Lukas Rusch, LL.M.
Partner | Attorney at law
T. +41 58 510 92 70
lukas.rusch@advestra.ch
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Lukas supports clients in corporate and commercial disputes and investigations. He provides strategic counsel in critical negotiations and represents clients before all Swiss courts and in domestic and international arbitration proceedings. His practice includes setting-aside proceedings and the enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards. He also serves as arbitrator in selected cases.
Lukas advises clients across various industries, including pharmaceuticals and medtech, banking, insurance, construction, energy and automotive.
He has many years of experience in disputes involving distribution, supply chains, infrastructure, post-M&A, and joint venture – among other complex commercial conflicts. He also regularly represents athletes, clubs, and sports organizations.
Lukas frequently speaks and publishes in his area of expertise. He is recognized in major legal directories as one of Switzerland's leading dispute resolution lawyers of his generation.
- Partner at Advestra (since 2025)
- Partner at Pestalozzi (2021 - 2025)
- President / Vice-President of AIJA International Arbitration Commission (2019-2024)
- Regional Coordinator DIS40 Zürich (German Arbitration Institution) (2021-2023)
- Associate at Pestalozzi (2013 - 2020)
- Lecturer at University of St. Gallen (2013-2019)
- Bar admission: Switzerland (2013)
- Secondment at a leading global medical device company (2012)
- Queen Mary, University of London: LL.M. (2010)
- Junior Associate at Pestalozzi (2010 - 2012)
- Legal Trainee at WilmerHale, London (2009)
- University St. Gallen: M.A. HSG in Law (2009)
- Swiss Bar Association (SAV)
- Zurich Bar Association (ZAV)
- International Bar Association (IBA)
- International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA)
- Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA)
- Deutsche Institution für Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit (DIS)
- Das Anwaltsgeheimnis im Schweizer Verfahrensrecht, Aktuelle juristische Praxis 09/2025, September 2025 (with Dario Marzorati)
- KlimaSeniorinnen v Switzerland – a Swiss Perspective on Climate Litigation, Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA), London, 8 May 2024
- Arbitration clauses in insurance contracts: is this a (good) thing? Panelist at AIJA 13th Annual Arbitration Conference, Athens, 15 September 2023
- Stumbling blocks with Swiss Export Risk Insurance, Zurich, 14 April 2023 (with Markus Winkler)
- Price mechanism: How to minimize litigation risk, Panelist at AIJA Joint M&A and Arbitration Winter Seminar, Post M&A Disputes – when the deal becomes the target, Davos, 26 January 2023
- Insurance & Reinsurance 2023: Switzerland, The Legal 500 Country Comparative Guides, London, 2023 (with Andrea Huber, Beat Schwarz, Markus Winkler)
- Der Werkvertrag (contract for work and services), Kommentar zu Art. 363-379 OR, in Jolanta Kren Kostkiewicz, Stephan Wolf, Marc Amstutz, Roland Fankhauser (Hrsg.), Kommentar zum Schweizerischen Obligationenrecht, Orell Füssli Kommentar (OFK), Zurich, 2023
- The View From Europe: What's New in European Arbitration? Dispute Resolution Journal, Vol 76 No 3, 2023 (with Björn P. Ebert, Stephan Wilske)
- Introduction Arbitration, Kolloquium Privatrecht, University of St. Gallen, 17 October 2022
- Drafting and negotiating R&W and liability clauses (disputes perspective), Panelist at AIJA Seminar, Criminal and civil liability in M&A transactions, Krakow, 30 September 2022
- Partial revision of the Insurance Contract Act – selected features, Zurich, 03 January 2022 (with Hannes F. Baumgartner, Svenja Balla, Aline Haas)
- Insurance & Reinsurance 2022: Switzerland, The Legal 500 Country Comparative Guide, 2022 (with Andrea Huber, Beat Schwarz)
- Impact of the Global Pandemic on Construction Disputes, Moderator at AIJA Half-Year November Conference, Dubai, 18 November 2021
- Pestalozzi Arbitration Digest 2020 : Overview of Swiss arbitration case law, Zurich, 18 August 2021 (with Mercedes Chiabotti, Charlotte Rosenkranz, Myrtha Talirz)
- Die Teilklage in der bundesgerichtlichen Rechtsprechung – Eine Bestandesaufnahme, Fristen und Fristenberechnung im Zivilprozess (ZPO-BGG-SchKG), 31 July 2021 (with Michelle Lindholm, Cyrill A.H. Chevalley)
