Thomas Legler

Partner
Attorney at law, Dr. iur., FCIArb
Head Arbitration Geneva

Cours de Rive 13
1204 Geneva
Switzerland
T +41 22 999 96 00
thomas.legler@pestalozzilaw.com

vCard Publications list (pdf)

Thomas Legler is one of the leading figures in Swiss arbitration, with one source adding, his advocacy skills are highly impressive.

Who's Who Legal, 2022

Thomas Legler has very good analytic skills.

Chambers Europe, 2022

Thomas Legler is very experienced and well connected.

The Legal 500, 2022

Thomas is really experienced and truly understands what his clients want and need, and does a fantastic job guiding them through all phases of a dispute – which is quite a rare trait to have.

IAM1000, 2022

Legler is prized for his arbitration expertise and his know-how regarding matters at the intersection of IP, IT, media, internet and privacy law.

World Trademark Review, 2022

Thomas Legler is a partner and Head of Arbitration in Geneva. His practice focuses on representing clients in (inter)national arbitration and acting as arbitrator. In addition, he advises clients in the field of intellectual property (trademarks, patents, copyright), IT and data protection. Swiss Parliament elected him as deputy judge of the Federal Patent Court.

Thomas Legler is specialized in general contract and corporate law (incl. distributorship and licensing; pharmaceuticals and watch industry); international and domestic arbitration; litigation in civil law; intellectual property law (patents, trademarks, copyright); telecommunications, computer and Internet law; media and privacy law; construction law.

Thomas Legler is author of several publications, in particular in the field of arbitration, IP and Internet issues, and he is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences (see specific list).

Thomas Legler is recommended as litigator and arbitrator in professional publications and listings, such as The Legal 500, Chambers and Partners Europe, Who’s Who Legal, Best Lawyers, Patent Law Experts, Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) and Lexology. In 2020, Thomas Legler was awarded with the Lexology / Client Choice award for Patent Law in Switzerland.

2015

Partner, Pestalozzi Attorneys at Law

2014

Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Fellow (FCIArb)

1997

Partner of a major Swiss law firm in Geneva

1996

University of Geneva: Doctorate in law

1995

Foreign Associate, Wilmer Cutler & Pickering (now: WilmerHale)

1993

University of Geneva: LLM ("D.E.S."; Diplôme Etudes Supérieures en droit)

1991

Associate in a major Swiss law firm in Geneva
Canton of Geneva: Bar admission

1989

Legal Counsel, Swiss Union of Privat Railways (UTP)

1988

University of Berne: Degree in law ("Fürsprecher")
Canton of Berne: Bar admission

Languages

English, French, German

Expertise & Industries

Compliance
IP & TMT
Life Sciences
Litigation & Arbitration

Membership

Fédération suisse des avocats (FSA)
Ordre des avocats de Genève (OdA)
International Bar Association (IBA), officer of the IP and Entertainment Law Committee
Association suisse de l'arbitrage (ASA)
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), Fellow
Indicative list of WTO Panelists
London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)
Deutsches Institut für Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit (DIS)
World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), member of list of neutrals
Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center (SVAMC), member of Tech List
Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), member of the IP panel
Institut für gewerblichen Rechtsschutz (INGRES)
Association romande de la propriété intellectuelle (AROPI)
MARQUES

Deals and Cases

11.12.2018

Pestalozzi represented the Republic of India in a landmark case before the Swiss Federal Supreme Court

14.11.2016

One of Pestalozzi's arbitration partners acts as party-appointed arbitrator of an arbitral tribunal under the Swiss Rules with seat in Zurich

17.11.2015

Pestalozzi advises a foreign consortium organising sports and cultural events as co-counsel on arbitral proceedings against an important foreign national sport organisation

Publications

Patent Litigation 2023 - Switzerland: Law & Practice

By Thomas Legler, Lara Dorigo: Chambers Global Practice Guides, London, 2023

Patent Litigation 2022 - Switzerland: Law and Practice

By Thomas Legler, Lara Dorigo, Severin Etzensperger: Chambers Global Practice Guides, London, 2022

Diving into the Intricacies of Intellectual Property Arbitration

By Thomas Legler: ICC Dispute Resolution Bulletin 2021, Issue 3