Daniel Tunik

Lenz & Staehelin

Geneva www.lenzstaehelin.com

daniel.tunik@lenzstaehelin.com Tel: +41 58 450 70 00

Biography

Daniel Tunik is a partner in the litigation and arbitration group of Lenz & Staehelin in Geneva and is active in both court litigation and international arbitration. His fields of activity cover all forms of commercial disputes, notably in the banking sector. He is also active in the areas of insolvency law, white-collar crime and employment disputes.

I commenced and pursued my career at Lenz & Staehelin in Geneva, which I only interrupted first for a position as a foreign associate with a New York law firm and later for a sabbatical break.

How does your expertise in corporate insolvencies and employment enhance your business crime practice?

By definition, the business crime practice evolves in a business environment. It is therefore of paramount importance for lawyers active in that field to have a proper understanding of the functioning of such an environment – or its dysfunctioning. Accordingly, a broad practice that encompasses various business areas – including insolvency issues and disputes involving top management – certainly helps in the handling of complex business crime investigations.

In your experience, what benefit do multilingual lawyers deliver to clients?

Whilst the language used in court proceedings is imposed by the local rules, having the ability to communicate with the clients in their chosen language is undoubtedly a benefit as it saves translation time and costs and ensures that the clients can properly convey their messages.

What do clients look for when selecting a business crime defence lawyer?

Clients should expect a business crime defence lawyer to master the applicable legal rules and have the capacity to apprehend fully the underlying business environment. Clients would typically look for a mix of experience and willingness to immerse in the specific factual details of each case.

Has the coronavirus pandemic brought about any relevant procedural changes or even reforms in the region?

The pandemic was the perfect illustration of a situation where the ordinary course of procedure could not be pursued and needed adaptations. To a limited extent adaptations occurred, but changes are very slow and it is not easy in this area to depart from the traditional in-person conduct of proceedings.

How do you seek to minimise the impact of criminal investigations in the lives of clients?

By definition criminal investigations do impact the lives of clients involved in such matters. It is the lawyer’s role to guide the clients through and provide advice that is cautious without being unnecessarily alarming. Criminal investigations do require the involvement of the clients and thus affect their lives. Whenever this is possible, lawyers should discharge the clients from tasks they can handle.

How do you see business crime defence practice changing over the next five years?

It can be expected that the trends identified in the last years will continue to develop. This includes an increased willingness by the criminal authorities to direct investigations against both corporations and individuals as well as an increasing overlap between criminal and regulatory activity.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

You do not need to play it strong if you can play it smart.

WWL says: Daniel Tunik is revered for his top-tier work defending international corporates in high-value disputes.