- Swiss arbitration revamped: new Swiss Arbitration Centre, revised Swiss Rules of International Arbitration 2021, and launch of Swiss arbitration platform, Zurich, 18 June 2021 (with Christine Möhler, Cyrill Chevalley)
- Early Case Assessment and Investigantions: Reducing Cost and Risk (Switzerland), Legal 500 Webinars, 21 June 2021
- Switzerland – no requirement of retrial after resignation of an arbitrator (Swiss Federal Tribunal 4A_332/2020), LexisNexis, 14 May 2021 (with Florian Mohs, Irene Röthlisberger)
- IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration reveive a light-touch update, Zurich, 06 April 2021 (with Irene Röthlisberger, Yves Ammann)
- Joinder of Third Parties in International Arbitration – Recent Reforms and Developments, MAA Inaugural Speaker Series, Zurich, 24 February 2021
- The revised 2021 ICC Arbitration Rules, Zurich, 17 December 2020 (with Florian Mohs, Charlotte Rosenkranz, Irene Röthlisberger)
- Umgang mit Komplexität in Baustreitigkeiten (handling complexity in construction disputes), DIS40 Webinar, 25 November 2020
- Opening bankruptcy proceedings during COVID-19 pandemic, International Law Office, 11 September 2020 (with Beat Mumenthaler, Alain Muster)
- COVID-19: Use of video and telephone conferences in civil proceedings, Zurich, 24 April 2020 (with Gilles Steiger)
- Was tun, wenn die Produktion plötzlich stillsteht?, NZZ, Zurich, 23 March 2020
- Obtaining attachment on cryptocurrencies in Switzerland, International Law Office, 13 March 2020 (with Beat Mumenthaler, Alain Muster)
- COVID-19: Impact on supply and distribution agreements, Zurich, 13 March 2020 (with Franz Schubiger, Céline Spahn)
- Revision oft he Swiss Civil Procedure Code, Zurich, 12 March 2020 (with Florian Mohs, Pascal Steingruber)
- Co-author Basler Commentary on Swiss Private International Law Act, article 179 (appointment of arbitral tribunal), Grolimund/Loacker/Schnyder (eds.), 4th ed., Basel, 2020
- Parallel proceedings and third party claims in post-M&A disputes, panelist at ASA below 40 Fall Seminar, The deal is closed – let the dispute begin! Post‐M&A disputes, 25 October 2019
- Streamlinng the Swiss Rules of Mediation, LexisNexis, 30 September 2019 (with Florian Mohs)
- Revised Swiss Rules of Mediation entered into force on 1 July 2019, Zurich, 31 July 2019 (with Florian Mohs, Luca Bossard)
- Who pays the bill? Separate deposits, security for costs and allocation of costs, 11th AIJA Annual Arbitration Conference, Zurich, 29 June 2019
- Force Majeure and Hardship under the CISG, speaker at the 13th Annual Generations in Arbitration Conference, Hong Kong, 31 March 2019
- Debt enforcement and bankruptcy law revisions enter into force, International Law Office, 18 January 2019 (with Beat Mumenthaler)
- Commentary on Articles 53-60 CISG, Commentary on the UN Sales Law (CISG), Kluwer Law International, 2019 (with Christoph Brunner, Matthias Lerch)
- Challenges to Arbitrators – Recent Trends and Practice, panelist at X Belgrade Arbitration Conference, Belgrade, March 2018
- Lecture on CISG (Suspension, Anticipatory Breach, Installment Contracts, Effects of Avoidance), Vis Moot School Switzerland, University of Zurich, 3 October 2017
- Enforcement of Annulled Arbitral Awards, panelist at the 9th AIJA Annual Arbitration Conference, Stockholm, June 2017
- Buyer's Obligations, Seller's Remedies and Passing of Risk, Lecture at the Vis Moot School Switzerland, University of Zurich, 29 September 2015
- Role of State Courts in the Gathering of Evidence in Arbitration, panel at the AIJA 53rd Congress 2015, London, September 2015
- Working Session «State Court Participation in Arbitration – Help or Hinderance ? » National Report of Switzerland, AIJA 53rd Congress, London, 16 March 2015 (with Matthias Gstoehl)
- Resisting Enforcement of Arbitral Awards, Video Lecture for the Module Dispute Resolution at the Swiss International Law School, 2015 (with Florian Mohs)
- Artikel 53-60 CISG (Pflichten des Käufers), Brunner (Hrsg.), UN-Kaufrecht – CISG, Kommentar zum Übereinkommen der Vereinten Nationen über Verträge über den internationalen Warenkauf von 1980, 2. Aufl., Bern, 2014 (with Matthias Lerch)
- Brandes Investment Partners, LP v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (case summary), Investment Arbitration Reporter, 5 January 2009 (with Luke Peterson)
- German
- English
- French
- All Swiss courts