For many years the focus of his practice has been on international arbitration. Today he acts primarily as arbitrator, occasionally as advisor to parties or as legal expert. As counsel, he has represented Swiss and foreign companies as well as foreign governments and state organizations in numerous arbitrations seated in Switzerland and abroad under a variety of institutional rules and ad hoc proceedings. As arbitrator he has served in some 150 international arbitrations in Switzerland and abroad (Europe, North America and Asia), in the majority as chairman of the panel or as sole arbitrator. Chambers Global (editions 2013 – 2017) list Markus Wirth as one of the Most in Demand Arbitrators globally.

Markus Wirth’s arbitration experience extends to disputes relating to M&A transactions, joint ventures / shareholder agreements, licensing and distribution, EPC contracts (coal, biomass and nuclear power plants, chemical plants, underground gas storage facilities, pipelines, oil refineries, steel mills, manufacturing facilities of all kinds), long-term energy supply contracts (electricity, oil and gas), project financing, start-up ventures, air and railway transportation, telecommunication, competition / state aid matters and investor­-state disputes.

Mr. Wirth is an honorary president of the Swiss Arbitration Association (served as president 2005-2009), a former member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration (2009-2015), a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London (1996-) and a former lecturer on arbitration on the University of Zurich’s postgraduate programmes in international business law (1999-2014). He also served as a member of the Supervisory Board on Attorneys of the High Court of the Canton of Zurich (1995-2015).