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Patronage Elsa Switzerland

We are very proud to have the following outstanding persons as our patrons:

Prof. Thomas Cottier
Prof. Nicolas Michel

They act as guarantors for ELSA and provide most useful contacts to people of scientific, political and economic importance in Switzerland.

Nicolas Michel graduated from the University of Fribourg in 1973. He earned a doctorate at the University of Fribourg in 1979 and a Master of Arts/ International Relations at the University of Georgetown at Washington D. C.He was admitted to the bar in 1980. In 1991, Prof. Nicolas Michel was named as professor at the University of Fribourg. He was responsible for the instruction of administrative law, international law and European law. From October 1998 till 2003, Nicolas Michel directed the head office of International Public law at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and simultaneously worked as a legal council for the same department. He was also responsible for the Erasmusstudents and for the project ?European law online?. Since September 2003, Nicolas Michel teaches at the University of Fribourg and works as a legal council for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. In 2004, Kofi Annan appointed Nicolas Michel as UN Under secretary-General for Legal Affairs.

From 1971 till 1977 Thomas Cottier studied law at the Universities of Bern, Switzerland, and Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, and was admitted to the bar. Upon his doctorate, Thomas Cottier was a Research Fellow at the Universities of Berne and Cambridge. His research activities mainly relate to the law of WTO, external economic relations of the EU and international intellectual property.

Thomas Cottier has a long-standing involvement in GATT / WTO activities.  e served on the Swiss negotiating team of the Uruguay Round from 1986 to 1993, first as Chief negotiator on dispute settlement and subsidies for Switzerland, conceptual work in the fields of services and intellectual property and legal counselling, and subsequently as Chief negotiator on TRIPs. He held several positions in the Swiss External Economic Affairs Department and was the Deputy-Director General of the Swiss Intellectual Property Office.

He has also served as a panellist on several GATT and WTO panels, most recently serving as Chairman of the panels dealing with the US and Canadian complaints on the measures taken by the EC with regard to Meat and Meat Products (hormone cases). Thomas Cottier joined the Baker & McKenzie law firm as Of Counsel in May 1998, advising the firm on WTO issues.