 --> 01:13:48.120 One special memory of the US 01:13:48.120 --> 01:13:59.840 It was in America that I first encountered a unique public holiday, namely Thanksgiving and the obligatory 01:13:59.840 --> 01:14:13.800 Thanksgiving-Dinner. Once again, I had been invited to this celebration by my host family in Larchmont. I found the way they 01:14:13.800 --> 01:14:37.240 celebrated quite amazing: the turkey is roasted in a special way with an awesome stuffing. There is something unique about this 01:14:37.240 --> 01:14:54.920 way of celebrating America’s early traditions. Yes, that really impressed me. Another thing I noticed right away was the very 01:14:54.920 --> 01:15:07.160 special relationships that developed between students and professors. Professors went to great lengths to establish such 01:15:07.160 --> 01:15:12.960 relationships with their students. This, again, impressed me greatly. 01:15:12.960 --> 01:15:15.760 New York City Life 01:15:15.760 --> 01:15:28.760 In New York I had the opportunity of exploring the city; right from the start, I was never scared of travelling by public 01:15:28.760 --> 01:15:47.640 transport, least of all by the legendary New York Subway. I became convinced that this was essential right away if I was 01:15:47.640 --> 01:16:04.760 going to integrate successfully into city life. This applied to all 5 Boroughs, as the districts are called. These Boroughs one 01:16:04.760 --> 01:16:24.600 passes through are so varied in character. When I returned to New York, many years later, via JFK (John F. Kennedy) Airport, I 01:16:24.600 --> 01:16:42.000 usually travelled into town by public transport and it worked out just fine, it’s a great system. I’m glad we now have an equally 01:16:42.000 --> 01:16:51.840 dense public transport in Vienna. NYC is, of course in a different league size-wise, but even then the public transport was 01:16:51.840 --> 01:17:05.480 exemplary and state-of-the-art. Having been asked whether I had been able to figure out just what New York was about, I am happy 01:17:05.480 --> 01:17:24.960 to be able to say that I did indeed get to see the different life situations in the various Boroughs. This applies even to the 01:17:24.960 --> 01:17:36.480 several university districts. The most renowned university in NYC is the Columbia University, including its Columbia Law School; 01:17:36.480 --> 01:17:50.000 you’ll find a totally different atmosphere there than, say, that at New York University in Greenwich Village. You only have to 01:17:50.000 --> 01:18:01.840 look at the difference in campus architecture. It really impressed me the way even in this huge city it was possible to 01:18:01.840 --> 01:18:13.280 develop what we, in Vienna, call Grätzel, i.e. local areas. As far as I can make out, 01:18:13.280 --> 01:18:18.200 this remains the case in New York to this day. 01:18:18.200 --> 01:18:21.120 Student Lodgings 01:18:21.120 --> 01:18:36.320 Another interesting feature of NYU - I’ve already mentioned campus life – was one of the large houses right on Washington 01:18:36.320 --> 01:19:00.320 Square. This was a student hostel (Dormitory) with tiny apartments. Most of the rooms were double rooms, as well as three 01:19:00.320 --> 01:19:18.400 units which were theesomes. These had the advantage of not only having a bedroom, but also a living room and small kitchen area. 01:19:18.400 --> 01:19:27.680 I was lucky to end up with a couple of other guys in such a threesome. The three of us figured out our respective duties. We 01:19:27.680 --> 01:19:44.240 were a South American, an American and myself. The American was the guy who originally met me on arrival in New York by ship. He 01:19:44.240 --> 01:20:03.960 was the "cook“ in our Dormitory and I was "dishwasher“. Here I really experienced the mutual willingness to help I’ve mentioned 01:20:03.960 --> 01:20:12.920 before and we had a great time. Of course, we used to throw parties and things like that… 01:20:12.920 --> 01:20:15.400 A very special anecdote 01:20:15.400 --> 01:20:28.320 Well, I’ve already mentioned my guest family in Larchmont with their kids who are, of course, now long since grown up. I’m still 01:20:28.320 --> 01:20:44.200 in touch with them occasionally now. Let me tell you about their invitation to spend Christmas with them. The parents wanted their 01:20:44.200 --> 01:21:01.240 kids to learn to ski and, for a start, I helped them purchase skis as one of their Christmas presents. On Christmas Eve in the 01:21:08.000 --> 01:21:15.520 living room, I strapped those skis there and demonstrated the then popular Spitzkehre, or switchback - 01:21:15.520 --> 01:21:21.280 it’s not really used any more now. To perform this one, I lifted up 01:21:21.280 --> 01:21:28.480 one of the strapped-on skis, let it stand on its backend, before letting it fall down 01:21:28.480 --> 01:21:37.240 with its ski tip in the opposite direction. Then, I turned around with the other ski also, so that this one ended up parallel to 01:21:37.240 --> 01:21:45.720 the first ski again - 180° in the opposite direction. So it was that I tried to demonstrate this switchback in front of the 01:21:45.720 --> 01:21:53.600 decorated Christmas Tree. And then it happened: as I turned and stood the one ski up, I inadvertantly sent the Christmas Tree 01:21:53.600 --> 01:22:03.360 flying which was standing on the floor. Disaster pure! I was staggered by the generosity with which their mother wasn’t angry 01:22:03.360 --> 01:22:17.760 with me and didn’t start to criticise me. I mean, she could have yelled at me, told me off. But no, we all simply set the 01:22:17.760 --> 01:22:27.320 Chrtistmas Tree up again and that was the end of it, no ill feelings. I remember thinking that that wouldn’t have been the 01:22:27.320 --> 01:22:39.680 case back home in Vienna. I remember this mishap so vividly. 