Our Team

Schweizer Kobras Principals
Norbert Schweizer  |  Michael Kobras

 

Schweizer Kobras Team
Ricky Lee  |  Patrick Wille  |  Fiona Henderson  |  Markus Christmann  |  Lisa Sims  |  Chloe Schwank  |  Umie Kong

Partner

Norbert commenced the firm in 1978. He is a public notary as well as an accredited business law specialist. He was admitted in 1972 and has experience in a wide variety of legal work covering corporate, business and personal law particularly contracts, commercial agreements, litigation in most courts, property and property development and estates and succession planning. He has also been a long time advisor to various German, Swiss, Austrian and other overseas businesses and investors in Australia.

 

Areas of Practice

• Purchase and sale of businesses
• Companies and directors
• Business structures
• Commercial property - purchase and sale
• Leasing of commercial and retail property
• Business succession planning
• Estate planning
• Wills including testamentary trusts

 

Qualifications

• 1969 - Bachelor of Arts, University of Sydney
• 1972 - Bachelor of Laws, University of Sydney
• 1972 - Admitted as Solicitor
• 1989 - Appointed Public Notary
• 1994 - Accredited Specialist - Business Law

 

Memberships

• Society of Notaries of New South Wales
• Fellow, Australian and New Zealand College of Notaries (FANZCN)
• Fellow, Commercial Law Association (FCLA)
• Australian Corporate Lawyers Association
• Law Council of Australia, European Focus Group
• Australian Institute of Company Directors

 

Awards

• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany - Bundesverdienstkreuz

 

Languages

• English
• German

Partner

Michael joined the firm in 1994 and became a partner in 1998. He was the first "Recognised Foreign Lawyer" in New South Wales being admitted in both Germany and Australia. Until 1992, Michael practised for a number of years in Munich in general civil and commercial law. In 1997 he completed a Master of Laws with distinctions in international business law, international taxation and European Union law.  In October 2006, Michael was also registered as a Migration Agent.  

 

Michael has experience in a wide variety of legal work covering corporate and business law as well as inheritance law under German and Australian jurisdictions; however, Michael also advises in migration areas as required.

 

Areas of Practice

• Employment law including employment agreements and representing employers and employees in disputes
• Representation, agency and distribution agreements
• Intellectual property including trade mark registrations, passing off, statutory and other intellectual property infringements
• Terms and conditions of trade
• Business structures particularly for German, Swiss and Austrian enterprises in Australia
• Leasing of commercial property
• International succession law including drafting wills under German and Australian substantive and procedural laws.

 

Qualifications

• 1985 - 1st State Exam in Law, Ministery of Justice of Bavaria
• 1989 - 2nd State Exam in Law, Ministery of Justice of Bavaria
• 1989 - Admitted as Rechtsanwalt in Germany
• 1994 - Admitted as Solicitor in NSW
• 1995 - Diploma in Law (Legal Practitioners Admission Board)
• 1997 - Master of Laws, Sydney University
• 2000 - Appointed Public Notary
• 2002 - Accredited Specialist - Business Law
• 2006 - Registered Migration Agent, Reg. No. 0638733

 

Memberships

• Society of Notaries of New South Wales
• Erbrechtsforum e.V.
• Director, German Australian Pacific Lawyers Association
• Fellow, Australian and New Zealand College of Notaries (FANZCN) 
• Fellow, Commercial Law Association (FCLA) 
• Australian Corporate Lawyers Association
• Law Council of Australia, European Focus Group

 

Languages

• English
• German

Special Counsel

Ricky joined the firm in 2008 and specialises in commercial and international law and commercial litigation. Ricky has a Master of Laws in international law from the Australian National University and a Doctor of Philosophy (International Law) from Murdoch University, Australia. He is also undertaking a Master of Taxation at the University of New South Wales and a second doctorate in international law from the University of Cologne, Germany. He is also a Notary Public.

 

Ricky was admitted in 2001 and has many years of experience involving a wide range of commercial law, particularly in relation to aerospace, corporate, government, health, insolvency, international trade, litigation and trade practices. Prior to joining the firm, he has worked in large international firms and also lectured in administrative law, Asian law, commercial law, European Union law, international law and trade practices.

 

Ricky has published extensively on international law, commercial law and constitutional law and has presented legal and technical papers at international conferences and workshops.

 

Areas of Practice

• Aerospace, aviation and space
• Business structures, including partnerships, franchising and joint ventures
• Dispute resolution and litigation
• Government and administrative law
• Insolvency and business recovery
• International trade, agency, distribution and licensing arrangements
• Intellectual property
• Trade practices

 

Qualifications

• 1999 - Bachelor of Arts (International Studies) (Honours), University of Adelaide
• 1999 - Bachelor of Laws (Honours), University of Adelaide
• 2001 - Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice
• 2001 - Admitted as a Legal Practitioner in the Australian Capital Territory
• 2001 - Admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in South Australia
• 2001 - Master of Laws (International Law), Australian National University
• 2009 - Appointed Notary Public
• 2010 - Doctor of Philosophy (International Law), Murdoch University

 

Memberships

• Director, International Air and Space Law Association
• Fellow, Commercial Law Association (FCLA) 
• Associate, Taxation Institute of Australia (ATIA)
• International Bar Association, Section on Business Law
• Australian and New Zealand College of Notaries (MANZCN)
• Society of Notaries of New South Wales

 

Languages

• English

Swiss Law Consultant

Patrick joined the firm in 2006 as a Swiss Law Consultant. He graduated with a Masters of Laws degree (lic. iur.) from Zurich University in 1993. From 1994 to 2000 he worked at the District Court of Affoltern and the Court de Cassation in Zurich. In 2000 he joined Bratschi Emch, a mid-sized Swiss law firm specialising in corporate and commercial law, as a senior associate before migrating to Australia in 2005. He currently also teaches law and is the program director for the Bachelor of Business Administration course at the University of South Australia.  

