Quentin Byrne-Sutton is a Swiss lawyer of English mother tongue with a cosmopolitan background. He is specialized in international dispute resolution, services to multinational companies/NGO’s and in art law.

International Dispute Resolution

In this field, Quentin Byrne-Sutton draws from his experience as arbitrator and as counsel. As counsel a prime objective is to seek favourable settlements. Special emphasis is also placed on strategic planning and the need to use adequate resources, including a multidisciplinary team when technical issues are involved.

Arbitration Experience

Acting as chairman, party-appointed arbitrator, sole arbitrator and counsel in numerous forms of international and domestic commercial arbitrations (ad hoc and institutional), notably involving construction, public procurement, sales, distribution, licensing, agency, joint ventures, transfers of technology, intellectual property and information technology.

Acting as chairman, party-appointed arbitrator and sole arbitrator in cases administered by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Court Practice and Related Experience

• Litigation of civil and commercial matters before Swiss courts,
• Filing preliminary injunctions and seeking other interlocutory relief before Swiss courts,
• Service of process in international litigation involving Switzerland,
• International judicial assistance and evidence-gathering pursuant to the Hague Treaties,
• Enforcement in Switzerland of foreign judgements and awards,
• Legal opinions on private international law,
• Drafting dispute-resolution clauses.

Global Services to Multinationals and NGO's

For numerous years Quentin Byrne-Sutton has acted as counsel in Switzerland for companies and NGO’s wishing to outsource part or all of their legal services. The emphasis of this practice is to develop an intimate understanding of the client’s business and corporate culture by means of a personalized relationship. Normally, a special fee structure is negotiated to allow for the long-term relationship and goal of making outsourcing financially attractive.

Typically, services cover several or all of the following areas: Company/tax law, client contracts, intellectual property (trademarks, copyright and patents), information technology and human resources (labour law, permits, etc.).

Art Law

Quentin Byrne-Sutton has been involved in art law since 1982, having founded and directed the first research centre to specialize in this field in Europe.

He has counselled artists, collectors, museums, dealers, galleries, auction houses, brokers, experts and restorers as well as companies and institutions which service the art market such as bankers, transport companies and insurers.

• Member of the Geneva Bar
• Doctorate in Private International Law (Ph.D.), University of Geneva
• J.D. in Swiss Law, University of Geneva
• Postgrad in development studies (Barcelona)
• Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)
• ICC Arbitration Panel (Swiss National Committee)
• Swiss Arbitration Association

• Partner, Byrne-Sutton Bollen Kern
• Partner, Byrne-Stton Bonnard Lawson Meakin, 1998-2006
• Byrne-Sutton & Renend, 1995-1998
• Local Partner, Baker & McKenzie, Geneva, 1994
• Associate, Baker & McKenzie, Geneva, 1989-1993
• Co-founder and Director of the Geneva Art-Law Centre, 1991-1997
• Tutor at the Law Faculty of the University of Geneva, 1981-1986

• International Arbitration in Switzerland

  International Financial Law Review (Arbitration supplement), September 1991.

• Note on the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sales of Goods

  International Company and Commercial Law Review, 7, p.C-103, 1991.

• Transitory Rules for International Arbitration in Switzerland

  International Business Law Journal, 7, p.951, 1990.   

• Arbitration and Mediation in Art-Related Disputes

  Arbitration International, Vol. 14/4, p. 87, 1998.

• Resolution Methods For Art-Related Disputes

  International Journal of Cultural Property, Vol. 7, 1998.

• Guide Christie's du droit de l'art

  London, 1998.  

• Studies in Art Law

  Author and co-author of the introductions to Vols. 1-10, 1992-1998.  

• Une position en faveur de la libre circulation des oeuvres d'art

  Actes des Entretiens du Patrimoine, Paris, pp. 337-342, 1997.

• Le rôle et le contenu d'une nouvelle réglementation suisse en matière de circulation des biens culturels

  Studies in Art Law, Vol. 5, Zurich, p. 15, 1994.

• The Owner of a Work of Visual Art and the Artist : Potential Conflict of Interests

  Interests in Goods, London, p. 281, 1993.  

• The Goldberg Case: A Confirmation of the Difficulty in Acquiring Good Title to Valuable Stolen Cultural Objects

  International Journal of Cultural Property, 1, Vol. 1, p. 151, 1992. 

• La vente aux enchères d'oeuvres d'art en droit suisse: la responsabilité des maisons de vente vis-à-vis de l'acheteur d'un faux

  ICC publication n° 484, p. 403, 1991.  

• Le problème de la revendication des biens culturels par l'Etat d'origine

  Le patrimoine mobilier, Paris,p. 175, 1990.

• Le trafic international des biens culturels sous l'angle de leur revendication par l'Etat d'origine

  Etudes suisses de droit international, Vol. 52, Zurich, 1988.  

• Qui est le propriétaire légitime d'un objet d'art volé? Une source de conflits dans le commerce international

  ICC publication n° 436, Paris, p. 483, 1988.

English, French (Bilingual)

Spanish, German