01:22:39.680 --> 01:22:56.480 And other anecdotes? I’ve already mentioned my experiences in local schools where I found the kids genuinely interested in 01:22:56.480 --> 01:23:18.160 hearing about Austria. I got the feeling that these kids were receiving a truly cosmopolitan education. 01:23:18.160 --> 01:23:21.360 How did the Fulbright year affect your perception of America? 01:23:21.360 --> 01:23:36.640 Also in comparison with one or the other school in Austria. You have to remember, Austria had remained an occupied country 01:23:36.640 --> 01:23:48.360 until 1955 (keyword: Austrian State Treaty). During the occupation there were the Four Allied Powers present, each of 01:23:48.360 --> 01:23:57.520 them very different from the others which resulted in the native population acquiring very different impressions of the so-called 01:23:57.520 --> 01:24:26.000 Occupying Powers. Myself, I often felt that the Americans left the best impression behind. With this in mind, it was doubly 01:24:26.000 --> 01:24:51.960 interesting to experience later the Americans themselves during my Fulbright year and to discover for myself the immense variety 01:24:51.960 --> 01:25:11.600 of life there. Much later, I experienced the Midwest, and the very different Southern States, all the different attitudes and 01:25:11.600 --> 01:25:38.440 customs. I found the Eastern or Northeastern States most fascinating of all, where most of the intellectual power was 01:25:38.440 --> 01:25:54.160 concentrated back then. New York had close ties with Europe and there was the Jewish influence. In Massachusetts, Boston was 01:25:54.160 --> 01:26:11.120 famous, not least for its Harvard University with its Harvard Law School. By the time I had become "acclimatised“ and acquired a 01:26:11.120 --> 01:26:19.080 New York accent, Americans from, perhaps, the South or the Midwest, whom I met subsequently used to say: "Oh, you are an 01:26:19.080 --> 01:26:31.520 Easterner?“. "Oh, you are an Easterner“ often meant either New York or Massachusetts and also implied looking slightly down on 01:26:31.520 --> 01:26:58.560 people from elsewhere in the US. I noticed this even back then and it is now probably more pronounced than ever. 01:26:58.560 --> 01:27:02.080 How did the Fulbright year affect your perception of Austria? 01:27:02.080 --> 01:27:24.760 Let me turn to another aspect, now: I’ve already mentioned that I didn’t find it at all easy to return to Austria. Two months 01:27:24.760 --> 01:27:37.440 after my return I had to absolve what is called my "Court Year“ (clerkship at the courts). I was assigned as intern to a judge. I 01:27:37.440 --> 01:27:55.600 told him about my year in America. I soon noticed he was not really interested. Let me turn, briefly, back to the Occupation 01:27:55.600 --> 01:28:11.200 prior to 1955: I recall a common saying amongst Austrians in later years concerning the Occupying Powers. It was clear that 01:28:11.200 --> 01:28:29.200 everyone was longing for the Occupation to come to an end. As far as American soldiers were concerned, you could hear people saying 01:28:29.200 --> 01:28:45.880 for fun: "Yankee, go home!“ So it was that my judge whom I had mentioned before, occasionally used to say to me "Well then, you 01:28:45.880 --> 01:29:11.840 Yankee go home!“ That did indeed come as quite a "cultural shock“ to me, so soon after my return, and didn’t compare well with the 01:29:11.840 --> 01:29:26.880 positive experiences and successes I had had in America. It stands to reason that I identified closely with my experiences 01:29:26.880 --> 01:29:37.920 over there and that I felt at home there. That‘s why I still say today, that I consider New York to be my second home city. 01:29:37.920 --> 01:29:52.200 Looking back, I reckon my Fulbright experience in New York was to influence the rest of my life. When I look back, I observe a 01:29:52.200 --> 01:30:21.040 positive continuity throughout my life. This Fulbright Program, together with my experiences in America which I was then able to 01:30:21.040 --> 01:30:44.880 implement in my professional work really was of utmost importance to me. I look back with gratitude at later being able to return 01:30:44.880 --> 01:30:57.320 to America regularly, mostly to New York. Also, it is the experiences I had with my fellow students and learning about 01:30:57.320 --> 01:31:09.000 other cultures which later enabled me to handle legal assignments of clients easier also in other countries. Without going into any 01:31:09.000 --> 01:31:23.440 details, let alone infringing against confidentiality rules, I’d like now to mention later experiences here in Austria. During the 01:31:23.440 --> 01:31:42.200 very early 1970s and the late 1960s, too, when there were still no "Multinational Corporations“ or "Multis“, the major American 01:31:42.200 --> 01:31:57.200 companies - with the exception of General Motors and IBM - were hardly represented here in Europe. Then, during the 1970s and 01:31:57.200 --> 01:32:11.000 later, came the internationalisation of the European economy, during which various groups of companies set up headquarters 01:32:11.000 --> 01:32:21.440 here, took European companies over or purchased an interest in them. Most of these large business corporations were American. 