Dr Urs Hoffmann-Nowotny > Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd > Zurich, Switzerland > Lawyer Profile

Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd
Löwenstrasse 19
P.O. Box 2201
8021 Zurich
Switzerland

Work Department

Zurich / Dispute Resolution / International Arbitration / Corporate and Financial Services Litigation

Position

Urs Hoffmann-Nowotny is a partner in Schellenberg Wittmer’s Dispute Resolution Group in Zurich. His main areas of practice are domestic and international commercial litigation and arbitration as well as pre-litigation strategic advice. Urs Hoffmann-Nowotny acts as counsel before Swiss courts and arbitral tribunals in a wide range of commercial disputes. He has also been a secretary to arbitral tribunals in major disputes under the ICC and Swiss Rules. Urs Hoffmann-Nowotny has special expertise in banking litigation, having acted as counsel to financial services providers in numerous disputes with private and institutional clients, and in corporate law disputes (including liability of directors and officers and joint ventures) as well as the enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards, asset recovery and international legal assistance.

Career

2017 – Partner at Schellenberg Wittmer
2014 to date – Lecturer in the CAS programme “Civil Litigation” of the University of St. Gallen
2010 – Associate at Schellenberg Wittmer
2008 to date – Lecturer for civil procedure at the University of Zurich
2006-2010 – Research and teaching assistant to Prof. Dr. Hans Caspar von der Crone and Prof. Dr. Paul Oberhammer at the University of Zurich
2004 – Trainee at a Swiss business law firm
2004 – Law clerk at the District Court of Meilen
2002 – International Summer Trainee at a business law firm in Chicago

Languages

  • German
  • English
  • French

Memberships

IBA. DRI International (defense bar). Swiss and Zurich Bar Associations.

Education

2010 – Dr. iur., University of Zurich (summa cum laude, Professor Walther Hug Prize)
2006 – Bar Admission in Switzerland
2003 – lic. iur., University of Zurich (summa cum laude)

Lawyer Rankings

Switzerland > Dispute resolution: litigation

(Leading individuals)

Urs Hoffmann-NowotnySchellenberg 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.