Alfred Noll dies: An obituary for the lawyer, politician and maverick thinker
Picture a lawyer who not only knows his way around the law backwards but also writes weighty tomes on Thomas Hobbes – and then goes into politics. That was Alfred J. Noll, who passed away shortly after Christmas at the age of 63. A profound loss for the Austrian legal landscape and for all who knew him as a sharp-tongued debater.
To many, he was simply "Alfred Noll" – the lawyer with the quiet voice and razor-sharp arguments. Anyone who ever encountered him in court won't forget him in a hurry. Whether it was about high-profile political trials or fundamental constitutional questions – Noll was always a guarantee of depth and unconventional thinking. His trademark: a dash of philosophy in everyday legal practice.
From university professor to politician
Born in 1960, Alfred J. Noll embarked on a meteoric academic career early on. Habilitation, university professor of law – but that was never enough for him. He wanted to step out of the ivory tower and into the thick of real life. So, he not only wrote academic treatises (including a highly regarded work on Thomas Hobbes) but also founded his own law firm. And then, in 2008, he entered the National Council for the Greens. For three years, he shook up federal politics until he decided to focus entirely on legal practice again in 2011.
A lawyer with political instinct
As an MP, Alfred Noll wasn't one to dutifully toe the party line. He always remained a maverick thinker, someone who preferred to look twice before passing judgment. That didn't always make him comfortable – but it always made him credible. During the proceedings of the Hypo Alpe-Adria investigative committee, he once again demonstrated his full prowess: as an observer for the Caritas charity, using his legal acumen to expose the puppet masters.
His career was marked by an impressive breadth:
- As a lawyer: Representing clients in highly sensitive cases, such as for Caritas in the Hypo investigative committee or for whistleblowers.
- As an author: Numerous publications, including the much-cited work "Thomas Hobbes – Alfred J. Noll: An Approach" and countless essays on legal philosophy and constitutional law.
- As a politician: Green Party MP (2008–2011) with a focus on justice and the constitution.
- As a person: A quiet connoisseur who hid a dry wit behind his often thoughtful facade.
Speaking of wit: his surname was sometimes mistakenly written as "Alfred Noller" in the media. He's said to have merely smiled wearily at that – the main thing was that the content was right. And the content was almost always right with him. When he pleaded before the Constitutional Court, not only the judges listened intently, but also the young colleagues eager to learn from him.
An obituary filled with sorrow
His death leaves a void. In recent days, companions from politics and the judiciary have said their goodbyes, and all agreed: Alfred J. Noll was the kind of lawyer the country could do with more of – intelligent, incorruptible, and always searching for the truth behind the statutes. From judicial circles, it was heard that the republic is losing one of its most distinguished minds. Colleagues remember his quiet manner, the brief pauses before an answer, during which he weighed every word on a gold scale. And his ability to dissect complex issues so that even a layperson understood what was really at stake. That's precisely what makes a great lawyer – not citing paragraphs, but explaining justice.
In that spirit: Rest in peace, Alfred Noll. The republic loses one of its brightest minds.