Fabrice Robert-Tissot

Fabrice Robert-Tissot specializes in commercial and sports arbitration, as well as in domestic and cross-border litigation. He regularly appears before arbitral tribunals and Swiss courts in commercial disputes.

Fabrice’s experience includes participation in over 50 commercial and sports disputes, whether as counsel or arbitrator, under various rules, such as ICC, UNCITRAL, LCIA, Swiss Rules and the CAS Code or ad hoc arbitration.

With respect to commercial disputes, he has expertise in various fields of business, such as oil and gas, other natural resources, international sales of goods, distribution contracts, share and purchase agreements, shareholders’ agreements, construction and infrastructure, joint ventures and consortia agreements as well as service agreements, including in information and communication technologies.

In sports disputes, he regularly appears as counsel before CAS representing athletes, clubs and sports federations. He has been involved in high-stake disputes during the last decade.

He has acted as counsel before the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in several setting aside proceedings against arbitral awards. He regularly represents clients in proceedings for the enforcement of arbitral awards and foreign judgments in Switzerland.

Fabrice holds a Ph. D. (doctoral thesis) and has published several articles on commercial and sports arbitration, domestic and international contracts, insolvency and corporate reorganization procedures (including international bankruptcy and other similar procedures) and the enforcement of arbitral awards.

Fabrice teaches at the University of Geneva the uniform principles of contract law. He published in Swiss and comparative law.

He is also an associate lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva, where he teaches uniform principles of contract law, in particular the UNIDROIT principles of international commercial contracts.

Fabrice Robert-Tissot has been recognized as Thought Leader in Who’s Who Legal: Sports & Entertainment and leading individual in Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration. He is also ranked as leading individual in Chambers Europe 2023: Sports.

Education

Ph.D. (summa cum laude, Walther Hug Award), University of Fribourg, Switzerland (2010)
LL.M. (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar), Columbia Law School, New York (2011)
Law degree (magna cum laude), University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland (2002)

Associations

Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA)
Swiss Bar Association (FSA)
Geneva Bar Association
Association Suisse du Droit du Sport (ASDS)
Member of Swiss Basketball’s Disciplinary Chamber

Bar admissions

Attorney-at-law, New York (2013)
Attorney-at-law, Geneva (2011)
Attorney-at-law, Neuchâtel (2004)

Languages

French (mother tongue)
English (bilingual proficiency)
German (professional working proficiency)
Spanish (reading proficiency)

Professional experience

Associate lecturer at the University of Geneva, Law Faculty, Department of Civil Law, Uniform Principles of Contract Law (2024 – Present)

Partner, Bonnard Lawson, Geneva (2017 – present)

Senior associate, Lévy Kaufmann-Kohler, Geneva (2011–2017)

Research assistant and Ph.D. candidate, University of Fribourg (2006–2010)

Legal trainee, Swiss Competition Commission, Bern (2004–2005)

Legal trainee, Juvet Schweizer, Neuchâtel (2003–2004)

Legal trainee, District Court of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland (2002–2003)

Selected publications

Commentaire des Articles 166 à 175 LDIP (faillite internationale), in: B. Foëx/N. Jeandin/A. Braconi/B. Chappuis (Eds.), Commentaire romand Poursuite et faillite (CR LP), 2e éd., Helbing Lichtenhahn (avec Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler et Antonio Rigozzi) (à paraître)

« Droit applicable, for et règlement des différends», in: S. Marchand/C. Chappuis/ L. Hirsch (Eds.), Recueil de contrats commerciaux – Modèles en français et en anglais commentés selon le droit suisse, 2e éd., Helbing Lichtenhahn (à paraître)

« Arbitration – Overview of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court’s Case Law in Arbitration (1 March 2018 to 31 December 2022) », in: Jusletter 14 August 2023, Weblaw Ed. (avec Sumin Jo et Patrick Pithon)

How Will the COVID-19 Pandemic Change Arbitral Proceedings?”, in: New Developments in International Commercial Arbitration 2020

Enforcement of claims in football-related matters – A practitioner’s view (Available remedies to obtain the payment of monetary claims, in particular based on Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) awards), Football Legal # 5, May 2016, pp. 106-120

“Consent” in Sports Arbitration: Its Multiple Aspects – Lessons from the Cañas decision, in particular with regard to provisional measures, in: Geisinger/Trabaldo-de Mestral (eds), ASA Special Series No. 41 – Sports Arbitration as a Coach for Other Players, Huntington (NY) 2015, pp. 59-94