Daniel Hochstrasser

Practice Areas

Arbitration: Counsel and Arbitrator (Co-Arbitrator, President and Sole Arbitrator)

Litigation in Swiss Courts, including Swiss Supreme Court (more than 25 cases, many related to arbitration proceedings)

Career

Owner, Daniel Hochstrasser AG, Zurich/Switzerland (since 2023)

Attorney, Partner at Bär & Karrer (1993-2022), Managing/Senior Partner (2000-2006, 2011-2021)

Court Secretary (staff attorney) at District Court, Court of Appeals and Court of Cassation (Supreme Court) of Zürich (1987-1992)

Counsel, Legal Department of the French subsidiary of Swiss group of companies (1986-1987)

Professional Memberships

Member of the Zurich Bar Association, Swiss Bar Association and International Bar Association

Member of the Advisory Committee of the Swiss Arbitration Academy

Member of the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA), LCIA, DIS, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Swedish Arbitration Association, Users Council of SIAC, Dutch Arbitration Association

Member of the Court of the Swiss Arbitration Chambers (2004-2014)

Member of the Board of the Swedish Arbitration Association (2007-2011)

Member of the comité de rédaction of "Bulletin ASA" (1997-2000)

President of the Commission on International Arbitration of the Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats (AIJA) (1998-2001); President of the Strategic Planning Group of AIJA (2001-2004); Work Coordinator for the Scientific Program of AIJA’s Annual Congress 2002 in Lisbon

Publications

The Ins and Outs of Arbitrator Selection, in: STOCKHOLM ARBITRATION YEARBOOK 2023, PP. 31-50

All counsel are equal, but some are more equal than others: codes of conduct in international arbitration

(with Romana Weinöhrl Brüggemann), in: GEGENWART UND ZUKUNFT DES ANWALTSBERUFES, FESTSCHRIFT ZUM 125-JÄHRIGEN JUBILÄUM DES SCHWEIZERISCHEN ANWALTSVERBANDES (SAV), 2023, PP. 307-333

Daniel Hochstrasser discusses arbitration, medicine, and becoming a leader in ESG,

in: LEADERS LEAGUE, APRIL 2023

Zur Revision des Kostenrechts im Zivilprozess – Das Gegenteil von gut ist nicht schlecht, sondern gut gemeint (with Predrag Sunaric), in: AJP 3/2021, pp. 348-354

Dissenting Opinion – weder Ärgernis noch Torheit (with Predrag Sunaric), in: SchiedsVZ, 1/2021, pp. 35-40

Schiedsgerichte: Corona als Katalysator für neue Verhandlungsformen (with Stephan Wilske), in: Lawstyle 2020, pp. 16-18

Commentary on the Swiss Private International Law Act, 4th Edition, Zurich 2020: Introduction to International Arbitration, pp. 1799-1869 (with Simone Burlet); Commentary on Article 176, pp. 1869-1886 (with Daniel C. Pfiffner)

Richard Susskind, Online Costs and the future of Justice – Niemand will Gerichte, Richter und Anwälte!, Book Review, in: Lawstyle, 1/2020, pp. 34/35

Die Vergleichsverhandlung aus Sicht des Anwalts (with Nadja Jaisli), in: Fachhandbuch Zivilprozessrecht, Zurich 2020, pp. 473-483

Arbitration in Switzerland (with Nadja Jaisli Kull, Predrag Sunaric and Nadine Wipf), in: Lexology GTDT - Arbitration 2020, February 2020

Brexit and its Effects on Civil and Commercial Litigation in Switzerland (with Nadja Jaisli, Andrea Roth and Marianna Nerushay), in: Bär & Karrer Briefing October 2019

Revision of the Swiss International Arbitration Law (with Nadja Jaisli and Andrea Roth), in: Bär & Karrer Briefing October 2018

Experience

Daniel Hochstrasser is the former head of Bär & Karrer's arbitration practice, concentrating on commercial litigation and international arbitration. He primarily focuses on representing parties in complex disputes arising from M&A transactions, industrial and infrastructure projects, banking and finance, as well as license agreements, particularly in the pharmaceutical field.

In addition, Daniel Hochstrasser is frequently chosen as a party-appointed arbitrator and chairman of international arbitrations. While many of these proceedings are conducted under the ICC or Swiss rules, his experience also extends to the rules of other major institutions, ad hoc and investment arbitrations. He has published and lectured on arbitration and litigation in Switzerland and abroad, and has been a lecturer at the universities of Zurich and St Gallen.

Since July 2015, Daniel Hochstrasser has been a member of the ICC Court of Arbitration, Paris and since July 2021 one of its Vice Presidents and since January 2019 he is on the board of the Finland Arbitration Institute. He is a member of the Ethics Court of the Zurich Bar Association, the Zurich, Swiss and International Bar Associations and the Association Suisse de l'Arbitrage (ASA). He is also a former member of the Arbitration Court of the Swiss Chambers of Commerce.

Since January 2023, Daniel is a sole practitioner, focusing on arbitration (both as counsel and arbitrator) and commercial litigation, including representation of parties before the Swiss Supreme Count on cases of challenges against arbitral awards. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceutical company.

Member of the Zurich Bar Association, Swiss Bar Association and International Bar Association

Member of the Advisory Committee of the Swiss Arbitration Academy

Member of the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA), LCIA, DIS, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Swedish Arbitration Association, Users Council of SIAC, Dutch Arbitration Association

Member of the Court of the Swiss Arbitration Chambers (2004-2014)

Member of the Board of the Swedish Arbitration Association (2007-2011)

Member of the comité de rédaction of "Bulletin ASA" (1997-2000)

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Admitted to the Bar in Switzerland

Law degrees from Switzerland and the United States

I have dealt with arbitrations in a large number of countries (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, United Kingdom, Sweden, Poland, Turkey, UAE, USA), involving a variety of applicable laws.

Languages Spoken

German, English, French

Education