The hotline to the stand-by legal counselling service for arrested suspects is available 24/7 and can be called free of charge from anywhere in Austria at

0800 376 386

For which cases?

If a person is strongly suspected of having committed a criminal offence due to specific facts and circumstances and investigation proceedings have been initiated, or coercion is exercised against him on the grounds of that suspicion, he is charged in criminal proceedings and under Section 49 (2) of the Austrian Code of Criminal Procedure (Strafprozessordnung) has the right to choose a defence counsel.

For that purpose the Austrian Bar together with the Ministry of Justice provide a stand-by service for arrested suspects. Depending on the specific case, the service includes a telephone or personal consultation with a lawyer and, if necessary, legal assistance during an interrogation, etc. Via the above-mentioned hotline, which is available 24/7, you can reach a defence lawyer immediately.

What are the costs involved in calling in a lawyer?

The first call and the first telephone consultation are free of charge. All other services must be paid for and will be charged at an hourly rate of EUR 178,- plus VAT and accounted for in 15-minute increments. The flat hourly rate covers any actual intervention of a defence lawyer within the scope of the service, i.e. including telephone consultations and trips to and from police stations and other places. If the court appoints a legal aid lawyer for the criminal proceedings, the fee will provisionally not be charged.

For more details please see the information leaflet (soon available in several languages - see below), which may be downloaded; the related power of attorney is also available to download.

The following documents can be downloaded: