Dispute resolution: Litigation
Matthew T. Reiter
Matthew Reiter heads Bär & Karrer’s litigation practice. He specializes in litigation and arbitration. He has extensive experience in a wide range of state court and administrative proceedings, including criminal investigations, white collar crimes, enforcement proceedings and international judicial assistance, but focuses on the resolution of large domestic and international commercial disputes.
Matthew Reiter has successfully represented clients in numerous domestic and international arbitrations, both in ad hoc and institutional proceedings (primarily ICC, ZCC/Swiss Rules), especially relating to joint ventures and shareholders' agreements, large construction contracts, M&A transactions and supply agreements. Recent highlights include the successful defense of EnBW in a CHF 1 billion arbitration proceeding concerning the Thermoselect technology.
Clients of Matthew Reiter include individuals as well as listed and non-listed domestic and foreign companies from various sectors such as the banking and services industry as well as the pharmaceutical, chemical, energy, automotive, aviation and construction industries.
The Legal 500 recommends Matthew Reiter in dispute resolution matters (since 2012).
Aurélie Conrad Hari
Aurélie Conrad Hari leads the civil litigation practice of Bär & Karrer in Geneva, where she has been a partner since 2017. She has a broad experience in handling complex multi-jurisdictional disputes in financial, banking and commercial disputes. She also specializes in private clients' assistance and representation.
Her practice encompasses shareholders' and employment disputes, insolvency as well as asset recovery, with the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards. She also frequently acts as counsel representing parties in commercial arbitration related to various industries, eg, sale, distribution, agency, construction (including power plants) and energy. Additionally, she conducts internal investigation on specific fact findings and compliance issues upon instructions from clients or supervisory authorities.
Aurélie Conrad Hari is a regular speaker and publisher on topics of her expertise. She is co-chair of the officers of the commissions committee and member of the Extended Bureau of the International Young Lawyers Association and chairs the Expert Forum on Dispute Resolution established by the Geneva Bar Association in 2017.
Who's Who Legal lists her as a leading lawyer in litigation, asset recovery and as a future leader in arbitration. She is also recognized by Chambers and Partners and Legal500 for her litigation practice as well as by Leaders League, the Global Elite Private Client Directory as well as Citywealth where she is featured in in the IFC Powerwomen Top 200 since 2018.
Nadja Jaisli Kull
Nadja Jaisli co-heads Bär & Karrer's arbitration practice and specializes in international commercial arbitration and litigation. She has extensive experience in representing clients before Swiss courts and in international arbitrations (both ad hoc and institutional), involving a wide array of matters. She has gained particular experience in the banking and finance, the pharmaceutical and the construction industries and regularly handles complex disputes arising from M&A transactions, joint ventures and shareholders' agreements, license and supply agreements as well as inheritance disputes. In addition to her work as party counsel, Nadja Jaisli frequently sits as arbitrator (in particular under ICC, Swiss, DIS and VIAC Rules and in ad hoc proceedings).Nadja Jaisli serves as a Vice President of the ICC Swiss Commission on Arbitration and ADR and as a member of the Swiss Nomination Committee that proposes arbitrator candidates to the ICC Court in Paris. She is also a member of the Executive Committee and of the Board of the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA) and regularly speaks and publishes in the field of international dispute resolution. She is listed in Chambers Global and Chambers Europe, Legal 500 and by Who's Who Legal in the fields of arbitration and litigation. Who's Who Legal ranked her amongst the four most highly regarded future leaders in arbitration 2018 and 2019 in Europe, listed her as a global leader in arbitration since 2020 as well as a global elite thought leader in litigation. In 2021 and 2022, Nadja Jaisli was awarded with the Europe Women in Business Law Award as Commercial Arbitration Lawyer of the Year.
Andreas D. Länzlinger
Andreas D. Länzlinger heads Bär & Karrer's Internal Investigations Practice Group and is one of the leading partners of the firm's Litigation/Arbitration Practice Group. He has extensive experience in handling complex banking/financing, commercial, corporate, contract and insurance litigations, both before Swiss courts and in cross-border proceedings. He and his team have conducted many large scale internal investigations at global enterprises in the financial, pharmaceutical and construction business. He has represented a number of Swiss clients in mass tort litigation cases before US courts. During the last years, he has regularly advised and represented Swiss corporate clients regarding compliance questions and in investigations, including proceedings before US authorities (Department of Justice, SEC and FED), especially in matters under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Saverio Lembo
Saverio Lembo heads Bär & Karrer's White Collar Crime practice group.
