Dr. Mladen Stojiljković, LL.M.

Partner

stojiljkovic@ndlegal.ch
+41 44 250 45 61
DE, EN, FR, Serbian
Mladen Stojiljkovic represents clients in high-stakes commercial litigation and international arbitration. His work frequently involves cross-border disputes in the financial and life sciences sectors, as well as issues at the intersection of regulatory, constitutional and international law. He appears before arbitral tribunals and Swiss courts and advises senior executives in employment-related litigation. His recent work includes disputes arising out of the Credit Suisse / UBS transaction, investor-state arbitration, and complex cross-border proceedings in the life sciences sector, including pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply-chain disputes. He has acted in proceedings under major institutional rules and in ad hoc arbitrations, often involving multiple jurisdictions and parallel court and arbitral proceedings. He is regularly entrusted with matters raising novel or significant issues of Swiss law. Trained in both civil and common law traditions and admitted in Switzerland and California, Mladen also serves as an arbitrator and as an expert on Swiss law in proceedings abroad. He is a frequent author and speaker on international dispute resolution, including arbitration and commercial litigation.
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Recognitions

  • Lexology – Thought Leader Global Elite (Commercial Litigation, Under 45) (since 2023)

  • Lexology – Recognised for Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

  • Legal500 – Recognised for Litigation and Arbitration

  • Leaders League – Excellent (International Arbitration, Commercial Litigation), Highly Recommended (Asset Recovery)

  • Euromoney Expert Guides – Rising Star, Commercial Arbitration

Bar Admissions

  • Switzerland (2010)

  • California (2022)

Professional Experience

  • Partner, Nater Dallafior (since 2023)

  • Counsel, Vischer (2019–2023)

  • Associate,Homburger (2011–2013, 2015–2019)

  • International Counsel, Williams & Connolly, LLP (2014–2015)

Education

  • LL.M., Columbia Law School (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar)

  • PhD, University of Zurich (summa cum laude)

  • lic. iur., University of Zurich (magna cum laude)

Other Professional Activities

  • Arbitrator, International Chamber of Commerce (Swiss National Committee List)

  • Contributor, Weblawsdigitaler Rechtsprechungskommentar (private international law, civil procedure, arbitration)

Representative Matters

  • Represented former Credit Suisse executives in proceedings before the Swiss Federal Administrative Court arising out of the UBS–Credit Suisse merger, including a ruling holding unlawful the cancellation of deferred compensation (B‑3655/2023)

  • Represented holders of Credit Suisse Additional Tier 1 capital instruments in proceedings before the Swiss Federal Administrative Court

  • Represented a telecommunications company in cross-border litigation concerning unfair competition claims

  • Represented a leading Swiss insurer in a dispute with a former independent agent

  • Represented a cybersecurity provider in a dispute concerning the early termination of a long-term services agreement

  • Represented a purchaser in post-transaction litigation involving alleged breaches of representations and warranties

  • Represented a software developer in a contract dispute with a Swiss counterparty before Swiss courts

  • Represented senior executives in disputes relating to employment, termination and compensation

  • Representing a party in pre-judgment attachment proceedings in Switzerland in support of proceedings pending in New York

  • Represented creditors in recognition and enforcement proceedings in Switzerland

  • Represented a debtor in arbitral award enforcement proceedings exceeding CHF 240 million

  • Represented victims of investment fraud and embezzlement in related criminal proceedings, civil claims and asset recovery actions

  • Representing a U.S. investor in an investor-state arbitration against an Eastern European State (ICSID Case No. ARB/25/25)

  • Representing a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) in a Swiss-seated ICC arbitration against a U.S. pharmaceutical company arising out of a long-term supply agreement

  • Represented a pharmaceutical company in a Zurich-seated ICC arbitration concerning the interpretation of a patent licensing agreement

  • Represented a pharmaceutical company in a Zurich-seated arbitration concerning the termination of a distribution agreement

  • Represented a party in a Vienna-seated ICC arbitration concerning the interpretation of a liquidated damages provision

  • Represented the claimant in a Zurich-seated arbitration under the Swiss Rules over disputed loans

  • Represented a Turkish distributor in emergency arbitration and subsequent Swiss Rules proceedings concerning termination of a distribution agreement

  • Represented a cryptocurrency company in emergency arbitration under the Swiss Rules

  • Represented a claimant in a New York-seated ICC arbitration in a contract dispute

  • Represented a party in a London-seated LCIA arbitration relating to litigation funding

  • Presiding Arbitrator in a Belgrade-seated arbitration (PA Rules)

  • Sole Arbitrator in arbitrations seated in Stockholm (SCC Rules), Istanbul (ICC Rules) and Zurich (Swiss Rules)

  • Co-Arbitrator in arbitrations seated in Zurich (Swiss Rules, ad hoc)

  • Acting as expert witness on Swiss law of contract interpretation in a proceeding in a proceeding in Miami, FL

  • Acting as an expert witness on Swiss contract law in a proceeding before the court in Ripoll, Catalonia, Spain

  • Acting as expert witness on Swiss civil procedure law in a proceeding in Tel Aviv, Israel 

  • Acting as expert witness on Swiss debt enforcement law in a proceedng in London, U.K.

