Peter Burckhardt leads Schellenberg Wittmer's Dispute Resolution Group in Zurich, as well as the White-Collar Crime & Compliance and the Internal Corporate Investigations teams. Peter has developed a strong practice in complex criminal, regulatory and civil litigation matters, often involving multi-jurisdictional components. He is also frequently retained to conduct internal investigations for a broad range of topics.Experience: Defending a global Swiss bank in a money laundering investigation related to foreign corruption Representing a German car manufacturer against consumer mass claims in the context of the Diesel affair Lead counsel to a major Brazilian construction group for the Swiss aspects of the Petrobras matter, which settled in a trilateral deal (BR/US/CH) Swiss lead counsel to a global bank headquartered in Switzerland in the U.S. tax dispute Defending a major bank in a Ponzi scheme fraud investigation and related civil and regulatory action Defending a member of top management of a global bank in criminal and regulatory proceedings by Swiss and U.S. law enforcement Defending an ousted head of state in a corruption and money laundering investigation
Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd
Counting corporations, financial institutions and boards of directors in a diverse and impressive client roster, Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd advises on the full gamut of regulatory, compliance and investigations mandates. Notable work for the group includes criminal liability in insolvency situations, white-collar crime work and a variety of regulatory proceedings. Peter Burckhardt and Benjamin Borsodi co-helm the practice, with the former being noted for his business crime expertise and the latter bolstering the team with expansive experience in international legal assistance, corporate investigations and asset tracing. Clara Poglia, George Ayoub, Louis Burrus and Paul Gully-Hart are other key names in the team.
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Testimonials
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‘Best lawyers, amazing teamwork.’
‘Very strong anti-money laundering experience.'
Key clients
- Gunvor
- A High-Ranking Individual
- Czech Republic
- A Large International Commodity Trading Group
- A Major Trading House
- UBS
- Odebrecht and Braskem
- EFG Bank AG
- Volkswagen
- Credit Suisse
Work highlights
- Assisting Gunvor Group in a major investigation involving allegations of corruption in Ecuador. The case is active in the USA and substantial documentation review takes place in Switzerland.
- Representing and assisting an entity of a State who has been defrauded by former high-ranking officials. This case is particularly complex as we are running parallel proceedings in Switzerland and liaising with multiple jurisdictions.
- Advising a large international commodity trading group in the context of several foreign requests for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
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Leading Individuals
George Ayoub is a Partner in our Dispute Resolution Group in Geneva and a member of the White-Collar Crime and Compliance Team.Experience: Business crime defense work, asset-tracing and recovery, international mutual assistance in criminal and administrative matters Regulatory and compliance issues Complex litigation involving an international component and multi-jurisdictional aspects