Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Susan Emmenegger, LL.M.

Full professor for Private and Banking Law

Department of Private Law

Phone
+41 31 684 37 95 (Sekretariat)
E-Mail
susan.emmenegger@unibe.ch
Office
D 210
Postal Address
Institute of Banking Law
Schanzeneckstrasse 1 (UniS)
Office D 210
Postfach
3001 Bern
Consultation Hour
By appointment, arranged through secretariat.

CV

Prof. Dr. Susan Emmenegger

Overview as PDF file:

Curriculum vitae (English)

Academic Functions:

  • Full professor for private law and banking law
  • Dean of the Law Faculty (until 08/2026)
  • Director of the Institute of Banking Law
  • Co-Director of the Institute of Private Law
  • Member of the Executive Board, World Trade Institute
  • Adjunct Professor, Cornell Law School

Other Functions:

  • Editor-in-Chief of the Swiss Review of Business Law (SZW)
  • Co-Editor of the Journal of Legal Practice and Education (recht)
  • Editor for financial markets law of the Review Jusletter
  • Chair of the Swiss Banking Law Conference
  • Member of the academic council of the German Banking Law Conference

Previous Functions:

  • Member and chair of the academic council of the Max-Planck-Institute of foreign and international law, Hamburg, Germany (2026 - 2025)
  • Member of the board of directors of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, FINMA (2021 - 2024)
  • Vice-Dean of the Law Faculty (2022 - 2024)
  • Member of the European Company Law Experts group, ECLE (2017 - 2025)
    Member of the Swiss Government's Advisory Board on Financial Policy and Regulation (2013 - 2019)
  • Member and Vice-President of the Swiss Takeover Board (2005 - 2017)

Teaching:

  • Contract Law; financial regulation

Biography: 

  • 1971–1986 Schools in Fribourg (AFS exchange student, USA)
  • 1986–1987 Volunteer with the Colombian Red Cross, Cali, Colombia
  • 1988–1992 Law studies at the University of Fribourg and at the University of Bologna Law Schools, J.D. (biligual degree French/German)
  • 1992–1993 LL.M. degree, Cornell University Law School (Rotary ambassadorial scholar; associate editor of the Cornell International Law Journal)
  • 1993–1994 New York bar exam; associate in a New York Law firm
  • 1995–1996 Research assistant, Max-Planck-Institut for foreign and private international law, Hamburg (advising German courts on US law and international private law)
  • 1996–1997 Law Clerk, district court of Zurich
  • 1999 PhD degree, University of Fribourg (Thesis: feminist critique of contract law, summa cum laude. Awarded with the Walther Hug award [Switzerland], the Gottlob award [Fribourg Law Faculty], and award for gender studies [University of Fribourg])
  • 1999 Zurich bar exam
  • 1999-2000 Swiss Banking Commission (today: Swiss Financial Markets Super-visory Authoriy, FINMA) (Licensing of new banks, supervising bank mergers, regulatory enforcement)
  • 2001–2002 Scholarship, Swiss National Foundation (Habilitation): Max-Planck-Institute Hamburg, Berkeley Law School, Paris II Law School
  • 2002–2004 Associate Professor, University of Fribourg, Chair for Private Law
  • 2004 Habilitation at the University of Fribourg, venia legendi for private law, commercial law and legal theory (Thesis: The Internal Governance of Banks. Foundations for the Coordination between Corporate Law and Supervisory Law)
  • 2004–2005 Full professor, University of Fribourg, Chair for Private Law
  • Since 2005 Full professor for Private Law and Banking Law, University of Bern, Director of the Institute of Banking Law, Co-Director of the Institute for Civil Law
  • Since 2014 Adjunct Professor, Cornell Law School
  • 2021–2024 Member of the board of directors of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA)
  • 2024 Honorary Doctorate, Vienna University of Economics and Business
  • Various fellowships and appointments as visiting professor, e.g. European University Institute Florence (fall 2009); NYU Law School (fall 2015, spring 2021); WU Vienna (spring 2019)