Publications & Speaking Engagements

  • Bei professioneller Vertretung nur abgeschwächte soziale Untersuchungsmaxime?, Case Note on Decision 4A_482/2024, dRSK, Weblaw, 10 October 2025 

  • Keine gerichtliche Hinweispflicht bei schlecht kopierten Beweismitteln, Case Note on Decision 4A_282/2025, dRSK, Weblaw, 15 July 2025 

  • Strenge Praxis bei verspätetem Vortrag im Zivilprozess, Case Note on BGE 149 III 304, dRSK, Weblaw, 7 January 2025 

  • Vorausentbindung vom Anwaltsgeheimnis, Besprechung von BGer 2C_257/2023, 5.4.2024, AJP/PJA 10/2024, 1118-1122

  • The Parties’ Obligations of Diligence When Challenging Arbitrators – Two Recent Cases From Switzerland and England, in: b-Arbitra (Vol. 1, 2024, 125-136) 

  • Der Vorausverzicht auf die Revision von Schiedsurteilen, Case Note on Decision 4A_69/2022, dRSK, Weblaw, 3. March 2023 (with A. Winter) 

  • Strenge Präklusionsvorschrift bei unbezifferten Forderungsklagen, Case Note on Decision 4A_581/2021, dRSK, Weblaw, 23 Februars 2023 (with A. Müller) 

  • Art. 18-21 Lugano Convention (jurisdiction in employment matters), in: Basler Kommentar, Lugano Übereinkommen, 3. Ed., 2023 

  • Wer entscheidet über die Rechtzeitigkeit der Aberkennungsklage – Betreibungsamt oder ausländisches Schiedsgericht?, Case Note on Decision 5A_496/2021, dRSK, Weblaw, 9 September 2022 

  • Art. 30a, 261-264, 266-267, 268-270, in: Basler Kommentar, Schuldbetreibungs- und Konkursgesetz, 3. Ed. 2022 (with M. Staehelin) 

  • Zur Substanziierungslast der nicht beweisbelasteten Partei, Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Zivilprozess- und Zwangsvollstreckungsrecht (ZZZ), 57/2022, 3-6 

  • Swiss Federal Court addresses waiver clause under Article 192 PILA, Case Note on Decision 4A_382/2021, in digitaler Rechtsprechungskommentar (dRSK), Weblaw, 16 December 2021 

  • Contract Interpretation under the CISG from the perspective of Swiss law: selected issues, in: Unifikacija prava i pravna sigurnost, Zbornik radova 33. Susreta Kopaoničke škole prirodnog prava – Slobodan Perović, Tom III, Belgrade, 2020, 53-63 

  • Subjective Interpretation of Arbitration Agreements and Judicial Review, Case Note on Decision 4A_418/2019, dRSK, Weblaw, 24 September 2020 

  • Burden and Standard of Proof in Investment Arbitration, in Investment Treaty Arbitration Law Review, 5th Ed., 2020 (with D. Favalli) 

  • Arrestprosequierung mittels Schiedsklage, Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Zivilprozess- und Zwangsvollstreckungsrecht (ZZZ), 2020, 21-29 

  • Zur Auslegung von Schiedsvereinbarungen, Case Note on Decision 4A_342/2019, dRSK, Weblaw, 31 March 2020 (with S. Pfenninger) 

  • Swiss Federal Court Addresses Jurisdiction and Admissibility in CAS Arbitration, Case Note on Decision 4A_413/2019, dRSK, Weblaw, 17 Dezember 2019 

  • State Immunity from Enforcement and the New York Convention, Case Note on Decision 5A_942/2017 (BGE 144 III 441), dRSK, Weblaw, 30 September 2019 

  • Non-Signatories and Article II of the New York Convention, Case Note on Decision 4A_646/2018 (BGE 145 III 199), dRSK, Weblaw, 22 July 2019 

  • Zur Schiedsfähigkeit arbeitsrechtlicher Streitigkeiten, Case Note on Decision 4A_7/2018 (BGE 144 III 235), dRSK, Weblaw, 31 May 2018 

  • Arbitration clauses in corporate bylaws, Case Note on Decision 4A_344/2017, dRSK, Weblaw, 21 March 2018 

  • The arbitration agreement: an unreviewable finding of fact?, Case Note on Decision 4A_150/2017, dRSK, Weblaw, 21 February 2018 

