Dr Sébastien Gobat (born 1980) joined Troller Hitz Troller as a partner in August 2022.

After obtaining a degree in economics from the University of Neuchâtel and a Master of Law (MLaw, summa cum laude) from the University of Bern in 2003, Sébastien started his career as a legal counsel in the legal department of an international watch group in the Biel region. He then deepened his knowledge acquired in practice by writing a dissertation at the University of Bern ("L'indemnité de clientèle du distributeur", dissertation Bern 2011, summa cum laude).

After being admitted to the bar in 2012, Sébastien Gobat worked as a lawyer in two large commercial law firms in the city of Bern before opening his own boutique (Gobat Legal) in 2020. In 2022, he took the opportunity to join Troller Hitz Troller as a partner.

Sébastien Gobat is specialized in antitrust, unfair competition and the various areas of intellectual property law. He also has proven expertise in contract law, distribution law (agency, license and franchising agreements), corporate law (business succession, M&A), sports law and insolvency law.

Sébastien Gobat advises and resolutely represents his clients in civil and administrative proceedings. He files and enforces trademarks and designs in Switzerland and internationally. Particularly committed to bilingualism, he intervenes before the Swiss judicial and administrative authorities in both French and German.

In parallel to his legal practice, Sébastien Gobat has various teaching assignments in the field of commercial law at the "Haute école de gestion ARC" in Neuchâtel and the "Haute École d'Ingénierie et de Gestion du Canton de Vaud".

Sébastien Gobat has been a member of the Licensing Commission of the Swiss Football League (SFL) since 2021.

He is also a member of various professional associations, namely the Swiss Association of Competition Law (ASAS), Swiss Distribution, the International Trademark Association (INTA), the International Association of Trademark Owners (MARQUES), the Swiss Association for Intellectual Property Law (INGRES), the Association LP (Association for Insolvency Law) and the Bernese and Swiss Bar Associations.

Sébastien Gobat's working languages are French, German and English.

Publications

Kollokationsklage im Konkursverfahren, in : Kommentierte Musterklagen zur Zwangsvollstreckung und zu den Rechtsmitteln, Fischer Willi/Theus Simoni Fabiana/Gessler Dieter (ed.), Volume V, 2nd edition, Zurich 2022 (co-author with Stefan Kesselbach).

Commentary on articles 133, 138 and 139 SchKG, in : Basler Kommentar zum SchKG, A. Staehelin/Bauer/D. Staehelin/Lorandi (ed.), 3rd edition, Basel 2021 (co-author with Pablo Duc).

Switzerland Chapter to Merger Control, in : The Legal 500 & The In-House Lawyer Comparative Legal Guide, 3rd edition, 2018.

L’applicabilité et la mise en œuvre du droit de la protection des données à la blockchain, graduation thesis in the framework of the further training programme « Responsable de la protection des données en entreprise / DPO ».

Les fusions d'hôpitaux sous l'angle du droit de la concurrence, in : AJP/PJA 3/2018, pp. 344-353.

Distribution & Agency 2016, 2017 and 2018: Switzerland, in : Getting the Deal Through: Distribution & Agency, Andre R. Jaglom (Hrsg.), Law Business Research Ltd.

Kollokationsklage im Konkursverfahren, in : Kommentierte Musterklagen zur Zwangsvollstreckung und zu den Rechtsmitteln, Fischer Willi/Theus Simoni Fabiana/Gessler Dieter (ed.), Volume V, Zurich 2016, p. 45 ss. (co-author with Stefan Kesselbach).

Les monnaies virtuelles à l'épreuve de la LP - Questions choisies à l'exemple du bitcoin, in : AJP/PJA 8/2016, pp. 1095-1105.

L’indemnité de clientèle du franchisé : Conditions d’application analogique de l’art. 418u CO au contrat de franchise, in  AJP/PJA 4/2013, pp. 537-545.

Le for de la consorité et du cumul d’actions (art. 15 CPC), in : ZZZ 2011/12, pp. 189-198.

L'indemnité de clientèle du distributeur : étude de l'application analogique de l'art. 418u CO aux contrats de distribution, doctoral thesis Berne 2011.