Every two years, we do support and motive master program law students at the University of Lausanne with the Reinhard & Raja Klarmann Foundation – Award for the best thesis in the field of international and multicultural business law.

Award winners

2020     Carlotta Manz

Carlotta Manz wrote a Master’s thesis in International Economic Law under the supervision of Professor Andreas Ziegler (Faculty of Law, University of Lausanne) and she was extremely honored to be awarded the Reinhard & Raja Klarmann Award. Her research discusses the compatibility of the measures adopted by the United States in 2018 aiming to increase the tariffs on a range of imported aluminum and steel products with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT 1994) of the World Trade Organization (WTO).In the light of the tensions that marked the relations between the United States and many of its trading partner and the numerous requests for consultations at the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO, the thesis analyses in particular if the measures in question could be justified in application of the security clause provided by Article XXI(b) GATT 1994.

 

 

2018     Carole Moudon, Marta Zamorska, Patrick Pithon, Jonas Zaugg

The Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (Vis Moot) is a competition in the field of international commercial arbitration with over 350 participating universities from all over the world. After submitting a written memorandum for each of the parties in dispute, all the teams advance to the oral phase of pleadings in front of panels of three arbitrators. Only the best in Vienna advance to the Final Rounds and this is what the University of Lausanne did during the 25th Vis Moot in 2018! After pleading against renowned universities such as Yale or Pennsylvania, Lausanne was amongst the top 64 universities in the world in the oral phase. Lausanne finally lost against Columbia University, nevertheless receiving an Honourable Mention for Team Orals. Lausanne’s greatest achievements were however also an Honourable Mention for the Memorandum for Claimant and the worldwide second place for its Memorandum for Respondent! Carole Moudon, Marta Zamorska, Patrick Pithon and Jonas Zaugg proudly represented the University of Lausanne and were very honoured to be awarded the Reinhard & Raja Klarmann Award.

2016     Guy Alexandre Beroud

Guy Alexandre Beroud examines the situation of workers in different cases of business turnaround under new and old Swiss bankruptcy laws. It analyzes the motives and consequences of the revision of these laws in 2014, which brought about a change of paradigm from individual employee’s protection to employment protection system (welfare protection). This research presents in a systematic way the rights of employee in the context of transfer of company and mass layoffs and the conditions relating to the obligation to negotiate a social plan and demonstrates the inconsistency of Swiss law, especially of art. 333b, 335e al. 2 and 335k CO (Code des obligations suisse, RS 220) and suggests innovative solutions. Finally, it compares the Swiss solutions to the European legal instruments.

 

2014     Marzia Schilleci

Marzia Schilleci wrote an outstanding Master’s Thesis entitled “Article 6 ECHR and Arbitration: Principles of Coexistence”, supervised by Professor Andrea Bonomi (Faculty of Law at the University of Lausanne). The thesis deals with the applicability of procedural principles set forth by the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) to Swiss international arbitration proceedings. Moreover, it discusses the compatibility of the above principles with Article 192 of the Swiss Private International Law Act, a Swiss provision allowing international arbitration parties to waive their right to appeal the award before the Federal Tribunal.