He has extensive experience in white collar crime, commercial and financial litigation, international judicial assistance (civil and criminal), arbitration and insolvency. During recent years, he has been involved in a number of complex commercial litigation proceedings, has served as a party representative or arbitrator in various domestic and international commercial arbitrations and has assisted clients in Swiss and foreign criminal proceedings. He regularly represents clients before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Saverio Lembo's practice also extends to pharmaceutical litigation, inheritance law, employment matters and enforcement of foreign judgments and awards.
Saverio Lembo is ranked in tier 1 of the leading lawyers in White-Collar Crime Switzerland by Chambers & Partners. He was awarded "Lawyer of the Year for Switzerland" in the categories "Business Crime Defence" and "Investigations" at the Who's Who Legal Awards in 2020 as well as "Lawyer of the Year 2016" in the categories Criminal Defence and Litigation in the Geneva area by Best Lawyers. Since 2012, the International Who's Who lists him among the world's leading practitioners in the areas of Business Crime Defence, Asset Recovery Lawyers and Commercial Litigation. In The Legal 500, Saverio Lembo has been listed among the leading individuals in Switzerland in Dispute Resolution since 2010.
Cesare Jermini
Cesare Jermini has extensive experience in court litigation as well as international and domestic arbitration, in which he specializes. He regularly acts as a party counsel before state courts and the Federal Tribunal (in civil, criminal and administrative matters) as well as in domestic and international arbitration proceedings.
Cesare Jermini is often appointed as chairman, sole arbitrator and co-arbitrator in international and domestic arbitration proceedings, conducted under the ICC Rules, Swiss Rules, Rules of the Camera Arbitrale Nazionale e Internazionale di Milano, UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules as well as in ad hoc proceedings.
Cesare Jermini also advises clients in commercial and company law, private international law, joint ventures, transportation, labor, administrative, real estate and inheritance law.
He is a member of the executive board of GASI (Gruppo Arbitrato della Svizzera italiana – the Local Group Ticino of ASA, the Swiss Arbitration Association), the ASA Marketing Committee and the International and Domestic Panels of Arbitrators of several arbitral institutions.
Andrew M. Garbarski
Andrew M. Garbarski specializes in white collar crime, administrative criminal law, international judicial and administrative assistance, as well as financial and commercial litigation and insolvency. During recent years, Andrew M. Garbarski's work has encompassed, among others, complex multi-jurisdictional financial crime and asset recovery matters, as well as the representation of clients before the Swiss prosecution authorities and courts.
Andrew M. Garbarski teaches white collar crime and criminal procedure law as Professor at the University of Lausanne and regularly publishes in his practice areas.
Andrew Garbarski is listed by Who's Who Legal as a leader in Switzerland for business crime defence, investigations and asset recovery, and as a "Future Leader" (2018-20) for investigations. Chambers and Partners lists him as "Band 3" in their white-collar crime category. He is also listed as a "Rising Star" in the white-collar crime category by Euromoney Legal Media Group (Expert Guides, LMG Rising Stars 2015, 2016 and 2017).
Andrew Garbarski was recently appointed by the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) as member of the Working Group dealing with the modernisation of the Administrative Criminal Law.
Oliver M. Brupbacher
Oliver Brupbacher is a dispute resolution and investigation partner with extensive experience in the Life Sciences and Healthcare sectors, including complex commercial and cross-border litigation, investigations and arbitration, as well as regulatory, corporate and compliance counseling and risk management.
Oliver's practice focuses on representing national and multinational clients in heavily regulated industries and at various stages of dispute resolution and investigations, including pre-dispute advice, crisis management and information governance.
As a former senior litigation counsel, global product lawyer and head of global discovery at Novartis, Oliver combines deep expertise in his areas of practice with an intimate understanding of industry and clients' needs at all organizational levels. Clients often turn to Oliver for rigorous, spirited and connected lawyering and management of their most complex and contentious challenges that require strategic and innovative thinking.
Oliver is recommended by Legal 500 2024 in Bär & Karrer's Tier 1 ranked practice areas of Regulatory, Compliance & Investigations, Litigation, and Healthcare & Life Sciences.
Cinzia Catelli
Cinzia Catelli's preferred area of practice focuses on domestic and international arbitration and litigation. She also acts as arbitrator in ICC and SCAI proceedings. Her practice encompasses commercial disputes in various industries, including real estate development contracts, distribution agreements, sales contracts, lease agreements, labour law, and corporate law disputes litigation.
Cinzia Catelli is admitted to all Swiss courts since 2010. Since 2014 she is a member of Bär & Karrer's litigation and arbitration practice teams in Zurich, working regularly also with the litigation practice in Ticino. She holds a degree from the University of Zurich, an LLM degree from Harvard Law School and passed the New York Bar Exam in 2013.
