Urs Weber-Stecher

Practice Areas

International Dispute Resolution / International Arbitration / Commercial Mediation

Career

• Today: Independent Arbitrator and Commercial Mediator

• President of the Commission of Arbitration and ADR of ICC Switzerland (2014-2022)

• Lecturer for International Arbitration at the Law School, University of Zurich (2001-2022)

• Partner and head of the arbitration team at Wenger Vieli Ltd. (2003-2021)

• Member of the Arbitration Court of the Swiss Chambers' Arbitration Institution (today: Swiss Arbitration Centre) (2010 – 2019)

• Vice-Chair of the Dispute Resolution & Arbitration Committee of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA)(2014 - 2020)

• Visiting professor for post-graduate studies in international arbitration at the INSPER University, São Paolo, Brazil (November 2011)

• Lecturer for competition law at the Law School, University of Lucerne (2005 – 2009)

• Lecturer for International and European Civil Procedure Law (esp. Lugano Convention) at the Law School, University of Zurich (1999 - 2001)

• Associate at Wenger & Vieli Ltd. (1998-2002)

• Head of Unit, Swiss Federal Office for Foreign Economic Affairs (today part of the SECO), International and European Economic and Business Law, a.o., responsible for dispute resolution under international investment treaties (Bilateral Investment Treaties and negotiations on a Multilateral Agreement on Investment among the OECD countries) and competition law (1995-1998);

• Scientific assistant at the Institute for European Law, Law School of the University of Zurich (1992-1994)

• Law Clerk, District Court of Dielsdorf, Canton of Zurich (1990-1991)

Professional Memberships

• Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)

• Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIArb)

• Fellow of the Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (AIADR)

• Member of the Association Suisse de l’Arbitrage (ASA)

• Member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR

• Member of the Swiss ICC Commission of Arbitration and ADR

• Member of the International Council of Commercial Arbitration (ICCA)

• Member of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)

• Member of the Deutsche Institution für Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit (DIS)

• Member of the Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC)

• Member of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA)

Publications

• 2021 I Mediationskomponenten in kombinierten Streitbeilegungsverfahren, in: KonfliktDynamik, Heft 4/2021, p. 332-340 (mit Julia Jung)

• 2021 I Enforcing Arbitral Awards (Chapter on Switzerland), in: In-depth Feature of Financier Worldwide, October 2021 (with Nicolas Bracher)

• 2021 I The Myth of Partial Awards on Advances on Costs in International Commercial Arbitration in Switzerland under the Swiss Rules, 39 ASA Bulletin 3/2021, p. 545-569 (with Flavio Peter)

• 2021 I Merger Control (Chapter on Switzerland), in: Global Legal Insights 2021, p. 151-157 (with Michael Tschudin and Frank Scherrer)

• 2020 I Wirtschaftsmediation – ideale Ergänzung zur Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit, in Schweizer Anwaltsrevue 11/12 | 2020, p. 440-445 (with Katja Rener)

• 2020 I Merger Control (Chapter on Switzerland), in: Global Legal Insights 2020, p. 195-201 (with Michael Tschudin and Frank Scherrer)

• 2020 I Cartels - enforcement, appeals and damages actions (Chapter on Switzerland), in: Global Legal Insights 2020, p. 271-282 (with Michael Tschudin and Frank Scherrer)

• 2019 I Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution – Switzerland, in: Annual Review 2019, Financier Worldwide

• 2017 I International Arbitration in Switzerland, in: Global Legal Insights –International Arbitration, 3rd ed. 2017, p. 338-348 (with Flavio Peter)

Experience

Arbitration experience: chairman, co-arbitrator, sole arbitrator and counsel in over 160 international and national arbitration proceedings (ICC, Swiss Arbitration Centre, DIS, VIAC, HKIAC, CEPANI, ZCC, UNCITRAL, ad hoc) in the fields of legal expertise and specialization listed in the following paragraph on "Sector Expertise".

Mediation experience as mediator in about a dozen of commercial mediations.

Industry Sector Expertise

Fields of legal expertise / specialization / industries: Competition law, intellectual property law, commercial contracts, agency, distribution, franchising and license agreements, research & development agreements, sales and purchases, construction contracts, corporate law, mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, shareholder agreements in a wide range of industries incl. energy and natural resources, construction, engineering, machinery, information and communication technology, aerospace and defense, automotive, telecommunication, insurance, pharmaceuticals, medical engineering, commodity trading, food production.

Education

Work Highlights

• Co-arbitrator in an arbitration between two German telecom services providers relating to a price revision procedure based on a mobile bid stream access agreement, involving an amicus curiae brief by the EU Commission.

• Chairman in an arbitration between a French company and an Austrian company relating to gas transportation agreements.

• Chairman in an arbitration between a Swiss company and a Japanese company in the pharma industry relating to R&D and licenses agreements.

• Co-arbitrator in an arbitration between an Italian construction company and a Turkish and a UAE construction company relating to a ship harbour construction project based on an engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning agreement and a parent guarantee agreement.

• Co-arbitrator in an arbitration between a Swiss construction company and a Spanish construction company relating to gearless mill drive systems based on a cooperation agreement.

• Chairman in an arbitration between a Turkish construction company and two Spanish construction companies relating to a large scale rail project in Istanbul based on a subcontract to a collaboration agreement.

• Chairman in an arbitration between a Greek company and a German company relating to the termination of the business relationship and the compensation for clientele based on a distributor agreement and the Swiss code of obligations.

• Co-arbitrator in an arbitration between a Swiss company and a Chinese company relating to the handling and marketing of steel products based on an agency agreement.

• Co-arbitrator in an arbitration between a Peruvian company and two respondents from Switzerland and the United States based on a technology license and technical assistance agreement and a trademark license agreement relating to the scope of exclusive technology and trademark rights granted.

• Co-arbitrator in an arbitration between an Austrian manufacturing company and a Chinese company in the railway industry relating to co-operation and license agreements.

• Co-arbitrator in an arbitration between two French construction companies and a German and a Swiss construction company relating to post M&A claims (re valuation of target companies) based on a share and loan purchase agreement.

• Chairman in an arbitration between a French rolling stock company and an investment company domiciled on the Channel Island relating to a post M&A claim (representations and warranties) based on a share purchase agreement.

• Sole arbitrator in an arbitration between a Swiss telecom services provider (affiliate of a large international group) and a large Swiss insurance company relating to the termination and transition of services based on a number of agreements.

• Chairman in an arbitration between a Turkish telecom service provider and Turkish ministries relating to concession fees based on a concession agreement.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Education in Swiss law and involved in many disputes in which Swiss law was applicable.

In addition Involved in arbitration cases in which one of the following substantive laws was applicable: Austria, Czech Republic, France, England, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, and CISG.

Languages Spoken

Active: German, English

Passive: French

Awards