Luca Beffa

Luca Beffa

Partner
Baker McKenzie Switzerland SA

Biography

Luca Beffa is the Co-Head of the Firm's Dispute Resolution Group in Geneva. He has extensive experience in international arbitration matters, regularly acting as counsel and arbitrator. He also handles litigation matters with a particular focus on commercial, banking, M&A, healthcare, construction, trading and cross-border transactions, as well as sports law.

Clients and peers praise his "clever legal mind," his "great knowledge of arbitral rules and strong ability to identify key strategic opportunities" and recognize his "strong reputation as a very sophisticated and experienced arbitration practitioner" and as an "innovative and dedicated" litigator. According to them, Luca is “very strong,” “very clear” and “structured” in the way he argues and presents his case, and “resolves each and every incident very efficiently. He has a way of addressing issues that makes things move forward. It is a real pleasure working with him.”

Practice Focus

Luca is well versed in complex international arbitration matters. He has acted as counsel in numerous ICC, Swiss Rules, UNCITRAL and CAS arbitration matters, as well as in related proceedings before Swiss ordinary courts and the Swiss Federal Tribunal. He also regularly acts as arbitrator and mediator. Furthermore, Luca regularly assists clients in all kinds of litigation matters, with a particular focus on commercial, banking, M&A, healthcare, construction and cross-border transactions, as well as in sports related matters.

Luca is arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), at the Court of Arbitration for Art (CAfA) and is on the list of arbitrators of various institutions (ICC Switzerland, LCIA, etc.). Luca is also a member of the ICC Swiss Commission of Arbitration and ADR, of the Marketing Committee of the Swiss Arbitration Association, of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) of the Commission of the Geneva Bar Association, and of the Appeals Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB).

Representative Legal Matters

Arbitration

  • Represented the owner company of a steel mill in Africa in two parallel arbitration proceedings before the ICC and the Paris Chamber of International Arbitration (CAIP).

  • Represented a Swiss bank in post-M&A ICC arbitration proceedings in connection with USD 80 million claims against a Dutch bank.

  • Represented a Swiss bank against its client in a Swiss Rules arbitration related to swap transactions.

  • Represented a major oil trading group in ICC arbitration proceedings worth USD 70 million.

  • Represented the Italian subsidiary of a market-leading global information services and publishing company against a French publishing company in ICC arbitration proceedings related to a joint venture agreement.

  • Represented a global pharmaceutical company in ICC arbitration proceedings against its distributor in Egypt.

  • Represented a world-leading construction group in multimillion ICC arbitration proceedings in relation to an EPC contract for the construction of a refinery in the Middle East.

Litigation

  • Representing a leading infrastructure company in disputes related to the construction of a datacenter in Switzerland.

  • Represented a multinational inspection, product testing and certification company in multimillion litigation proceedings against a major oil trading company.

  • Represented a Swiss bank in litigation proceedings against a Panama-based company for alleged mismanagement of a portfolio.

  • Represented a German bank in litigation proceedings against an institutional client of the bank in relation to a CHF 100 million loan.

  • Represented an international organization in several litigation proceedings against one of its member associations.

  • Represented the directors of an oil trading company in multimillion liability proceedings related to the company's bankruptcy.

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Court of Arbitration for Sport - Member
  • ICC Swiss Commission for Arbitration and ADR - Member
  • Swiss Arbitration Association - Member of the Marketing Committee
  • Geneva Bar Association - Member of the ADR Commission

Admissions

  • Geneva~Switzerland (2005)

Education

  • Institute for European Studies in Brussels (LL.M.) (2002)
  • University of Fribourg (2001)

Languages

  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Italian

Previous Offices

  • New York
Publications

Author, "Arts. 1-5 WIPO Rules," Arbitration in Switzerland - The Practitioner's Guide, M. Arroyo (ed.), 2nd ed., 2018, p. 1749-1766

Author, "CAS 2016/A/4474 Michel Platini v. Fédération Internationale de Football Association, Award of 9 May 2016," Yearbook of International Sports Arbitration 2016, A. Duval and A. Rigozzi (eds.), p. 299-316

Co-author, "Review of the 2016 Case Law of the Swiss Federal Tribunal concerning Sports Arbitration," Causa Sport, Vol. 4, 2017

Presentations

Speaker, "Arbitrato internazional ein Svizzera", Camera Arbitrale di Milano, Milano, 27 March 2019

Speaker, "Giustizia sportiva / Diritto sportivo", Gruppo ASA della Svizzera Italiana (GASI), Lugano, 22 October 2018

Speaker, "Efficiency and Costs in International Arbitration: A practicum," Young ICCA and CEA-40 workshop, Madrid, 22 September 2017

Speaker, "Review of the Recent Case Law of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court," New Developments in International Commercial Arbitration, Neuchâtel, 13 November 2015