Mr Olivier Carrard > CMS von Erlach Partners Ltd. > Geneva, Switzerland > Lawyer Profile

CMS von Erlach Partners Ltd.
Esplanade de Pont-Rouge 9
PO Box
1211 Geneva 26
Switzerland

Work Department

Dispute Resolution

Position

Partner

Career

Olivier Carrard mainly focuses on Sports law, litigation, arbitration, commercial law, construction law, inheritance law and bankruptcy.

Graduated from the University of Fribourg (1982), he was admitted at the Geneva Bar in 1985. He worked at the General Direction of SBS (Basel). He founded his own firm in 1990, and joined ZPG as a partner in 2005, which merged with CMS in 2014. Olivier Carrard is now a Partner of the CMS Geneva office.

Since January 1st 2016, he has been appointed in 98 CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) arbitrations: 27 times as sole arbitrator, 14 times as chairman, 57 times as co-arbitrator. In total, Olivier Carrard has been involved in more than 390 CAS arbitrations since 1996, which makes him one of the most experienced CAS arbitrators around the world. He has been a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport since 1996 and was Member of the ad hoc Division of CAS during the winter Olympic Games of Vancouver 2010.

Former participant as an athlete to the Olympic Games of Los Angeles (1984), he is President of the Swiss Fencing Federation since 2004 and President of the Ethic Board of the International Fencing Federation (FIE).

Languages

French, English, German

Memberships

  • President of the Swiss Fencing Federation
  • President of the Ethic Board of the International Fencing Federation (FIE)
  • International Association of Lawyers (IAL)
  • Association Suisse du Droit du Sport (ASDS)

Education

  • 1985 – Bar exam
  • 1982 – Law degree, University of Fribourg (Switzerland)

Lawyer Rankings

Switzerland > Real estate and construction

CMS von Erlach Partners Ltd. provides legal advice to both domestic and international clients on all aspects of real estate transactions, from acquisition and development to financing the sale of properties. The Zurich team is headed by Stefan Gerster, who has extensive experience in hotel and entertainment centre investments, and Sibylle Schnyder, who has a particular focus on real estate acquisitions and divestments. Olivier Carrard advises clients on commercial real estate transactions and co-heads the Geneva team together with Sidonie Morvan, who has expertise in tenancy law and real estate-related litigation. At the associate level, Thomas Zweifel and Delphine Di Nolfi are names to watch.

Switzerland > Sports law

The sports practice at CMS von Erlach Partners Ltd. is regularly instructed on sports litigation matters within ice hockey and football. The practice draws from the expertise of specialists from other practice areas as well as relying on its global network to support in complex mandates. Practice heads Pierre Ducret and Philipp Dickenmann both  represent clients in arbitration proceedings before CAS. Alongside being a CAS arbitrator, Olivier Carrard assists many young athletes and clubs pro bono.

Switzerland > Dispute resolution: arbitration

Zurich-based Philipp Dickenmann and Geneva-based Daniel Kinzer lead the arbitration practice at CMS von Erlach Partners Ltd., a team which handles complex contentious construction mandates as well as commercial and contractual disputes. Key contact Niklaus Zaugg‘s strengths lie in managing construction projects and various supply agreement disputes. Olivier Carrard and Pierre Ducret contribute considerable expertise in the arena of sports, while Jodok Wicki possesses a wealth of experience in the remits of insurance law, among other areas.