New Swiss Trust Law: The Grand Reveal

In 2017, the Swiss Parliament approved a motion on the introduction of a Swiss substantive trust law. Since then, a group of experts, including Schellenberg Wittmer Partner David Wallace Wilson and Of- Counsel Prof. Luc Thévenoz have been working on its drafting. Simultaneously with the expected unveiling of this draft law, this webinar (led by Schellenberg Wittmer Partners David Wallace Wilson and Andrea Dorjee-Good) is set to present the new Swiss trust law in its draft form, its characteristics and its specificities compared to other existing trust legislations, with a focus on new structuring possibilities as well as family dispute resolution.

The webinar will also highlight certain aspects which might be subject to controversy in the upcoming consultation process.

Speakers

David Wallace Wilson
Partner, at Schellenberg Wittmer

David Wallace Wilson is a partner in Schellenberg Wittmer's private wealth practice in Geneva. He advises individuals and families on wealth structuring and estate planning for their personal and business assets. He also acts in complex family, guardianship and inheritance disputes, including administering international successions. His additional area of expertise includes anti-money laundering (AML) and art law.

David is former chairman of STEP Geneva (2014-2020), having been an officer since 2004. He is the founder of the leading website on trusts in Switzerland, www.trusts.ch. He regularly publishes and speaks in his area of expertise.

David graduated from the University of Geneva with a degree in classics in 1998 and holds a Master of Laws in comparative jurisprudence from New York University (MCJ, 2001). He further qualified as a trust and estate practitioner in 2003 and was awarded a STEP advanced certificate in mediation in 2013. He joined Schellenberg Wittmer in 2003 and has been a partner since 2009.

Andrea Dorjee-Good
Partner, at Schellenberg Wittmer

Andrea Dorjee-Good is a Partner in Schellenberg Wittmer’s Zurich office, where she heads the Private Wealth group. She is a certified specialist in inheritance law and advises private clients on all aspects of estate and succession planning, including pre and post-nuptial agreements, wills, succession pacts, lasting powers of attorney, trusts and foundations. Her practice areas further include contentious estates and she regularly represents clients in complex trust and estate disputes.

Andrea is a member of several professional associations, including the Swiss Bar Association, the Zurich Bar Association, the International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA) and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). She regularly publishes and speaks in her field of specialisation.

Andrea graduated from the University of St Gallen School of Law (lic iur 2004) and was admitted to the Swiss Bar in 2007. She joined Schellenberg Wittmer as a trainee in 2004 and, after gaining court experience as a clerk at the District Court of Winterthur, she re-joined the firm as an associate in 2007, she was promoted to counsel in 2013 and became a partner in 2020. Andrea obtained a diploma with distinction in international trust management from STEP in 2014 and qualified as a Certified Specialist SBA Inheritance Law in 2019.