Pascal Hachem
Pascal Hachem's practice focuses on contentious and non-contentious commercial matters as well as corporate internal investigations. He further assists clients with claim-management and the gathering, securing and evaluation of evidence. Pascal Hachem represents clients in state court, arbitration and in front of domestic and foreign authorities. He has acted as sole arbitrator and member of an arbitration panel. Pascal Hachem holds law degrees from Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg i.Br. (Germany) and the University of Basel.
Pascal Hachem is a frequent speaker at international conferences in his areas of expertise, contributes to leading commentaries on international sales law and treatises on corporate internal investigations and has authored and co-authored books and articles in the field of general contract and sales law. Who's Who Legal lists him as Future Leader in Arbitration.
Léonard Lavanchy-Prack
Léonard Lavanchy-Prack's practice focuses on domestic and international litigation. Furthermore, he is regularly involved in internal investigations relating to white collar crime and regulatory issues.
Martina Athanas
Martina Athanas is a member of the firm's internal investigations practice group and its litigation team. Her practice is focused on conducting and advising on all aspects of internal investigations into bribery, fraud and compliance. Martina also regularly advises on white collar crime and cross-border legal issues (including Swiss blocking statutes and data privacy laws), and is often involved in proceedings for international mutual legal assistance and administrative assistance.
During a secondment at the Swiss financial regulator, FINMA, Martina was able to work on regulatory matters from the government enforcement perspective. She also gained valuable insight into legal matters from a client's perspective during her secondment at the Litigation & Investigations team at UBS.
Team Services
Globalisation, regulation and an ever-accelerating pace make business more demanding and complicated. The same is true for your court disputes. We are here to defend your interests both in and out of court and to resolve your disputes swiftly and effectively.
Our litigation practice deals with all types of corporate and commercial disputes and all related areas of law, such as insurance litigation, employment law litigation, disputes involving trusts and estates as well as bankruptcy-related proceedings.
In addition to ordinary civil proceedings, our forensic practice is active in pursuing enforcement action, seeking interlocutory remedies (attachments and other interim measures) and asset recovery as well as representing our clients in international legal assistance and administrative proceedings. We also have extensive experience in advising clients on the Swiss ramifications of cross-border proceedings, including US litigation, mass tort and class actions.
At Bär & Karrer, we represent clients before all courts and administrative authorities in Switzerland. Our resources allow us to handle all kinds of disputes efficiently, from routine matters to large and complex multinational litigation. From the outset, we will staff our teams in consultation with you depending on your specific needs, drawing on a pool of court practitioners and specialists from all relevant practice areas.
Recent Work Highlights
- Representation of a multinational pharmaceutical company in administrative assistance proceedings in regulatory matters.
- Assisting and advising a laboratory company on the market with regard to discriminatory competition measures.
- Representation of a Middle Eastern entity in enforcement proceedings in Switzerland.
- Attachment proceedings on behalf of major foreign industrial company against foreign debtor with assets in Switzerland.
- Representation of a listed company in multiple court proceedings on interim measures originated by a proxy fight within a group of listed companies cross border Germany-Switzerland.
- Representation of an international sport organization as harmed party in money laundering, fraud and criminal mismanagement investigations conducted by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General.
- Assisting a Swiss bank related to complex cross-border document production requests from a U.S. authority.
- Representation of a software manufacturer in state court in a dispute with a customer regarding an outsourcing project.
- Representation of a Swiss company in litigation before the Zurich Commercial Court in connection with the transfer of more than 30 projects in the transportation industry.
- Successful defense of a German company in set-aside proceedings before the Swiss Federal Supreme Court concerning an investment treaty arbitration.
- Representation of an individual and coordination of an international team in a substantial inheritance case involving Spain, Italy, Greece and Liechtenstein.
- Representation of a Swiss bank as harmed party in criminal proceedings in relation to large-scale embezzlement by a former asset manager.
- Representing a state entity targeted in a cross-border civil litigation involving cultural heritage-related measures.
- Represented an insurance company in successfully defending a claim for professional indemnity cover through two instances of appeal. The dispute raised key questions relating to the scope and application of an insurance policy and is currently before the highest Swiss court.
- Representation of a German energy company in a dispute concerning the valuation of shares.
- Advising of international general contractor with regard to a large construction project and representation in related court proceedings concerning builders' liens.
- Successful enforcement of a Swedish arbitral award against an individual domiciled in Switzerland and representation of the client in debt collection proceedings.
- Representation of a Swedish company against a Swiss company regarding post M&A representation and warranty claims.
- Successful defense of majority shareholder of industrial company in tax litigation regarding hidden profit distribution allegations.
- Enforcement of non-compete undertakings against former member of management by way of injunctive relief and successful defense of client's interests in ensuing criminal and civil proceedings.