Team title

Norbert Schweizer                  Michael Kobras

Schweizer Kobras Team:
  
Gisela Weislehner  Reza Vatandoust   Patrick Wille  
Fiona Henderson  Lisa Sims


   

Norbert Schweizer

Norbert commenced the firm in 1978. He is a public notary as well as an accredited business law specialist. He has over 25 years 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, 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
  • franchising
  • 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
  • 1978 - Partner in city firm
  • 1979 - Principal of own firm
  • 1989 - Appointed Public Notary
  • 1994 - Accredited Specialist - Business Law
  • 2007 - Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Notaries (FANZCN)

Languages:

  • English
  • German
Picture of Norbert Schweizer

   

Michael Kobras

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.  

He has over 10 years experience in a wide variety of legal work covering corporate and business law as well as inheritance law under German and Australian jurisdictions. However, he also advises in other 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 formal 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
  • 1998 - Partner of firm
  • 2000 - Appointed Public Notary
  • 2002 - Accredited Specialist - Business Law
  • 2006 - Registered Migration Agent, Reg. No. 0638733
  • 2007 - Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Notaries (FANZCN)

Languages:

  • English
  • German
  Picture of Michael Kobras

   

Gisela Weislehner

Gisela joined the firm in 2006. She is admitted to practice both in Australia and Germany.  She has over 15 years experience in a wide variety of legal work covering civil and administrative law as well as German family and succession law.  Prior to migrating to Australia in 2002, she conducted her own legal practice in Duesseldorf for over 10 years.

Gisela holds a Diploma in Law from the Legal Profession Admission Board.  In August 2006, she was admitted as a solicitor in New South Wales and the ACT.

Areas of Practice:

  • Probate and letters of administration
  • Succession law
  • Family law
  • Commercial leases
  • Contract law
  • Conflict of laws

Qualifications:

  • 1981 - 1st State Exam in Law, Ministry of Justice of North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 1985 - 2nd State Exam in Law, Ministry of Justice of North Rhine-Westphalia
  • 1989 - Admitted as Rechtsanwaeltin in Berlin
  • 2005 - Diploma of Law (Legal Profession Admission Board)
  • 2006 - Admitted as Solicitor in New South Wales and ACT

Languages:

  • German
  • English
  • French - conversational
 

 


   

Reza Vatandoust

Reza joined the firm in 2008 and works primarily in the firm's litigation practice. Reza has a Masters in Law with a major in International Trade Law and also a Bachelor of Science degree. Reza also works in intellectual property and general commercial law. 

Areas of Practice:

  • commercial litigation
  • intellectual property 
  • trade practices 
  • energy and resources

Qualifications:

  • 2002 - Bachelor of Science (BSc) - Genetics and Biotechnology University of New South Wales
  • 2006 - Master of Law and Legal Practice (MLLP) - International Trade Law University of Technology, Sydney 
  • 2006 - Admitted to practice as a Solicitor in NSW

Languages:

  • English
  • Persian
 

   

Patrick Wille

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 at the University of South Australia.  

Patrick has more than 12 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

Languages:

  • English
  • German
  • French
 

   

Fiona Henderson

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 cases. 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
  • 2000 - Masters of Law, University of New South Wales

Languages:

  • English
  • German
  Picture of Fiona Henderson

   

Lisa Sims

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
 

 

 

Schweizer Kobras • Copyright 2005 • Last Updated: 2008
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