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General Counsel's Club

At Jens Drolshammer's initiative, General Counsel of major internationally active Swiss firms meet in The Salon as part of an institutionalized event provided as a commercial service four times a year. The current members include Karin Anderegg (UBS Investment Bank), Dr. Barbara Schmidhauser (Unique AG), Dr. Christian Wind (Hilti AG), Dr. Thomas Emch (Conzzeta Holding AG), Dr. Hans Peter Pfirster (Lonza), Dr. Reto Schiltknecht (Zurich Financial), Thomas Anwander (Rieter) and Dr. Andreas Meier (Institut Straumann). With two exceptions there is a conscious emphasis on industry in the group. Membership is by invitation. The events start at 4pm and are divided into a business part with a standard agenda and a social part consisting of drinks and dinner. On alternate occasions, an external guest is invited as a specialist to whom questions are put and who will then take part in the dinner.

The standard agenda is as follows:

  1. Where do we stand? (5 min.)
    (Planning of diaries, sequence of events, treatment of subjects, participants)

  2. Recent experience of the advisors that would be of interest to everyone present (3 min each). This is short prepared presentation on a chosen subject. The presentations are for the purposes of information and possible clarification, not discussion.

  3. Main subject (90 min.).

  4. Carte Blanche Jens Drolshammer (10 min.).

  5. What pressing concerns does everyone have in the near future as General Counsel (2 min each)?
    This is a prepared contribution from each General Counsel on an issue likely to become of pressing concern in the foreseeable future (because of timing constraints, there are no questions and answers)

  6. Choice of themes for next event. Suggestion for the introduction of approximate planning of themes. (10 min.)

  7. Miscellaneous matters


    8. The General Counsels Club is a secure environment in which to discuss very confidential issues. The convention is for each participant to have a right to have the others reply to their questions on critical areas from the perspective of their respective companies. The discussions are therefore confidential and no written or video record of them is kept. In the General Counsel's Club we try to create a special atmosphere where professionalism can be combined with support in a collegiate manner.

    At some time in the future the General Counsels Club is planning together with the General Counsels Network to hold and support certain initiatives aimed at raising the profile of of the profession of corporate lawayers. On request, I will also be holding additional occasions for the General Counsels Club and the General Counsels Network.

© Jens Drolshammer
Prof. Dr. iur., MCL, Rechtsanwalt		 Jens Drolshammer, Prof. Dr. iur., MCL, Rechtsanwalt
CH-8044 Zürich, Susenbergstrasse 157
Tel. +41 44 363 81 11 · Fax +41 44 363 80 83 · E-Mail office@drolshammer.com · Internet www.drolshammer.net