91 results found

This comprehensive list presents country and territory names from around the world, spanning from the Cayman Islands to Western Sahara. The compilation includes both sovereign nations and dependent territories...

On 1 January 2025, the revised Swiss Civil Procedure Code ("CPC") will come into effect, introducing significant changes. We will be analyzing these changes in a series of concise articles...

Switzerland's Federal Supreme Court has clarified that foreign court documents served through the Hague Service Convention cannot be challenged before Swiss courts, establishing that service constitutes a factual act rather than an appealable decision. The ruling addresses whether recipients have procedural rights to contest international service assistance and where defective service objections should properly be raised.

On 3 April 2024, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court (the 'Swiss Supreme Court', 'Supreme Court' or 'Court') handed down a landmark decision confirming the jurisdiction of a Swiss-seated arbitral tribunal...

The Swiss Federal Supreme Court has ruled that parties receiving judicial documents through international mutual legal assistance under the Hague Service Convention cannot challenge the Central Authority's decision to execute service in Switzerland. Instead, recipients must raise all objections regarding improper service, lack of notice, or due process violations directly in the main proceedings on the merits, creating significant procedural risks for parties served with cross-border judicial documents.

In its decision of 14 September 2026 (4A_237/2026), the Swiss Federal Supreme Court confirmed that arbitration agreements can in principle be concluded through an exchange of WhatsApp messages. However, the Court held that in the instant case, an arbitration clause contained in general terms and conditions attached to an invoice sent via WhatsApp had not been validly agreed upon by the parties.

The Federal Tribunal of Switzerland, the country's highest court, recently dispelled the uncertainty that hung around the question of costs in connection with the precautionary taking of evidence.

Switzerland is a civil law jurisdiction. Accordingly, the primary sources of legal authority are written codes and statutes, whereas case law is of less importance than in common law jurisdictions.

As Switzerland's first QDMTT assessments arrive following the 30 June 2026 filing deadline, taxpayers face complex interpretive questions around the GloBE Model Rules. With no prior Swiss court rulings on Pillar Two matters, this analysis examines the procedural pathways and substantive grounds available for challenging disputed positions, from cantonal objections through federal administrative and supreme court appeals.

In the two and a half years since the Swiss Code of Civil Procedure came into force, cantonal and federal case law have clarified a number of questions relevant for practice.

Merger Control - No effective competition in the market for electricity transportation – the Appeal Commission clears the Swissgrid merger. Seven Swiss electricity companies intend to concentrate the exploitation of their (high tension) electricity-carrying network under a common company "Swissgrid".

The Swiss Arbitration Centre (SAC) has just launched the Supplemental Swiss Rules for Trust, Estate and Foundation Disputes (TEF Rules), which will enter into force on 1 July 2025.

The International Chamber of Commerce has approved a revised version of its Rules of Arbitration, set to take effect on 1 June 2026, introducing significant procedural changes designed to enhance efficiency and responsiveness to global user needs. Key modifications include a new highly expedited procedure enabling final awards within three months, removal of mandatory Terms of Reference, and increased flexibility in time limits for arbitral awards.

The International Chamber of Commerce has adopted revised arbitration rules effective June 1, 2026, building upon the 2021 framework with targeted enhancements focused on speed, efficiency, and transparency. While evolutionary rather than revolutionary, these changes introduce significant innovations in early case management, expedited decision-making, and accelerated procedures that are expected to substantially shape procedural practice and parties' strategic considerations.

With respect to arbitration agreements, the Swiss Supreme Court has constantly applied restrictively the formal requirement of the written consent to arbitrate (Private International Law Act, Art. 178 ) whilst favouring an extensive construction of the scope of such consent, sometime in derogation to the relativity of contractual obligations .

In a landmark decision dated 5 June 2026 (4A_481/2025, intended for publication in the official bulletin), the Swiss Federal Supreme Court confirms that Art. 63 CPC, which sets the continuation of lis pendens, also applies within the context of the Convention on Jurisdiction and Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters of 30 October 2007 (the "Lugano Convention").

In a globalised, highly interdependent economic environment, effective enforcement of legal rights is a key business factor.

On 26 February 2020, the Swiss Federal Council published the draft bill for a light revision of the Swiss Civil Procedure Code ("CPC").