Aurélie Conrad Hari

Bär & Karrer

Geneva www.baerkarrer.ch

aurelie.conradhari@baerkarrer.ch Tel: +41 58 261 57 00

Biography

Aurélie Conrad Hari leads the civil litigation practice of Bär & Karrer in Geneva. She has broad experience in handling complex multijurisdictional disputes in financial, banking and commercial disputes. She also specialises in private client assistance and representation. Her practice encompasses shareholders’ and employment disputes, insolvency as well as asset recovery, with the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards. She also frequently acts as counsel representing parties in commercial arbitration related to various industries, eg, sale, distribution, agency, construction (including power plants) and energy.

What do you enjoy most about working in asset recovery?

Defining and building the best strategy for the case in close cooperation with a team of lawyers, usually in various jurisdictions, as all actions in one of those must be carefully assessed and coordinated to ensure one step in one country shall not prejudice the position in another one.

What are the main considerations when developing strategies for the international search and recovery of assets?

Close coordination between the various jurisdictions involved is key, as well as speediness to react and take the right action at the right moment. A solid and broad network proves particularly valuable to achieve the above with close contact you know you can rely on and will work with the same spirit and quality standards as yours.

How do you establish a detailed understanding of a client’s business to advise them effectively?

Here communication with the client certainly becomes of essence. It is not only about talking but really demonstrating interest for the client’s business, empathy and curiosity to ensure full understanding of the business but also identifying the interests at stake and the objectives of the client.

What is the most challenging aspect about working on crossborder asset recovery cases?

Very often time is of the essence to ensure efficiency and reactivity. Client expectations also prove a challenge to handle as such an area entails that disappointment may happen especially when the debtor is agile and prepared his assets’ evasion. However, such challenges certainly motivate the

To what extent are civil remedies a more effective way of recovering assets than criminal remedies?

Usually, and especially in Switzerland, both remedies must be considered together. While both may not eventually materialise, both must be assessed and can actually feed each other. Criminal remedies can grant more powerful tools in Switzerland however the criminal route may not always be an option. Civil remedies can then also prove efficient to secure attachment of assets during the duration of the civil proceedings.

What are the key challenges that the next generation of asset recovery lawyers may face?

Key challenges in this practice in view of the next generation may likely lie in time and life balance management. Asset tracing cannot wait and therefore you must be available any time and be able to dedicate the necessary resources to act swiftly. Also, building an international network certainly proves an asset when practising in this field, and networking also requires significant time dedication. However, I can certainly confirm that this is worthwhile, as the practice is very dynamic and rewarding both in terms of mandate types and enthusiastic practitioners we come across.

Looking back over your career, what has been your proudest achievement?

Watching my daughter growing up notwithstanding the building up of my career and proving able to – somewhat – manage juggling both my professional and family life.

Peers and clients say: “Aurelie is a great lawyer” “Aurelie Conrad Hari is a very talented and leading lawyer in the Swiss asset recovery landscape” “She is very practical, quick and reliable”