Disputes are not always avoidable and sometimes rights must be protected and pursued through litigation or arbitration. In such conflicts we assess your success chances and support you to develop and implement an effective dispute resolution strategy. This may include avoiding proceedings through out-of-court settlements, or engaging in a dispute. With decades of experience and expertise, we support and represent you with commitment, strategic foresight and tactical skill in civil, arbitration and administrative proceedings.
Litigation
Our litigation team represents you in commercial and civil law disputes before all courts in Switzerland. This includes representation before civil courts of first instance, commercial courts and appeal courts up to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, both in ordinary as well as summary proceedings.
We have in-depth expertise and many years of experience in contractual and corporate disputes, in particular disputes arising from M&A transactions, joint ventures, liability claims, shareholders’ agreements and disputes arising from distribution, agency, licensing and employment relationships. We are also highly competent in banking and insurance law disputes (including asset management) and in intellectual property and unfair competition disputes. We represent you in insolvency proceedings (including freezing orders, collocation and restitution proceedings), enforce foreign judgments and arbitral awards and assist you in investigations and white-collar crime proceedings.
Our litigation lawyers work individually or in small and dedicated teams, organized according to the requirements of each case. Our lean organization allows us to use resources and know-how efficiently. Thanks to our worldwide network of proven and tested partners, we can coordinate proceedings in foreign jurisdictions or, as part of an international team, oversee proceedings in Switzerland.
Arbitration
Our team represents you in commercial arbitration and in sports-related disputes.
Our team has years of experience in proceedings before domestic and international arbitral tribunals, including those conducted under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the Swiss Arbitration Centre (SAC), the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and UNCITRAL or ad hoc. With our international network of personally known and well-respected partners, we also act in arbitrations governed by foreign legal systems. We can also act in proceedings to defend against or to set aside arbitral awards before the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, and to enforce arbitral awards.
Members of our arbitration team regularly act as chairman, party-appointed arbitrator or sole arbitrator. They also act as legal experts before arbitral tribunals. Our team members have studied abroad and worked for foreign law firms and have a broad range of experience in various legal systems.
Administrative Proceedings
Our team represents you in administrative proceedings before internal and external administrative bodies. This includes representation before cantonal and federal administrative and supervisory authorities (Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner etc.), non-administrative special authorities (e.g. Federal Communications Commission), administrative courts and all appellate authorities up to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
Our team members are specialized in the fields of tort, social security and insurance contract law and represent numerous insurance companies in these areas. We are also focused on proceedings relating to telecommunications, data protection and migration. We represent telecommunication companies in proceedings over infrastructure prices and interconnection procedures. We are also experienced in award and complaint procedures in public procurement.
White Collar Crime, Enforcement and Compliance
We advise and represent corporations and individuals in criminal, administrative and civil proceedings in both domestic and cross-border white collar crime matters, including money laundering, bribery and corruption, insider dealing, fraud, violation of bank client secrecy as well as in internal and external investigations and enforcement proceedings.