Dispute Resolution

Preventing, Managing and Resolving Your Disputes

Our dispute resolution experts protect your interests and assets whenever they are at risk. With an outcome-oriented mindset, we prevent, manage and resolve disputes. Altenburger is a leading Swiss law firm for all types of dispute resolution, including domestic as well as cross-border litigation, arbitration, mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

How We Approach Disputes

Whenever possible we focus on preventing disputes and legal proceedings. Indeed, many disputes can be avoided or settled outside courtrooms, entailing opportunities for constructive win-win scenarios beyond the rigid framework of litigation. This is the realm of ADR and mediation. Several of our lawyers are sworn and accredited mediators of leading international institutions. Our Team has built a substantial reputation in the field of ADR, particularly in commercial, civil and criminal mediation.

However, sometimes disputes are inevitable. We will then, together with you, define goals and an appropriate strategy and lead you through each step of the process, whether before state courts or arbitral tribunals.  

As concerns court litigation, we represent and defend your interests before all state courts in Switzerland. Through our multilingual and multicultural team of dispute resolution experts, we are qualified to conduct procedures in various languages in Switzerland as well as abroad, in both common law and civil law jurisdictions, either directly or through our trusted network of correspondent firms.

We also act as counsel, experts and arbitrators in domestic and international arbitration proceedings. Our team has handled a multitude of ad hoc and institutional arbitration proceedings under a wide variety of arbitral rules (ICC, Swiss Rules, DIS, VIAC, HKIAC, SIAC, CIETAC, WIPO, LCIA, UNCITRAL, SIAC, HKIAC, VIAC, etc.) and languages.

We know the game, the players and we like to win.  

Finally, we assist you in enforcing judgments and arbitral awards whether in Switzerland or abroad. Over the years our team has gained deep expertise in the fields of asset recovery, civil and criminal mutual legal assistance and cross-border enforcement proceedings.

Range of Services

Dispute Prevention

  • Crisis management & risk assessment
  • Pre-litigation advice to safeguard your interests while avoiding disputes
  • Assisting and guiding you through amicable settlement talks

Civil, Commercial & Criminal Mediation

  • Acting as mediators
  • Acting as counsel representing your interests in mediation proceedings

Domestic & International Litigation

  • Representing and advising you in court proceedings, in particular in commercial disputes, white-collar crime, as well as family and inheritance disputes
  • Filing or defending against mutual legal assistance requests in civil, commercial and/or criminal matters
  • Tracing and freezing assets
  • Enforcing judgments

Domestic & International Arbitration

  • Drafting efficient arbitration clauses
  • Designing effective claim or defense strategies
  • Advising and representing you as counsel in arbitration proceedings
  • Acting as arbitrators
  • Acting as experts on matters of Swiss law
  • Challenging arbitral awards before the Swiss Supreme Court
  • Enforcing awards in Switzerland and abroad

In providing these services we regularly work together with third party litigation funders, i.e. institutions which are willing to finance your dispute resolution process in exchange of a participation in the outcome of the case.

Contact our Dispute Resolution team. And have a look at our Commercial & Contracts and Tax Teams.

Selected Cases

  • Obtaining ex parte injunctive relief and representing a Swiss company in a claim under the Swiss unfair competition act before the Zurich Commercial Court.
  • Representing a Chinese company in a multi-million SCAI arbitration (Zurich) against an Italian company in the automotive industry, regarding supply and licence agreements;
  • Acting as co-arbitrator in a multi-million ICC arbitration (Zurich) between a Chinese and an Austrian company regarding a dispute arising out of Engineering & Supply Agreements;
  • Acting as external mediator for workplace disputes at various national companies (Skyguide, various banks and private companies) and international organizations (WTO and UN Global Mediation Panel for UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNOPS, and UN-Women);
  • Acting as mediator in various family matters (separation / divorce / children) involving very high net worth individuals;
  • Acting as mediator in various WIPO proceedings regarding the termination / renegotiation of international franchise, agency and distribution agreements in the watchmaking industry and related technology fields;
  • Representing a whistle-blower in proceedings against a Swiss company and the foreign-listed parent company;
  • Various enforcements of UK and EU judgments against Swiss entities, including seizure of assets;
  • Assisting and representing foreign companies in multi-million dollar fraud-related bankruptcy and claw-back claims against a Swiss entity;
  • Representing a major Korean group in a USD 90 million ICC arbitration (Geneva) against a Middle Eastern company in a dispute over a major infrastructure project in the Middle East.

For a complete or field-specific list of cases, please get in touch with us.

Download List (PDF)

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Dispute Resolution

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