ASA Town Hall 2023

Sebastian Coulon Bauer is a Senior Associate at Schellenberg Wittmer in Zurich. He advises clients in international commercial and investment arbitration, with a special focus on the construction & engineering industry. Sebastian is admitted to the bar in Chile and has experience working in three jurisdictions - Chile, Germany and Switzerland. Sebastian regularly acts in matters governed by different national laws and various institutional rules. Sebastian is member of the Executive Committee of the Swiss Chapter of the Spanish and Iberoamerican Club of Arbitration (CEIA); co-founder of Latin American Arbitration Practitioners in the EU (LATAP) and was recently elected Co-Chair of the MIDS Alumni Association.

Courtney Furner is an Associate at LALIVE in Zurich. She is qualified to practice in Australia and is registered as a foreign lawyer with the Zürcher Anwaltsverband. Courtney’s main area of practice is international arbitration with a focus on complex disputes involving infrastructure projects. She has acted as counsel, tribunal secretary and arbitrator in arbitration proceedings under various institutional rules and in different industry sectors. Before joining LALIVE, Courtney worked as a judicial clerk at the Supreme Court of Western Australia and in the dispute resolution team of Norton Rose Fulbright in Perth, Australia. She holds a combined Bachelor of Laws/Arts from the University of Western Australia and an LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement from the MIDS in Geneva. Courtney is an active member of numerous arbitration associations. She is presently Co-Director of the Young ICCA Mentoring Programme and an international representative of ACICA45’s Steering Committee.

Town Hall Co-Organizer Nadja Jaisli co-heads Bär & Karrer's arbitration practice and is a member of the ASA Board. She has more than 15 years of experience in international arbitration as counsel and arbitrator and also represents clients in complex state court proceedings. She has 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, shareholders' agreements as well as license and supply agreements. Nadja Jaisli is listed in Chambers Global and Chambers Europe, Legal 500 and Who's Who Legal. According to Chambers Europe 2023, she is "very quick, able to control witnesses, and a very impressive cross-examiner". In 2021 and 2022, Nadja Jaisli was awarded with the Europe Women in Business Law Award as Commercial Arbitration Lawyer of the Year.

Town Hall Co-Organizer Christian Oetiker is one of our proven specialists in litigation and arbitration. He represents businesses in proceedings before national courts throughout Switzerland, as well as before national and foreign arbitral tribunals. He also acts as arbitrator. Christian studied at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and the London School of Economics, and he has an in-depth understanding of economic issues. He regularly represents both national and international companies from the chemical industry and aviation industry. He also acts as counsel in proceedings on claims based on derivative agreements which are governed by the ISDA Master Agreement. In addition to dispute resolution, he advises on private international law and unfair competition law. Christian publishes and speaks regularly on litigation and arbitration matters as well as other selected topics. He is a member of the Board of the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA) and of the Swiss Commission of Arbitration and ADR of the ICC. From 2008 until 2019, he was a member of the Arbitration Court of the Swiss Chambers' Arbitration Institution.

Marieke is a partner with Allen & Overy specialising in international arbitration. She heads the Arbitration Group in Amsterdam. Marieke is a renowned international arbitration counsel who also represents clients in litigation, typically handling corporate and commercial disputes involving joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions and trade matters.

Dr Xavier Favre-Bulle is President of the Arbitration Court of the Swiss Arbitration Centre and a partner at Lenz & Staehelin in Geneva, where he heads the Arbitration group. He is vice-chair of the IBA Arbitration Committee and has been involved in some 250 arbitrations, in more than 25 years of experience. He is the author of some 75 books and articles and has lectured at several universities (Switzerland, France).

Dr. Simon Gabriel specializes in representing parties in complex arbitration proceedings and regularly sits as arbitrator. He has participated in over 100 international arbitration proceedings under ICC Rules, Swiss Rules, Vienna Rules, DIS Rules, SCC Rules and ad hoc rules. Simon is a partner of the law firm Gabriel Arbitration AG in Zurich (Switzerland) and currently holds the office of President of the ICC Swiss Commission of Arbitration and ADR

Before joining ZFZ in July 2022 Friederike was counsel at the Secretariat of the ICC Court leading the team dealing with the German speaking region, Netherlands and Northern Europe. Before her time at the ICC Secretariat Friederike worked with a Viennese boutique firm concentrating on disputes and advisory work on a wide variety of commercial, corporate and private foundation matters. In her current work Friederike focuses on counsel and arbitrator work as well as advisory work in international disputes and transactions, mostly in the energy sector and general commercial matters. She has experience with different arbitration rules like ICC, VIAC, UNCITRAL and DIS. She advises clients in German and Austrian law and has strong expertise in international private and procedural law and the CISG. Friederike is admitted to the bar in Germany and Austria.

