Themes: International law, commercial litigation, Geneva legal hub, GILA, GILW26, legal networking, legal career.
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Good morning, Ms. Giroud. You are a partner at LALIVE, President of the Geneva Bar Association (Bâtonnière), and President of GILA. Could you tell us about your background and what led you to international litigation?

I have always been fascinated by how the world works and its rules. So I started with scientific studies, but I missed the human, more emotional dimension. I found in law the combination of the two: rules constantly confronting human reality. I developed a strong sense of what could be unjust very early on, which led me to human rights and international humanitarian law. I was therefore naturally drawn to international affairs, and especially to conflict resolution.
 
You were elected President of the Geneva Bar Association in 2024. What are the major challenges facing the profession today in Geneva?
 
Lawyers are facing new challenges, notably the digitalization of the profession with Justitia 4.0 or artificial intelligence. The profession will have to learn to integrate these new tools into its practice, as was the case in the past with the telephone, fax, or the Internet.

Regarding artificial intelligence, I remain optimistic because the true value of lawyers does not lie simply in identifying the rules applicable to a situation. It lies above all in their ability to listen to the person seeking their help, to understand their needs, and to guide them through the legal, and sometimes judicial, system.

There is a human dimension, a fundamental need to be heard and understood, which can never be fully satisfied by a logical and automated process. Relying solely on artificial intelligence also carries a risk of spiraling out of control, as it can indiscriminately produce virtually infinite results.

Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool, but it must remain at the service of humanity. We need professionals to use it with discernment, master it responsibly, and above all, continue to do what technology will never replace: talk to humans, understand their realities, and support them.

Our profession also faces other challenges which, unfortunately, are constants, in particular attacks against the mission of lawyers as guarantors of the rule of law, as well as those targeting professional secrecy, which is fundamental to allowing everyone to know their rights in complete independence.

In the name of the fight against money laundering or against Russian aggression, which are legitimate battles, governments unfortunately tend to consider that access to the law and to independent legal advice can be restricted, or even banned. We have also seen in recent years democracies that we thought were among the most established, such as the United States, directly attack lawyers and their firms for political reasons.
 

"Like others before us, it is imperative to remember that without lawyers, there is no access to law and justice, and without justice, there is neither the rule of law nor democracy."

Let's come to GILA. You are its founding President. What motivated the creation of this association and what is its mission?
 
My international litigation practice leads me to plead before many foreign jurisdictions and to compare their practices, but also their vision of justice. I have seen how certain countries, such as Great Britain, France, or Singapore, have made their law and their courts strategic levers of influence, but also genuine export services to be valued.

In Switzerland, justice is primarily perceived as a principle and is often still understood in its local dimension. This is of course essential, but it does not always take into account the specificities of our country, which is fundamentally internationally oriented through its services and export products.

I wanted to raise awareness of the value of the legal sector, not only as a full-fledged economic sector, but also as one of the framework conditions of the economy. It is in this spirit that the Geneva International Legal Association, GILA, was born. It allows us to go beyond the limits of a bar association to build bridges with other legal professionals, whether magistrates, corporate lawyers, legaltech entrepreneurs, but also with the business world.

GILA is thus an initiative of the Geneva Bar Association which pursues three objectives. First, to promote and enhance Geneva as a global center of excellence for legal services. Second, to strengthen the reputation of Swiss law and its advantages, particularly its flexibility and reliability. Third, to raise awareness of the essential contribution of the legal sector to social development and economic competitiveness.
 
Concretely, how does GILA support the Geneva legal hub and its professionals?
 
To achieve these goals, GILA focuses on three main fields of activity.

First, our goal is to facilitate and encourage exchanges and collaboration between the legal and business communities, in Switzerland and internationally. It is with this in mind that we have formed various partnerships with institutions from the legal world, such as the University of Geneva, the Swiss Corporate Lawyers Association, the Swiss Arbitration Association, or the Swiss Legaltech Association, but also with the business world, notably the FER, the CCIG, Geneva Financial Center, or SuisseNégoce.

Our objective is also to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to strengthen the capacity and attractiveness of the Geneva courts, notably by promoting the use of English as a procedural language and by developing specialized courts.

Finally, we work to promote Geneva's legal expertise and Swiss law, in Switzerland and abroad, notably through the Geneva International Legal Week, but also through other initiatives aimed at raising the awareness of our cantonal and federal authorities regarding the economic and strategic importance of the legal sector.

It is in this context that the Economic Promotion of the Canton of Geneva has agreed to conduct an economic impact study of Geneva's legal services, which is expected to be published at the end of April.
 
GILA organizes the Geneva International Legal Week (GILW) every year. The first edition took place in March 2025. What is your assessment of it?
 
The first edition of GILW was a real success. It brought together over 400 participants from 11 countries, as well as leading experts from the legal, business, and academic worlds, to discuss commercial justice and the legal challenges faced by Geneva's flagship industries, notably finance, commodities, and luxury.

GILW also facilitated strategic meetings and exchanges, which have been the driving forces behind initiatives led by GILA in support of the Geneva Bar Association, notably the creation of a commercial court in Geneva, the economic impact study of legal services currently underway, as well as postulate 25.4102, "Economic impacts of law and legal services in Switzerland. For a national support and promotion strategy," submitted to the Federal Parliament.

GILW25 was thus both the spark and the sounding board for these initiatives, which we look forward to pursuing in the context of GILW26.
 
What role does GILA play for the next generation and young legal professionals?
 
GILA is a fantastic platform for young professionals. On the one hand, through its "Young Litigators" Commission, which organizes an event dedicated to the "next gen" during GILW, and on the other hand, through the many volunteers who make it up, notably committee members and officers.

Many of them are still very young in the profession, but they show exceptional enthusiasm and commitment. GILA offers them the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership skills and to approach the law from both an institutional and strategic perspective.

All these are experiences and skills that contribute to shaping the talents of tomorrow.
 

"Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool, but it must remain at the service of humanity. We need professionals to use it with discernment, master it responsibly, and above all, continue to do what technology will never replace: talk to humans, understand their realities, and support them."

What advice would you give to a young lawyer who wants to move towards international litigation in Geneva?
 
As with any activity, you need passion and curiosity. These are the best drivers for learning, and the legal profession requires constant learning and adaptation, whether to evolving rules, to the needs of clients which are never identical, or to the functioning of justice, which remains a human institution and therefore carries a certain degree of unpredictability.

Beyond solid technical skills, which are an absolute prerequisite, mastering languages is essential for an international practice, especially English, but also German, and even other languages. Machine translations can help, but it is important to understand the culture and environment of the people you work with.

The market is more competitive than ever, and one should not hesitate to gain diverse experiences to develop one's talents and thus offer profiles that stand out.

 
Thank you very much, Ms. Giroud, for this fascinating exchange and for your commitment to the international reach of the Geneva legal hub. We wish you every success for GILW26 and your future projects!