 

Patrick has more than 10 years of experience in various fields of the law. He has acted on behalf of major corporate clients in numerous mergers and acquisitions and other commercial transactions. Patrick specialises in commercial and corporate matters either under Swiss law or in an international context.

 

Areas of Practice

• Swiss civil law
• Swiss commercial and corporate law
• Swiss debt enforcement and bankruptcy law
• Swiss intellectual property law
• International trade law
• International commercial arbitration

 

Qualifications

• 1993 - Masters of Laws, University of Zurich 
• 1999 - Admitted as Rechtsanwalt (attorney-at-law) in Switzerland
• 2004 - Masters of Laws (Corporate and Commercial Law), Bond University
• 2004 - Masters of Business Administration, Bond University
• 2008 - Admitted as a solicitor in NSW

 

Languages

• English
• German
• French

Consultant

Fiona has practised in litigation since 1993. She has extensive experience in product liability and contractual disputes as well as in trade practices and property disputes and defamation. She has also acted as general legal counsel for a number of large Australian companies. Fiona joined the firm in 1999, and in 2000 completed a Master of Laws specialising in corporate and commercial law.

 

Areas of Practice

• Contract law
• Trade practices law
• Company law and shareholders disputes
• Property disputes
• Product liability
• Personal injury law for both defendants and plaintiffs
• Occupational health and safety prosecutions

 

Qualifications

• 1992 - Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law, Australian National University
• 1993 - Admitted as a solicitor in NSW
• 2000 - Masters of Law, University of New South Wales

 

Languages

• English
• German

Solicitor and Foreign Law Consultant

Markus joined the firm in 2011 and practices both Australian and German law. Before joining the firm he worked for corporate law firms in Germany and Australia where he practiced in commercial law, particularly corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, incentive schemes and financial services. He has extensive experience in German and Australian general corporate and commercial law. Markus also practices in German inheritance law.

 

Areas of Practice

• Commercial law, including international trade law, agency and distribution agreements
• Corporate law, including mergers & acquisitions and company secretarial work
• Commercial litigation
• Business structures particularly for German, Swiss and Austrian enterprises in Australia
• Employment law
• Financial services law, including applying for and varying financial services licences
• German inheritance law
• International succession law including drafting wills under German and Australian substantive and procedural law

 

Qualifications

• 2000 - 1^st State Exam in Law, Ministry of Justice of North Rhine-Westphalia
• 2001 - Master of Laws, University of Wollongong
• 2004 - ^2nd State Exam in Law, Ministry of Justice North Rhine-Westphalia
• 2004 - Admitted as Rechtsanwalt in Germany
• 2008 - Admitted as Solicitor in NSW
• 2008 - Diploma in Law (Legal Practitioners Admission Board)

 

Languages

• English
• German

Senior Paralegal - Property

Lisa has been involved in various fields of law including property, conveyancing and litigation matters as well as information technology since 1991. Lisa joined the firm in January 2000 and is responsible for the sale and purchase of commercial and residential properties and subdivisions as well as security documentation.

 

Areas of Practice

• Commercial purchases and sales
• Domestic purchases and sales
• Vacant land subdivisions
• Strata subdivisions
• Commercial leasing
• Security documentation
• Property developments

 

Languages

• English

 

Senior Paralegal - Migration

Chloe joined the firm in 2002. She has been working as a Senior Paralegal assisting Michael Kobras with migration and citizenship matters since October 2006. The primary focus of her work is employer sponsored temporary and permanent visas. She is also responsible for legal translations and the Referendar (German legal trainee) training provided by the firm.

 

Chloe graduated from King’s College London with a Bachelor of Laws (Law with German Law) in 2001. 

 

Areas of Practice

• Temporary Business (Long Stay) Visas
• Employer Sponsored Permanent Residency Visas
• Resident Return Visas
• Applications for Retention of German Citizenship
• Legal translations

 

Qualifications

• 2000 - Certificate – Basic Understanding of the German Civil Code, Passau University
• 2001 - Bachelor of Laws (Law with German Law), King’s College London

 

Languages

• English
• German

Graduate Lawyer

Umie joined the firm in 2011 as a graduate lawyer after completing an internship with the firm in 2009. She is a graduate in Law and Economics from the University of New South Wales and is currently undertaking a Master of Laws at the University of Sydney. Prior to joining the firm, she worked in an international accounting firm.

 

Areas of Practice

• Tax
• Business Law
• Commercial contracts

 

Qualifications

• 2006 - Bachelor of Economics (Finance/Economics), University of New South Wales
• 2009 - Bachelor of Laws, University of New South Wales

 

Languages

• English
• Korean (conversational)
• French (conversational)