01:32:21.440 --> 01:32:40.680 Thus came a period during which the Americans who had an interest in Europe required the services of local lawyers. Friendships, 01:32:40.680 --> 01:32:50.560 personal ones too, often resulted between the Chief Executive Officers and the lawyers concerned. Most of these were not merely 01:32:50.560 --> 01:32:59.320 short-term mandates for the lawyer; this in contrast with the practice today in which, having dealt with one case, companies 01:32:59.320 --> 01:33:09.360 may avail themselves of the services of a totally different legal firm for the next. And so, there developed, back then, long-term 01:33:09.360 --> 01:33:18.960 links between lawyer and client. Of course my early Fulbright experience was extremely important for these, as I had acquired 01:33:18.960 --> 01:33:28.120 knowledge and skills with regard to successful negotiating with English-speaking top executives. As I said, some wonderful and 01:33:28.120 --> 01:33:40.200 often lasting friendships resulted from these encounters. Let me mention one, without disclosing the client’s name. This 01:33:40.200 --> 01:33:53.560 particular American client of mine always stayed in the Hotel Imperial when he was in Vienna. I often had to attend signature 01:33:53.560 --> 01:34:09.440 signings with regard to deals or contracts there at the hotel. It stands to reason that timings had to be precise and targeted, as 01:34:09.440 --> 01:34:20.480 the clients were hardly able to spend weeks here, but remained some three days or so. On one occasion we had a large-scale 01:34:20.480 --> 01:34:30.080 contract to tie up, one which also required a notarial deed to be signed, and the presence of a Notary Public. Having completed all 01:34:30.080 --> 01:34:41.440 the requisite lengthy preparations and negotiations, a specific day had been selected for the final signing ceremony. The 01:34:41.440 --> 01:34:50.840 gentlemen of our American corporate client had settled upon 6 pm as time and expected the notary to be available at the Imperial 01:34:50.840 --> 01:35:01.040 on the dot. The Notary I had selected on this occasion - I shall mention no names - was President of the Chamber of Notaries and 01:35:01.040 --> 01:35:10.640 the chosen day happened also to be that of the Vienna State Opera Ball which said President was more or less obliged to attend in 01:35:10.640 --> 01:35:20.680 his official function. I nevertheless managed to persuade our notary to come to carry out the task at the IMPERIAL just before 01:35:20.680 --> 01:35:29.600 the Ball. He, of course, appeared in White Tie, ready for the Ball. Our signing ceremony was a purely professional affair, 01:35:29.600 --> 01:35:38.440 without personal conversations. Everything was completed without wasting any time, after which the notary took his leave right 01:35:38.440 --> 01:35:47.360 away. I hadn’t told these clients that the notary would be continuing straight from the Imperial to the Opera Ball. After he 01:35:47.360 --> 01:35:56.560 had been gone, the American gentlemen turned to me and asked: "Tell me, Heinz, do Austrian notaries always attend such signing 01:35:56.560 --> 01:36:08.480 ceremonies in tails?“ We had a good laugh about that, and I then revealed to them "You know, he made it especially possible to 01:36:08.480 --> 01:36:20.080 assist you and attend our signing, before going on to the Opera Ball.“ 01:36:20.080 --> 01:36:25.040 How do you assess the value of the Fulbright Experience on a personal and societal level? 01:36:25.040 --> 01:36:39.240 To finish off, I should like to add that to this day, albeit in different form, the Fulbright-Program has retained its immense 01:36:39.240 --> 01:36:52.080 value. All the more so in our day and age, during which the top American universities still have particualr high rankings and 01:36:52.080 --> 01:37:06.200 their scientific work is very targeted. This applies just as much in all the other disciplines, other than jurisprudence, for 01:37:06.200 --> 01:37:30.560 example in the technical fields. I believe this significance still exists, despite Erasmus which now fosters exchange between 01:37:30.560 --> 01:37:48.720 the many European nations, because intercontinental exchange remains of extreme importance, particularly nowadays. Although it 01:37:48.720 --> 01:38:08.960 is easy now to travel around the world, not to mention the availability of the internet, the Fulbright Program remains vital 01:38:08.960 --> 01:38:21.720 at academic levels. In this connection it is worth especial mention that, over time, the Fulbright-Program has come to work 01:38:21.720 --> 01:38:34.480 in both directions which means, for instance, it has brought many young Americans to us in a large variety of detail-programs here 01:38:34.480 --> 01:38:44.480 in Austria. It seems wonderful to me that nowadays Austria has become a highly popular destination for American professors, too, 01:38:44.480 --> 01:39:02.440 with Teaching Assistantships here or at other levels. Excellent.