Dr Felicitas Paller is a judge of the Vienna Commercial Court and previously served on the civil and commercial divisions of three different district courts, handling matters involving contracts, torts, family law, enforcement and commercial disputes. She has served as a judge in Vienna since 1990 and is a 2015 Weinstein JAMS International Fellow.

Civil judges in Austria are trained to negotiate cases in the courtroom and settle a fair number. Interaction with lawyers and parties within the framework of a hearing to reach a settlement is common and is encompassed by the role of the judge.

Judge Paller is the founder and director of a court-annexed mediation program, begun in the Vienna Commercial Court in 2008 and since adopted by ten other courts in Austria. All programs are run according to the principles and best practices developed in the Vienna Commercial Court.