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Provided by Yves Klein
Yves Klein’s main activity is litigating and coordinating transnational asset recovery proceedings on behalf of victims of economic crimes or parties seeking to enforce their claims against assets concealed in Switzerland or abroad. He develops strategies for the international search and recovery of assets, coordinates cross-border proceedings and represents his clients, including individuals, companies, foreign governments, and liquidators of foreign insolvencies, before civil, criminal and bankruptcy courts, in order to recover crime proceeds and obtain damages, notably from facilitators (banks, financial companies, fiduciaries, etc.).
He is also active in business crime and corruption related proceedings (criminal, regulatory or mutual assistance).
He also provide support to foreign litigants in cross-border litigation by obtaining evidence or freezing orders in support of foreign proceedings and by enforcing and recognising foreign judgments, insolvency orders and abitral awards.
Yves Klein represents in Switzerland ICC FraudNet, the leading global network of fraud and asset recovery lawyers, operating under the auspicies of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
From 2016 to 2018, Yves Klein was Chair of the Asset Recovery Subcommittee of the Anti-Corruption Committee of the International Bar Association, which became a the Asset Recovery Committee in 2023. He is also member of the IBA's Arbitration Committee, Litigation Committee and Insolvency Section.
Yves Klein is a member of the Geneva Bar Association, the Swiss Bar Association, the ASA - Swiss Arbitration Association and INSOL Europe.
Enforcement of Judgments: Overview (Switzerland), Practical Law, Thomson Reuters, 2020-2026
Switzerland, Enforcement of Judgments 2021-2025, Chambers and Partners' Global Practice Guide
Lexology Paronamic 2025: Anti-Bribery & Corruption Switzerland, Lexology, 2025-2026
International Asset Tracing and Recovery at 25: Where Do We Stand? Chambers and Partners, June 2025
Expert opinions as admissible evidence in Swiss civil proceedings – Is Switzerland a new land of opportunity for international experts? ThoughtLeaders 4 FIRE Magazine, May 2025
Switzerland, The Asset Tracing and Recovery Review, Law Business Research (Lexology, 2019-2025)
A new Swiss §1782? Article 185a PILA and the assistance of Swiss courts in support of foreign arbitral evidentiary proceedings, ThoughtLeaders 4 FIRE Magazine, June 2022
Trust your standing! Standing of beneficiaries of trusts and foundations in Swiss criminal or mutual assistance proceedings, Mondaq, December 2021
Hand over the keys to the safe! Obligation of Swiss banks to provide information in bankruptcy proceedings, including evidence against themselves, Mondaq, November 2021
Switzerland: Post-Brexit Enforcement Of UK Judgments In Switzerland: All Is Not Lost, Mondaq, September 2021
Switzerland: Privileged Or Not Privileged? Privilege Of Communications With Non-Swiss Lawyers In Criminal Investigations, Mondaq, September 2021
Better than damages: actions for performance against Swiss banks regarding fraudulent transfers, Mondaq, November 2021
A journey between distant places: how Saad Group’s Cayman liquidators are seeking compensation from foreign banks, Insol World, Q3, November 2020
Switzerland, The Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Review, Law Business Research, 2016-2019
Suíça: como as novas regras de homologação de falências estrangeiras beneficiarão os credores Brasileiros (Switzerland: how new cross-border insolvency rules will benefit Brazilian creditors), A Insolvência, IBAJUD - Instituto Brasileiro de Administração Judicial, São Paulo, November 2018
Switzerland: Improving Cooperation To Recover Assets In Cross-Border Insolvency Cases, Legal Era, Mumbai, April 2018
Switzerland - A new hope? The Swiss Government adopts its Dispatch to the Parliament on an amendment to the provisions governing recognition of foreign insolvencies, Lexology, June 2017
A Civil Perspective on Asset Recovery (with a Focus on Swiss Law), The International Who’s Who of Asset Recovery Lawyers, London, 2014
Emergence of the Mareva by Letter: banks' liability to noncustomer victims of fraud, Business Law International, London, May 2011
L’État requérant lésé par l’organisation criminelle : L’exemple des cas Abacha et Duvalier, Etat de droit et confiscation internationale, Edis, Geneva, 2010
The Abacha Case, Recovering Stolen Assets, Peter Lang, Bern, 2008
Switzerland, Asset Tracing & Recovery - The FraudNet World Compendium, Eric Schmidt Verlag, 2009
Switzerland, International Tracing of Assets, Sweet & Maxwell, London, 1996
Admitted to the Geneva bar in 1995, Yves Klein holds a Law degree from the University of Geneva (1989) and a Diploma of higher studies in international law from the Graduate Institute of International Studies of Geneva (1993). He joined the firm in 1999.
After acquiring professional experience with international organizations and a law firm in Washington, DC (1994-1995), Yves Klein practiced international business law and litigation with a Geneva law firm (1995-1998).
Upon joining the firm in 1999 and working with Enrico Monfrini, Yves Klein focused his practice on transnational civil and criminal asset recovery proceedings on behalf of victims of economic crime. He notably represented, alone or with his partners, more than ten foreign States and recovered in excess of US$2 billion of corruption proceeds.
Yves Klein is active in the representation of liquidators of insolvent foreign banks, publicly traded companies or offshore companies, notably in the context of Ponzi schemes. He has helped to recover hundreds of millions of US dollars for their depositors, investors and creditors.
He has obtained recognition of numerous foreign judgments and arbitral awards for amounts in excess of US$100 million and has successfully recovered the assets of the defendants concealed in Switzerland or abroad.
Hailing from Luxembourg, Yves Klein has over the years gained a deep professional and cultural understanding of Latin America, in particular Brazil. He speaks Portuguese and Spanish fluently.
International asset recovery, anti-corruption, complex civil and criminal proceedings, cross-border litigation and insolvency, recognition of foreign judgments and awards.
French
English
Portuguese
Spanish
Italian
German
Graduate Institute of International Studies of Geneva
Diploma of higher studies in international law
1990 - 1993
University of Geneva
Law degree
1986 - 1989
Asset Recovery Lawyer of the Year - Switzerland
Who's Who Legal
2019
Asset Recovery Lawyer of the Year - Switzerland
Who's Who Legal
2020
Asset Recovery Lawyer of the Year
Who's Who Legal
2019
Asset Recovery Lawyer of the Year
Who's Who Legal
2022
Asset Recovery Lawyer of the Year
Who's Who Legal
2023
Asset Recovery Lawyer of the Year
Lexology Index
2025
Provided by Chambers
Yves Klein has extensive expertise acting for clients on bribery and embezzlement mandates, with additional skill managing money laundering and tax fraud allegations.
Provided by Chambers
Yves Klein has deep expertise in cross-border white-collar crime matters and is always a pleasure to work with.
Yves Klein has a really calm demeanour that a lot of clients like and a long track record of experience in big cases.
Yves Klein is an exceptional lawyer, especially on cross-border work, who knows the lay of the land.
Yves Klein has deep expertise in cross-border white-collar crime matters and is always a pleasure to work with.
Yves Klein has a really calm demeanour that a lot of clients like and a long track record of experience in big cases.
Yves Klein is an exceptional lawyer, especially on cross-border work, who knows the lay of the land.