Dr. Petra Rihar

Dr. Petra Rihar specializes in litigation and arbitration. She represents individuals and companies before state courts and arbitral tribunals in domestic and cross-border disputes, in interim relief proceedings as well as in the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. She also advises on national and international commercial, contract and corporate law, labour law and international private law.

Petra Rihar has served as party representative, arbitrator, legal expert and secretary to the tribunal in numerous institutional and ad hoc arbitrations governed by a variety of substantive and procedural laws. Her work experience covers a wide range of industries and contracts, complex cross-border disputes and foreign investments in state infrastructure (investor-state disputes).

Petra Rihar is recommended in her field of work.
Lexology/WWL Arbitration 2024: «Peers and clients say: ‘Petra is a strong and sensible arbitration practitioner’, ‘She is highly communicative with clients’, ‘She always has the knowledge and accuracy needed to win a case’».
WWL Arbitration 2023: «Peers and clients say: ‘She is an excellent practitioner with great knowledge of Eastern European markets’, ‘She has an impressive track record in the industry’».
WWL Arbitration 2022: «Peers and clients say: ‘Petra is an excellent arbitrator’, ‘She combines an extremely quick analytical mind with excellent knowledge of the law’, ‘She is a prominent arbitration mind’, ‘There is a lot to be learned from her’».
WWL Arbitration 2021 – Future Leaders: «Peers and clients say: ‘Petra is a highly experienced arbitration practitioner who is valued for her thorough work, excellent legal knowledge and talent for efficient procedural solutions in complicated situations’, ‘She is excellent arbitrator and counsel’, ‘Petra is an absolutely reliable and highly professional lawyer, with an outstanding work ethic and friendly approach’».
WWL Arbitration 2020 – Future Leaders: «Petra Rihar is ‘an outstanding arbitrator’ who is well acquainted with handling complex commercial and investment-related disputes».
Petra is also recommended in WWL Switzerland 2022, 2023 and 2024.

CAREER

LANGUAGES

German
English
Slovenian
Croatian
Serbian

AREAS OF PRACTICE

Arbitration (institutional and ad hoc, commercial and investment disputes)
Litigation (domestic and cross-border)
Corporate and commercial law
Contract law
Labour law
International private law

Publications

Shareholder Disputes Arising From Shareholders’ Agreements, Protection of Minority Shareholders in Multiparty Proceedings Through Emergency Measures and Joinder – Case Study, Austrian Yearbook on International Arbitration 2023, p. 190 et seqq.

Scope and Interpretation of Arbitration Agreements under Swiss Law, ICC Dispute Resolution Bulletin 2021, Issue 2 (June 2021), p. 55 et seqq.

Kluwer Arbitration Blog:

• 2023 Year in Review: Switzerland (Part I: Scope of Arbitration Clause, Capacity of Discernment, Res Iudicata), 17 Feb 2024
• 2023 Year in Review: Switzerland (Part II: Enforcement and Parties’ Duty of Curiosity), 17 Feb 2024
• 2022 Year in Review: Switzerland (Part I: Arbitrator’s Independence and Impartiality, Enforcement), 8 Feb 2023
• 2022 Year in Review: Switzerland (Part II: Revision, Treaty Shopping and Legislative Developments), 8 Feb 2023
• Decisions of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in 2020, 5 Feb 2021
• Decisions of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in 2019 – Part I, 9 Feb 2020
• Decisions of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in 2019 – Part II, 9 Feb 2020
• Decisions of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in 2018: Part I, 9 Feb 2019
• Decisions of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in 2018: Part II, 9 Feb 2019
• Swiss Federal Supreme Court Confirms the Principles for the Admissibility of a Success Fee, 7 Oct 2018 (co-author)
• The right to a tribunal appointed expert, 9 Aug 2011 (co-author)
• Swiss Federal Supreme Court Denies the Applicability of an Arbitration Clause in the Articles of Association to Liability Claims Against Board of Directors of an Insolvent Company, 7 July 2010 (co-author)
• The Swiss Federal Court Dismisses Two Appeals Concerning the Constitution of an Arbitral Tribunal, 7 July 2010 (co-author)
• The Swiss Federal Court Confirms an Award Granting Damages for the Violation of an Arbitration Clause, 7 July 2010 (co-author)
• New Rules on Domestic Arbitration and Their Relation to the Rules Governing International Arbitration in Switzerland, 19 Feb 2010 (co-author)
• Piercing the Corporate Veil – Effect on the Arbitration Clause and Jurisdiction, 24 Nov 2009 (co-author)
• A decision based on a written submission of a third party does not violate the right to be heard if the parties to the proceedings had enough time to comment on it, 15 Oct 2009 (co-author)

LexisNexis:

• Case Analysis of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court Decision 4A_187/2020 of 23 Feb 2021, 1 April 2021

Practical Law Arbitration:

• Right to be heard not violated by arbitrator’s refusal to hear witness whose evidence anticipated to be irrelevant, 2 May 2012 (co-author)
• Supreme Court finds that right to appointment of expert by arbitral tribunal was not violated as request made out of time and not in proper form, 4 Aug 2011 (co-author)
• Swiss Supreme Court dismisses appeal to set aside CAS award for lack of jurisdiction, 30 Jun 2011 (co-author)
• Swiss Federal Supreme Court dismisses appeal to set aside decision of the FEI Tribunal and CAS award, 30 Sep 2010 (co-author)
• Swiss Federal Supreme Court dismisses an appeal to set aside a CAS award, 31 Aug 2010 (co-author)
• Swiss Federal Supreme Court is bound by factual findings of lower courts, 13 Aug 2010 (co-author)
• Swiss Federal Supreme Court dismisses appeal without examining the merits where the party filing the appeal declined to pay advance on costs, 4 Aug 2010 (co-author)
• Directors cannot rely on arbitration clause in articles of association of an insolvent company for liability claims by company’s creditors, 30 Jun 2010 (co-author)
• Swiss Federal Supreme Court dismisses two appeals concerning the (irregular) constitution of an arbitral tribunal, 5 May 2010 (co-author)
• Swiss Federal Supreme Court confirms award granting damages in principle for breach of an arbitration clause, 5 May 2010 (co-author)
• Switzerland: anticipated arbitration developments of 2010, 4 Feb 2010 (co-author)
• Switzerland: important arbitration developments of 2009, 16 Dec 2009 (co-author)
• Court of Arbitration for Sport amends its rules, 5 Nov 2009 (co-author)
• Effect on arbitration agreement of piercing the corporate veil, 2 Oct 2009 (co-author)
• Swiss Federal Supreme Court holds right to be heard not violated, 3 Sep 2009 (co-author)
• Law firm providing services to an arbitral tribunal is exempt from VAT, 3 Sep 2009 (co-author)
• Ongoing international arbitration discontinued vis-à-vis insolvent co-respondent, 13 Aug 2009 (co-author)
• Award based on matters not directly addressed in submissions does not violate the right to be heard, 12 Aug 2009 (co-author)

Petra Rihar, Das Einzelunternehmen im Schweizer Privatrecht (The Sole Proprietorship in Swiss Private Law), Luzerner Beiträge zur Rechtswissenschaft, Band 17, Zurich 2007

Petra Rihar, Obseg varstva pravic blagovnih in storitvenih znamk (The Scope of Protection of Trade and Service Marks in Swiss and Slovene Law), 11 Pravnik 717, Ljubljana 1997