Jean Marguerat has experience across all areas of dispute resolution, with particular expertise in international arbitration and in international litigation. Jean Marguerat is one of the authors of the Commentary on the Swiss Rules of International Arbitration. Jean Marguerat has been a Partner at MLL Meyerlustenberger Lachenal Froriep since 2010. Jean Marguerat’s practice focuses on international arbitration, litigation and contract law. Jean Marguerat has experience as party counsel and as arbitrator in more than 100 institutional (ICC, SCAI, LCIA, VIAC, CAS, etc.) and ad hoc international arbitrations involving sale of goods and commodities, distribution and agency, construction, marine works, joint ventures, corporate transactions and sport related matters. He also regularly represents clients before the Swiss courts in all fields of commercial disputes and notably those in relation to arbitration (enforcement and challenge of arbitral awards). His activity includes recognition & enforcement proceedings (including attachments) and international legal assistance.

Head of International Arbitration Recognized legal expert in international arbitration, litigation and international trade with 20 years of professional experience in these fields Since 2003, she participated as a representative in over 100 arbitral proceedings in more than 10 jurisdictions under the following arbitration rules – ICC, LCIA, SCC, SCAI, ICAC and MAC at UCCI, GAFTA, FOSFA, LMAA, UNCITRAL Acted as an arbitrator in over 80 arbitrations seated in Almaty, Bishkek, Vienna, Kyiv, London, Paris, and Stockholm

3. Christopher Harris KC is a leading advocate and arbitrator with over 20 years’ experience arguing and deciding complex commercial and investment disputes in court and arbitration. He is the UK Member of the ICC Court, a UK designee to the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators and a board member of ASA. He is admitted in England, the DIFC and the Eastern Caribbean and speaks English, French and German.

Tilman Niedermaier is a dispute resolution partner at CMS Germany based in the Munich office. His practice focuses on complex cross-border disputes. Many of the disputes in which he acted as counsel for his clients have arisen out of large-scale projects across a broad range of industries, including the automotive, aerospace/defence and renewable energy sectors. Tilman also sits as an arbitrator.

Dr. Sarah Ganz specializes in international arbitration and litigation, representing clients in diverse disputes governed by various laws and jurisdictions. She acts as counsel in institutional and ad hoc arbitrations, including ICC, UNCITRAL, DIS, LCIA, and Vienna Rules. She also handles investment treaty disputes and serves as an arbitrator. With a wide range of industry expertise, Dr. Ganz has experience in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, energy, private equity, technology, telecommunications, and oil and gas.

Benjamin Gottlieb is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution Group at Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd. His main areas of practice are international arbitration as well as domestic and international commercial litigation. He further specializes in and advises clients on the United Nations Convention for the International Sales of Goods (CISG).

Catherine Anne Kunz joined LALIVE in 2010 and specialises in international arbitration and disputes relating to commercial contracts. Dual-qualified in Switzerland and in England (Solicitor), she advises and represents clients in international disputes, in ad hoc and institutional arbitration proceedings under all major rules of arbitration and governed by various substantive laws, both common law and civil law. She also represents parties in arbitration-related court proceedings, especially in the setting aside of international arbitral awards before the Swiss Supreme Court. She also acts as arbitrator and advises clients on other forms of dispute resolution, such as commercial mediation. Her experience spans various sectors and includes joint ventures, shareholders, sales, energy, telecommunications and engineering disputes. Catherine A. Kunz also regularly advises public international organizations on a range of issues, including immunities and privileges, internal dispute resolution mechanisms, litigation exposure, compliance and governance. Catherine Anne Kunz is a member of the editorial board of the ASA Bulletin, the Swiss Arbitration Association’s journal. She is currently a member of the ICC Swiss Commission of Arbitration and ADR, co-chair of the ASA Marketing Committee, member of the ERA Young Practitioners Subcommittee, as well as a co-founder and co-chair of Mute Off Thursdays. She previously served as a co-chair of ASA below 40 and as regional representative (Europe) for the LCIA Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG). She is a frequent speaker and publishes regularly on matters relating to international dispute resolution. She has been recognised for several years as a Future Leader in International Arbitration by Who’s Who Legal and was ranked one of the 15 most highly regarded arbitration partners in EMEA under the age of 45 years in their 2022 edition. Catherine Anne Kunz worked in the international arbitration group of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Floms LLP in London from 2014-2015 and re-joined LALIVE thereafter in early 2016. She graduated from the University of Fribourg (Bilingual French-German Master of Law, with major in European Law) and holds a Certificate in International Business Transactions with Chinese Characteristics from the Cornell-Bucerius Summer Law Institute in Suzhou, China.

