Brief Bio

Pascal Pichonnaz is currently professor (since 2000) for Swiss contract law, Roman law, as well as European consumer law and comparative contract law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Fribourg. He is the current President of the European Law Institute (www.europeanlawinstitute.eu), a sister organization of the American Law Institute. Pichonnaz was Dean of the Faculty of Law from 2014–2017 and published several books on various aspects of contract law (Swiss and comparative law), Roman law, as well as unfair competition and family law. He has been visiting professor in many institutions, including at Shanghai ECUPL (October 2020); Paris Sorbonne (Paris 1) (February 2020); City University Hong Kong (March 2019); Georgetown University Law Center (August 2017-July 2018); Paris Panthéon-Assas (Paris 2) (February 2017; January 2013 and November 2012; May 2012; Feb. 2008); Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Santiago, November-December 2014) and many others.

Pichonnaz is also a member of several boards of legal periodicals. He is a standing member of the Jury of the Premio internazionale di diritto romano Gérard Boulvert and is active as an international commercial arbitrator (ICC, Swiss Rules-SCAI, ad hoc). He has been member of the board and then president in 2008–2009 of the European Law Faculties Association (ELFA). He is also currently Chair of the Swiss Federal Commission for Consumers.

For further details, see his University of Fribourg profile.

Courses taught at CTLS

  • Global Contract Law and the Digital Economy (Spring 2023)
  • Core Course (Spring 2023)
  • Core Course: Introduction to Transnational Law (Fall 2018)
  • Commercial Contracts in a Global Economy: From National to Transnational and International Law (Spring 2009)
  • European Consumer Law: Denationalisation in the Field of Consumer Protection (Spring 2009)
  • International Contracts and Business Transactions (Fall 2011, Fall 2018)