Bernd Ehle

Partner, Geneva

+41 58 105 2000

behle@lalive.law

Bernd Ehle

Bernd specialises in international arbitration, with extensive experience as both counsel and arbitrator in over 100 high-stakes disputes conducted under various arbitration rules and governed by civil and common law. His experience includes serving on dispute adjudication boards.

Bernd advises and represents clients in complex disputes, with a focus on large-scale construction and infrastructure projects, intricate joint venture agreements, M&A transactions and sales and distribution contracts. He is committed to dispute resolution and related capacity building, in particular in Africa, to which a significant portion of his work is related.

Recognised as a “leading light in the next generation of international arbitration practitioners in Switzerland”, Who’s Who Legal Global Leaders, Arbitration, 2022, Bernd also assists and represents clients in the enforcement of arbitral awards and other arbitration-related proceedings before state courts.

Recognition

“Bernd Ehle is very responsive and he takes action very quickly. He gathers the team very quickly, reviews the case in detail and responds to all of our questions very properly.”
Chambers Europe, Arbitration Counsel, 2025

Ranked Band 2 Arbitration Counsel and Band 4 Arbitrator
Chambers Global, Switzerland, 2025

“Bernd is held in high esteem by peers who say he is ‘particularly skilled and experienced in construction arbitration”.
Who’s Who Legal National Leaders, Arbitration, 2023

Recent publications

Swiss construction law revision 2026: key changes for international projects
BERND EHLE
In: Construction Law International, Vol. 21, Issue 1, March 2026, pp. 9-12

Interim remedies in support of arbitration in Switzerland
BERND EHLE
In: LexisNexis Legal Guidance – Practice Note, March 2026

Revision des Schweizer Kauf- und Werkvertragsrechts ab 2026 – Auswirkungen auf den Anlagenbau
BERND EHLE, BERND HAUCK
In: Law Journal on Industrial and Infrastructure Projects, 6/2025, December 2025, pp. 364-368

Recent conferences

Swiss Arbitration Centre - Meet the Court (1st edition)
BERND EHLE, Speaker, Preliminary procedural matters and the expedited procedure
Geneva, 18 March 2026

African Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (AIADR) - L’émergence d’une lex constructionis dans la mise en œuvre des Modes Alternatifs de Règlement des Différents appliqués aux grands projets d’infrastructures
BERND EHLE, Speaker, Les procédures devant les Dispute Adjudication Boards (DABs) 
Webinar, 24 February 2026

WFO Global Summit - Advancing Offshore Wind Worldwide
BERND EHLE, Speaker, Risk Allocation in Offshore Wind – Avoiding Disputes Before They Start
Barcelona, 21 January 2026

Read more

Current professional memberships

  • Member of the Board of Directors of AfricArb
  • Member of the Board of Directors of Kigali International Arbitration Centre (KIAC)
  • Member of the Arbitration Court of the Swiss Arbitration Centre
  • Member of the Advisory Board of Africa Construction Law (ACL)
  • Member of the Executive Committee of the Foundation for International Arbitration Advocacy (FIAA)
  • Co-chair of the Construction Group of the German Arbitration Institute (DIS)
  • Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)

Career history

  • Partner, LALIVE, 2009 – present
  • Associate, LALIVE, 2003 – 2008
  • Associate, Graf von Westphalen, Freiburg, Germany, 2000 – 2003

Academic qualifications

  • PhD in Law, University of Heidelberg, 2001
  • LLM, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, Chicago, 1999 – 2000
  • Studies in International Law, University of Geneva, 1993 – 1994
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