David Lobertréau — Independent senior legal counsel.
26 years of in-house legal experience — in Switzerland and internationally — in demanding environments, at the service of organisations that need GC-level expertise without the constraints of a permanent hire.
David Lobertréau
Senior counsel with 26 years of in-house experience, including 4 GC / Group Legal Director roles — 3 in PE-backed environments (Metalor Technologies / Astorg Partners, Eden Springs–Cott Beverages / Rhône Capital, Boart Longyear EMEA / Centerbridge Partners) — in demanding, heavily regulated and international environments — infrastructure & energy, luxury and international fashion, precious metals, life sciences, humanitarian and development NGOs, Swiss multinationals. Based in Lausanne, fully operational in French and English. Operational experience across CIS countries (Russia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia).
Trained in civil law (French/Swiss) and deeply versed in English and US common law through international mandates, cross-border transactions and sustained exposure to English-law governed contracts and US-law frameworks — I draft, negotiate and advise with equal fluency in both legal traditions. A practical differentiator in any multi-jurisdictional environment.
Having served as General Counsel and senior legal advisor in listed and unlisted groups — including most recently at The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria — I founded DL Legal Advisory to place this experience at the service of organisations that need GC-level expertise without the constraints of a permanent hire.
This track record spans both Swiss-headquartered groups and international organisations — providing a fluency in Swiss legal, regulatory and business culture that is rarely found in counsel trained solely in an international context.
My engagements regularly combine senior legal judgement with legal tech and AI tools for faster, more precise and more transparent execution.
Extensive experience with high-confidentiality mandates — including AML/KYC compliance and FINMA regulatory interface.
Practice environments & contexts
International Luxury & Fashion· Precious Metals & Commodities· Life Sciences & Pharma· FMCG & Distribution· Manufacturing & Industrial· NGOs, Foundations & International Organisations· Swiss Mid-caps & Multinationals· Infrastructure & Energy· PE-backed & Portfolio Companies· Start-ups & Scale-ups· M&A · Compliance & Governance· CIS — operational experience
What sets me apart
Responsible sourcing & ODiTr
Supply chain due diligence (CO Art. 964j–964l / Due Diligence and Transparency Ordinance, ODiTr) is now a binding legal obligation for Swiss companies of a certain size active internationally. It covers both statutory triggers: conflict minerals and child labour / forced labour. The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), in phased implementation, extends these obligations across value chains — Swiss companies dealing with EU counterparties should be preparing now.
Dual legal tradition — civil law & common law
26 years across civil law (Swiss / French) and common law environments — with sustained, hands-on exposure to English law and US law frameworks: English-law governed contracts and dispute resolution, US-law influenced compliance programmes (FCPA, Dodd-Frank, SOX), transatlantic M&A and cross-border regulatory matters. Negotiating and drafting with equal fluency in both traditions — not a theoretical distinction, but an operational one that reduces friction and reliance on external counsel in international matters.
Data protection — Swiss FADP & GDPR
Practical experience implementing and auditing data protection programmes across Swiss and EU regulatory frameworks. From gap analyses and privacy-by-design to DPA reviews, data transfer mechanisms and breach response — operational, not theoretical.
Technical expertise
- CO Art. 964a–964c & 964j–964l / ODiTr — conflict minerals, child labour / forced labour, transparency reporting
- Supplier codes of conduct, HRDD policies and modern slavery compliance (UK Modern Slavery Act, ILO conventions)
- International sanctions (OFAC, EU, SECO, UN) — denied party screening, high-risk countries (FATF / CAHRA)
- Anti-boycott regulations — EAR Part 760 (US), EU Blocking Statute
- AML/KYC and FINMA interface — financial intermediary obligations (AMLA), regulatory correspondence and investigations
- LBMA Responsible Sourcing Programme and RJC Code of Practices and certification
- Corporate finance — legal aspects: facility agreements, intercreditor, private placements, term sheets, covenant review
- UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts — reference framework and contractual gap-filling
- FIDIC standard forms (Red Book, Yellow Book, Silver Book) — international project environments
- Swiss foundation law (CC Art. 80ff) — establishment, governance, charitable purpose, supervisory authorities, ZEWO
- International organisations — privileges and immunities, host country agreements, UNCITRAL procurement rules
- New country expansion — regulatory due diligence, entity structuring, local distribution, coordination of local counsel
- CMC contracting and pharmaceutical manufacturing agreements (GMP / ICH)
- Pre-litigation dispute management and commercial conflict resolution: demand letters, mediation, cross-border disputes and coordination of external litigation counsel.
- Competition law and antitrust compliance — distribution structures, vertical restraints, merger control
Academic background
Civil law (French / Swiss) and English common law — both legal traditions mastered from source, not solely through practice.
Years of senior in-house legal experience — Swiss & international
GC / Group Legal Director roles
M&A deal exposure
Mandates in PE-backed environments
A first conversation — confidential and non-binding.
Briefly describe your situation. I will get back to you within 24–48 hours.