Established in May 2002, Sidley’s Geneva office is home to top-ranked trade, international commercial arbitration and life sciences practices.
WTO and International Trade Practice - Sidley’s Geneva office helps companies, trade associations and governments navigate international trade and investment rules that affect every aspect of today’s global economy.
Our top-ranked World Trade Organization (WTO) practice is ideally positioned, both physically and substantively. Located just steps from the WTO headquarters, professionals in our Geneva office have been at the forefront of WTO law for more than a decade. We have been involved in more than half of all complaints brought to the WTO and have taken a leading role in shaping the ongoing development of WTO law.
Our WTO litigators have experience in every procedural phase of WTO dispute settlement from consultations to panel Appellate Body proceedings and from implementation challenges to arbitrations regarding retaliatory measures. This includes representation of WTO members as complainants, respondents and third parties in dispute settlement proceedings.
We also assist clients in identifying and securing their trade and investment objectives in free trade agreements (FTAs) and bilateral investment treaties (BITs). We provide guidance on regulatory standards and sanctions programs, on international negotiations to change rules or set new ones, and on dealing with government agencies, officials and other players around the globe. We formulate and implement advocacy strategies for clients in trade negotiations, help create government and industry coalitions, analyze developments through our network of contacts and coordinate presentations to governments.
Global Policy Advocacy Practice - In addition to our WTO practice, we advise companies as well as governments on high-level trade policy issues before other Geneva-based international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Our team’s experience includes not only tracking relevant developments for our clients and providing legal advice on these issues, but also conducting advocacy on a range of complex topics including trade and market access, intellectual property, life sciences, and biotechnology.
International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Practice - Our Geneva-based international arbitration group is ideally positioned to assist with the resolution of the most complex cross-border disputes. We work closely with colleagues in other key arbitral centres such as London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Washington D.C.
Our practice extends across a wide variety of business sectors, including aerospace, construction, engineering, energy, metals, minerals and mining, manufacturing, retail and life sciences, and we have deep experience with shareholder and joint venture disputes, post-M&A disputes, and intellectual property disputes arising out of licensing and technology transfer agreements.
We provide cost-effective services through all stages of the arbitration process. Our lawyers are first and foremost experienced advocates who have taken many complex, high-stakes disputes through to hearing and award. We focus on crafting strategies that are closely aligned with our clients’ business objectives and understand in-house counsel’s need to effectively manage disputes, large and small.
We represent clients and act as arbitrator in arbitrations governed by many different national laws and under the auspices of international arbitral institutions such as the International Chamber of Commerce, the Swiss Chambers of Commerce, the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, the London Court of International Arbitration and the Dubai International Arbitration Center. Our team also handles cross-border litigation in national courts, including enforcing judgments and arbitral awards, international judicial assistance and internal investigations.
Sidley has also played a prominent role in the field of international treaty arbitration. Our lawyers represent governments and companies in investor-state disputes before the major international arbitral institutions, including the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes and the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. We also advise Sidley’s corporate clients on structuring cross-border investments so that they can take advantage of the protection and arbitration options that investment treaties have to offer.
European Life Sciences Practice - We advise and represent major actors of the life sciences industry on pharmaceutical, food, biotechnology, medical device, cosmetics and in vitro diagnostic issues in Europe. Our lawyers offer strategic advice and contractual support for gaining and maintaining market access, anticipating and acting on legislative developments, and addressing compliance matters. We represent industry clients before the European Commission and European Medicines Agency, as well as the European Courts in Luxembourg, national courts and arbitration bodies. Our team assists with a wide variety of issues, including clinical trials (GCP), manufacturing (GMP), marketing authorization and conformity assessment procedures, safety monitoring and reporting requirements, data exclusivity, labeling and marketing requirements.
Our lawyers are qualified in both civil and common law jurisdictions and our team includes a diverse set of experienced policy advisers, analysts and economists. Our Geneva professionals comprise many nationalities and can communicate with clients in a multitude of languages. We also work with experienced trade, arbitration, litigation and life sciences practitioners in the firm’s other offices to provide seamless services to our clients in Europe, the CIS countries, the Middle East, the Americas, and Asia.
