About Alexander Foerster

Professional career

After more than 25 years as partner of Sweden’s leading law firm, Mannheimer Swartling Advokatbyrå and member of the firm’s predominant dispute resolution practice group I decided to continue my career as independent arbitrator and expert to be able to provide truly independent advice in my areas of expertise. 

I am qualified as Swedish Advokat and German Rechtsanwalt and started my career in building up an office in Frankfurt am Main. During my first decade I worked with corporate transaction, including M&A and Finance and served for more than 15 years as a member of the board of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Germany, from 2008-2012 as its president. 

The last 20 years I focused entirely on international arbitration and cross border litigation, first in the Frankfurt office and as from 2013 based in Stockholm. I gained considerable experience counselling Swedish and international clients in domestic and international litigation and arbitration. I have been involved in many international arbitrations under SCC, DIS, ICC, ICSID and Swiss Rules as well as ad hoc arbitrations under German and Swedish law. In some major cases arguments governed by international public law played a significant role. Furthermore, I also served as arbitrator (Chairman and Co-arbitrator) in ad hoc and institutional proceedings (SCC, ICC, DIS and Swiss Rules) involving the substantive laws of Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey as well as the UN Sales Convention (CISG). In 2018 I was appointed member of the DIS Council.

As a teaching fellow of the Frankfurt University of Applied Science I teach international arbitration and give guest lectures at the ICAL Program of the University of Stockholm Since more than 10 years I serve as a member of the examination committee of the Swedish Bar Association.

In my work as counsel for international parties I learned what a party expects from the tribunal as regards case management, efficiency, flexibility and availability. I also understood how important it is that the tribunal provides clear reasons for its decisions – not only in the final award - in particular for the losing party. As arbitrator I have experienced what parties could and should contribute to ensure efficient and expeditious proceedings and that the use of new technology is to the benefit of all parties. It is my ambitions to bring this experience to all future cases entrusted to me.

Languages

German (native)

Swedish (fluent)

English (fluent)

Danish and Norwegian (reading only)

Awards

Selected by peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in Germany in the field of arbitration (2015, 2016).

Chambers recommended Dispute Resolution Foreign Expert

JUVE Handbuch recommended litigation and arbitration ( “..kompetent, lösungsorientiert, unkompliziert“;„ „..persönlich wie fachlich hoch qualifiziert“)

Fellow of the Frankfurt University of Applied Science, 2019

Royal Order (1kl) of the Polar Star, 2013

Memberships

  • Swedish Bar Association

  • Frankfurt am Main Bar

  • Deutsch-Nordische Juristenvereinigung

  • International Bar Association (Arbitration Section)

  • DIS Deutsche Institution für Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit

  • ASA Association Suisse d’Arbitrage

  • Swedish Arbitration Association