Mr Louis Burrus > Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd > Geneva, Switzerland > Lawyer Profile

Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd
5bis, rue des Alpes
P.O. Box 2088
1211 Geneva 1
Switzerland

Work Department

Dispute Resolution / Banking and Finance / Internal Corporate Investigations / White-Collar Crime and Compliance

Position

Louis Burrus is a Partner and the co-head of the Dispute Resolution Group in Geneva. He is dual-qualified in Switzerland and in England & Wales (Solicitor of the Senior Courts). Louis specializes in domestic and international commercial litigation, in particular in banking and financial disputes. He advises clients in cross-border multi-jurisdictional disputes and has extensive experience in conducting corporate internal investigations, including white-collar matters.

Experience:

  • Lead counsel to a SIX-listed company in a post-transaction dispute further to the acquisition of a new subsidiary (price-adjustment mechanisms, enforcement of warranties, etc.)
  • Acted for a European energy company in enforcing a several hundred million arbitration award (ICC, seat in NYC), including by way of an attachment order (worldwide enforcement case)
  • Advising a major Swiss bank participating into the United States Department of Justice’s (DoJ) Program for Non-Prosecution Agreements or Non-Target Letters for Swiss banks (co-Project Manager role)

Career

2016 – Partner at Schellenberg Wittmer

2014 – Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP in London

2010 – Associate at Schellenberg Wittmer

2007 – Junior associate at Baker & McKenzie in Geneva

Languages

  • French
  • German
  • English

Memberships

  • Board member of the Swiss LegalTech Association
  • Member of several professional associations such as the Geneva Bar Association, the Swiss Bar Association, the Law Society of England & Wales and the American Bar Association

Education

2016 – Bar Admission in England & Wales (Solicitor of the Senior Courts)

2009 – Bar Admission in Switzerland

2007 – Certificate in “International Business Transactions with Chinese Characteristics”, Cornell-Bucerius Summer Law Institute in Suzhou, China

2007 – Master of Law, University of Fribourg

Lawyer Rankings

Switzerland > Dispute resolution: litigation

(Leading individuals)

Louis Burrus – Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd

Counting blue-chip corporations in its client roster, Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd is active across a diverse scope of fields, from energy and transport to pharmaceuticals and consumer goods. Peter Burckhardt, Louis Burrus and Clara Poglia jointly spearhead the group. Burckhardt is well-regarded for his work in complex financial, commercial and criminal litigation, with ‘pragmatic’ and ‘precise’ Burrus principally focusing on cross-border commercial litigation. Poglia’s expansive experience incorporates white-collar crime, asset tracing and internal corporate investigations knowledge. Stefan Leimgruber frequently handles banking, post-M&A and corporate litigation, while Urs Hoffmann-Nowotny contributes his banking litigation capabilities to the practice. Katherine Bell is noted for her ability in handling disputes arising out of complex construction, engineering and infrastructure projects.

Switzerland > Insolvency and corporate recovery

Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd provides the full spectrum of restructuring and insolvency matters including companies’ restructuring, loan-to-own transactions, distressed M&A, distressed refinancing, and advising board members on their duties, as well as liability claims. The team is headed by Olivier Hari, Tarek Houdrouge, and Urs Hoffmann-Nowotny. Hari specialises in complex national and cross-border insolvency and restructuring proceedings and related litigation proceedings, whilst Houdrouge, who co-heads the banking and finance team, has a strong focus on distressed situations. Hoffmann-Nowotny has a special focus on insolvency-related litigations, including actions to contest schedules of claims, claw-back actions, and the enforcement as well as defense of liability claims against directors and officers. Vincent Jeanneret, who is the former practice group head, has a wide range of expertise including distressed refinancing and M&A, corporate restructuring of listed and non-listed companies, filing of court-application for distressed businesses, litigation, and recognition of foreign orders. Cross-border insolvency expert Louis Burrus is a notable team member.

Switzerland > Regulatory, compliance and investigations

Counting corporations, financial institutions and boards of directors in a diverse and impressive client roster, Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd advises on the full gamut of regulatory, compliance and investigations mandates. Notable work for the group includes criminal liability in insolvency situations, white-collar crime work and a variety of regulatory proceedings. Peter Burckhardt and Benjamin Borsodi co-helm the practice, with the former being noted for his business crime expertise and the latter bolstering the team with expansive experience in international legal assistance, corporate investigations and asset tracing. Clara Poglia, George Ayoub, Louis Burrus and Paul Gully-Hart are other key names in the team.