Shirin Saif is a Dispute Resolution Partner in Stockholm. She is an experienced commercial arbitration practitioner and litigator and her primary focus is international disputes involving complex technologies. Shirin has acted as counsel in telecommunications, construction and infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, product liability, IT, oil and gas, post-M&A, and various other commercial disputes before numerous judicial and arbitral bodies in Sweden and abroad. She also has significant experience as counsel in investment treaty arbitrations. Along with acting as counsel, Shirin also acts as an arbitrator and administrative secretary. She holds a Swedish LL.M. degree from Uppsala University and a U.S. LL.M. degree from UCLA.

Diana Akikol is Partner at Walder Wyss. She has been practising exclusively in the field of international arbitration for over a decade. She represents parties to arbitration proceedings in Switzerland and abroad. She has also developed extensive experience as an arbitrator, having served as sole arbitrator, emergency arbitrator, co-arbitrator and presiding arbitrator in over 30 arbitration proceedings, including high value cases and disputes involving state entities. Both as counsel and arbitrator, she has been involved in ad hoc (including UNCITRAL) and administered arbitrations (under the Swiss, ICC, LCIA and DIS Rules) governed by various arbitration acts and substantive laws.

Thomas specialises in international arbitration, setting aside proceedings and enforcement proceedings in the Netherlands and Dutch Caribbean. Thomas is a member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris and an officer of the IBA Arbitration Committee in which he is a Co-chair of the Recognition and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards Subcommittee. Thomas also sits as an arbitrator.

Town Hall Co-Organizer Nadja Jaisli co-heads Bär & Karrer's arbitration practice and is a member of the ASA Board. She has more than 15 years of experience in international arbitration as counsel and arbitrator and also represents clients in complex state court proceedings. She has 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, shareholders' agreements as well as license and supply agreements. Nadja Jaisli is listed in Chambers Global and Chambers Europe, Legal 500 and Who's Who Legal. According to Chambers Europe 2023, she is "very quick, able to control witnesses, and a very impressive cross-examiner". In 2021 and 2022, Nadja Jaisli was awarded with the Europe Women in Business Law Award as Commercial Arbitration Lawyer of the Year.

Town Hall Co-Organizer Christian Oetiker is one of our proven specialists in litigation and arbitration. He represents businesses in proceedings before national courts throughout Switzerland, as well as before national and foreign arbitral tribunals. He also acts as arbitrator. Christian studied at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and the London School of Economics, and he has an in-depth understanding of economic issues. He regularly represents both national and international companies from the chemical industry and aviation industry. He also acts as counsel in proceedings on claims based on derivative agreements which are governed by the ISDA Master Agreement. In addition to dispute resolution, he advises on private international law and unfair competition law. Christian publishes and speaks regularly on litigation and arbitration matters as well as other selected topics. He is a member of the Board of the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA) and of the Swiss Commission of Arbitration and ADR of the ICC. From 2008 until 2019, he was a member of the Arbitration Court of the Swiss Chambers' Arbitration Institution.

Felix Dasser is President of the Swiss Arbitration Association since 2020. He is a senior member and former head of the dispute resolution practice of Swiss firm Homburger. He has more than 30 years of experience with a focus on litigating and arbitrating international commercial disputes. He sits as arbitrator and acts as counsel in arbitral proceedings under various arbitration rules. Felix Dasser is also an adjunct professor at the University of Zurich, and is often retained as expert on Swiss substantive and procedural law. He taught e.g. at the Hague Academy of International Law and is a visiting professor at the China University of Political Science and Law on international commercial arbitration. He studied law at the University of Zurich (PhD 1989 s.c.l.) and at the Harvard Law School (LL.M. '90).