PROFILE

"A good lawyer is like a bassist in a band: rarely spotlighted, but instantly felt when he or she is missing."

Stephan Netzle is practising law in Switzerland and abroad. He holds law degrees of the University of Zurich and the University of Virginia School of Law (UVA). He is a lecturer at the University of Zurich. His CV can be downloaded here.

SPORTS
Stephan is a pioneer in Swiss and European sports law and an expert in international arbitration. He served as an arbitrator with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) from 1991 until 2010. At the Olympic Games Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008, he was a member of the ad hoc Division of the CAS. He has been an arbitrator with the  Basketball Arbitration Tribunal (BAT) since 2006 and joined Sport Resolutions (SR) as a member of the International Panel in 2024.

He is advising international sports federations, National Olympic Committees, event organisers, athletes, teams, agents, corporate sponsors and host cities on commercial, organisational, disciplinary, doping and compliance issues before arbitral tribunals and ordinary courts.

Stephan was the vice president of Swiss Olympic from 2007 until 2015. In 2021, he was retained by Swiss Olympic to draft a Code of Ethics for all sports in Switzerland and to design and implement the Swiss Sport Integrity Foundation in Switzerland. In 2024, he led a task force which updated the Code of Ethics and established an indepent national sports arbitration tribunal. 

Stephan wrote his doctoral thesis on sponsorship contracts in sport. He is a co-editor of the German bi-monthly "Sport und Recht" (SpuRt) and contributed to the standard textbook "Sport: Law and Practice" by Jonathan Taylor KC and Adam Lewis KC.

Stephan and his crew rowed in the Olympic Finals 1980 (Moscow) and 1984 (Los Angeles), won the Stewards' Challenge Cup at Henley twice and became World Champion in the coxless four in 1982. Besides rowing, he is a passionate cross-country skier and cyclist. And he loves to play the e-bass.

TELECOMMUNICATION

Stephan Netzle first came into contact with the telecoms industry when he acted as legal adviser to a start-up CATV company which became the national number one through a merger. 

Following the liberalisation of the telecommunications market in Switzerland, Stephan successfully represented an international joint venture in the auction of mobile frequencies (3G) and subsequently became Chairman of the Board of the Swiss subsidiary of the leader of that joint venture. In 2008, Stephan was appointed to ComCom, which is the Swiss telecom regulatory authority, of which he has been President from 2017 to 2020. The successful auction of the 4G and 5G mobile frequencies took place during his term of office. 

Since leaving ComCom in 2021, Stephan has been working as a legal consultant for domestic and foreign telecom companies, drawing on his experience of regulation, with PPPs and with public authorities.

MANUFACTURING COMPANIES

Stephan Netzle gained his first professional experience as a legal adviser to medium-sized industrial companies. He continued to provide services in this area to date. His work includes drafting and negotiating supply contracts, taking over companies and parts of companies, negotiating cooperation agreements and conducting court and arbitration proceedings to enforce contractual claims or to defend against claims for damages. As a legal advisor, Stephan became familiar with various branches of industry, with a particular focus on the textile and textile machinery industry.