  • Waiving any recourse against the arbitral award – do parties waive also the right to request revision?, Case Note on Decision 4A_53/2017 (BGE 143 III 589), dRSK, Weblaw, 19 December 2017 

  • Swiss Supreme Court Addresses Judicial Reviewability of Interim Awards on Jurisdiction, Case Note on Decision 4A_98/2017 (BGE 143 III 462), dRSK, Weblaw, 18 August 2017 

  • Challenging Interim Awards on Jurisdiction in Swiss-seated Arbitrations, Euromoney Commercial Arbitration Expert Guide 2017 (with G. Naegeli) 

  • Arbitral Jurisdiction and Court Review: Three Swiss Federal Supreme Court Decisions to Reconsider, ASA Bulletin 4/2016, 897-913 

  • The Challenge of an Arbitral Award on the Basis of Pararegulatory Texts, in: D. Favalli (Hrsg.), Sense and Nonsense of Guidelines, Rules and Other Pararegulatory Texts, ASA Special Series No. 37, 2015 (with B. Gross) 

  • Art. 18-21 Lugano Concention (jurisdiction in employment matters), in: Basler Kommentar, Lugano Übereinkommen, 1st ed. 2011 und 2nd ed. 2015 (both with B. Meyer) 

  • Die Kontrolle der schiedsgerichtlichen Zuständigkeit, Zürich/St. Gallen 2014 (Diss. Zurich 2014) 

  • Perjury in Arbitral Proceedings, Global Arbitration Review, 29. Juli 2011 (with T. Müller) 

  • Untaugliches Widerspruchsverfahren im Kartellrecht – Wenn Firmen auf offene Fragen nach dem Erlaubten keine Antwort erhalten, in: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Nr. 163, 17 July 2009 (with K. Neff) 

  • Due Process: Time to Overcome Paranoia in International Arbitration, Bucharest Arbitration Days, 5 June 2025

  • Technology and Latest Developments in Arbitration, Crypto Arbitration, Moldova Arbitration Days, Chisinau, Moldova, 7 May 2024  

  • Striving for "Perfect" Arbitration Legislation, Cambridge Arbitration Day, Cambridge, UK, 20 April 2024 

  • Disputes in Uncertain Times, DIS40 Zurich, Geneva, 30 November 2022 

  • Diversity in Arbitration, Belgrade Arbitration Conference 2022, Belgrade, 1 April 2022 

  • Is Joinder in Arbitration Up to the Challenge, ICC YAF & YAAP, Vienna/online, 27 March 2021 

  • Utjecaj pandemije Covid-19 na arbitražni postupak – izazovi, iskustva i (tehnološka) rješenja – Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arbitral procedure – challenges, experience, and (technological) solutions, Young Croatian Arbitration Practitioners (YCAP)/Under 40 Section of the Serbian Arbitraiton Association, online, 8 May 2020 

  • Dos and Dont's of Cross-Examination, Cross-Examination Workshop, ASA Below 40/Swiss Chambers' Arbitration Institution/Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Genf, 28 February 2019 

  • Structuring Dispute Resolution Clauses in Investment Projects: Dos and Don’t's, Sarajevo Arbitration Days, Sarajevo, 24 October 2018 

  • The Brush-up of Chapter 12 of the Swiss Private International Law Act, Belgrade Arbitration Conference 2018, Belgrade, March 2018 

  • The Arbitrator's Duty to Disclose Potential Conflicts, ICC Young Arbitrators' Forum, Zurich, 8 December 2017 

  • Determining the Arbitral Procedure, ASA Below 40, Genf, June 2016 

  • The Arbitrator as Settlement Facilitator, Guest Lecture in Course "Advocacy in International Arbitration", Yale Law School, New Haven (CT), April 2016 

  • Jurisdiction and Choice of Law, Guest Lecture in Course "Advocacy in International Arbitration", Yale Law School, New Haven (CT), February 2015

Mladen Stojiljković is experienced, extremely smart and a great lawyer. More importantly, he has integrity, which is the most important in an arbitrator. He has a bright future ahead.

LEGAL 500 - ARBITRATION 2025

Go to Legal 500

I am super impressed by the team at Nater Dallafior and Mladen Stojiljkovic in particular. [...] He is super responsive. I can reach him at any time of day, and he is a great counsel.

CHAMBERS EUROPE & CHAMBERS GLOBAL

Chambers & Partners - client feedback

Mladen Stojiljkovic achieves recognition as a top litigator who is appreciated by clients as a ‘practitioner with great academic background and a pleasure to work with’ .

WHO'S WHO LEGAL

Mladen is [a] brilliant arbitration practitioner.

WHO'S WHO LEGAL

Highly regarded for his top-tier counsel work.

WHO'S WHO LEGAL

Expertise

International Arbitration

Commercial & Corporate Litigation

Insolvency Disputes & Asset Recovery