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Olivier Carrard

Partner

CMS von Erlach Partners Ltd
Esplanade de Pont-Rouge 9
PO Box 1875
1211 Geneva 26
Switzerland
Languages French, English, German

Olivier Carrard mainly focuses on Sports law, litigation, arbitration, commercial law, construction law, inheritance law and bankruptcy.

Graduated from the University of Fribourg (1982), he was admitted at the Geneva Bar in 1985. He worked at the General Direction of SBS (Basel). He founded his own firm in 1990, and joined ZPG as a partner in 2005, which merged with CMS in 2014. Olivier Carrard is now a Partner of CMS Geneva office.

Since January 1st 2016, he has been appointed in 116 CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) arbitrations: 37 times as sole arbitrator, 14 times as chairman, 63 times as co-arbitrator. In total, Olivier Carrard has been involved more than 400 CAS arbitrations since 1996, which makes him one of the most experienced CAS arbitrators around the world. He has been a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport since 1996 and was Member of the ad hoc Division of CAS during the winter Olympic Games of Vancouver 2010.

Former participant as an athlete to the Olympic Games of Los Angeles (1984), he has been President of the Swiss Fencing Federation from 2004 to 2021 and he is President of the Ethic Board of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) since 2017.

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Olivier Carrard, Pierre Ducret and Philipp Dickenmann are fine lawyers and arbitrators, with a strong knowledge and experience in sports law, in arbitration in particular.

The Legal 500, Switzerland, Sports Law, 2024

We work on a regular basis with Mr Olivier Carrard and Mr Pierre Ducret. They all have a extended practice in the advising and dispute resolution in the sports industry. Moreover, in addition to their undisputed legal knowledge and long experience in the field, they all have excellent listening skills and above-average practicality.

The Legal 500, Switzerland, Sports Law, 2023

Olivier Carrard is an outstanding professional and understands the main issues in sports disputes to be able to deliver quality awards.

The Legal 500, Switzerland, Sports Law, 2023

Olivier is a very good arbitrator. He is very well prepared, knows Swiss law very well and is calm.

Chambers & Partners, Sport, Switzerland, 2023

Stefan Gerster and Olivier Carrard jointly head the team, which ‘distinguishes itself by an efficient and hands-on attitude‘.

The Legal 500, Switzerland, Real Estate and Construction, 2022

Memberships & Roles

  • President of the Ethic Board of the International Fencing Federation (FIE)
  • International Association of Lawyers (IAL)
  • Association Suisse du Droit du Sport (ASDS)
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Lectures list

  • L’affirmation du principe d’intégrité des compétences sportives par les juridictions arbitrales : l’exemple du Tribunal arbitral du Sport“ (2nd CNOSF colloquium, Paris, 7 June 2013)
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Education

  • 1985 – Bar exam
  • 1982 – Law degree, University of Fribourg (Switzerland)
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12/04/2012
CMS Guide to Arbitration - exploring national arbitration laws applicable...
The CMS Guide to Arbitration explores the national arbitration laws applicable in 30 countries, including the leading European arbitration centres, China, the Middle East and South America. An online...
11/02/2011
CMS Real Estate Finance
Our Real Estate Finance team combines the expertise of both our banking and real estate practices. Our experienced European teams have secured a leading position in an increasingly sophisticated and fast-changing...

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14/03/2024
CMS Switzerland ranked in Chambers and Partners Europe Guide 2024
Awards & Rankings
12/04/2023
CMS Switzerland recommended by The Legal 500 EMEA 2023
Rankings of CMS Switzerland in The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 Edition
19/03/2023
CMS Switzerland recommended in the Chambers Europe Guide 2023
Chambers and Partners has pub­lished its rankings of Europe's lead­ing law firms and lawyers in the Europe Guide 2023. Our firm and our lawyers are listed in both rankings for Switzerland.
11/04/2022
CMS Switzerland recognised by The Legal 500
Rankings of CMS Switzerland in The Legal 500 EMEA 2022 edition
17/03/2022
CMS Switzerland recommended in the Chambers Europe Guide 2022
Chambers and Partners has pub­lished its rankings of Europe's lead­ing law firms and lawyers in the Europe Guide 2022. Our firm and our lawyers are listed in both rankings for Switzerland.
14/04/2021
CMS Switzerland ranked by The Legal 500
Rankings of CMS Switzerland in The Legal 500 EMEA 2021 edition CMS Switzerland is recommended in 18 categories in this year's Europe, Middle East and Africa edition of The Legal 500, published in April...
18/03/2021
CMS Switzerland ranked in Chambers and Partners Europe Guide 2021
We are delighted to announce that 13 of our lawyers across 9 practice areas are recommended in the Chambers and Partners Europe Guide 2021. The following lawyers from our offices in Zurich and Geneva...
15/04/2020
New rankings from "The Legal 500" for CMS Switzerland
New rankings from "The Legal 500" for CMS Switzerland CMS Switzerland is being recommended in 16 categories in this year's edition of The Legal 500, published in April 2020. We are particularly pleased...
12/03/2020
Top-Rankings for CMS Switzerland by Chambers and Partners
Top rankings for CMS Switzerland by Chambers and Partners CMS Switzerland is delighted to announce that 14 lawyers across 10 practice areas have been recommended in the 2020 edition of Chambers and...
16/04/2019
CMS Switzerland further improves its ranking with The Legal 500
CMS Switzerland further improves its ranking with The Legal 500 We are delighted to announce that CMS Switzerland is being recommended in 12 categories in this year's edition of The Legal 500, published...
07/03/2019
Top rankings for CMS Switzerland by Chambers and Partners
Top rankings for CMS Switzerland by Chambers and Partners CMS Switzerland is delighted to announce that 14 lawyers across 10 practice areas have been recommended in the 2019 edition of Chambers and Partners...
13/03/2013
CMS e-guide: Green Lease Clauses in Europe - A practical approach
In 2011, we reviewed the legal basis and legal practice of several European countries, summarizing them in the CMS Study on the use of Green Lease Clauses in Europe, which led us to making a number of...