Team

Mélissa Palin practices mainly in all areas of real estate and construction law (business contracts, brokerage contracts, leases, real estate transactions) from both a public and private law perspective. She assists private and institutional clients in the drafting and negotiation of contracts as well as in litigation before the cantonal and federal civil, criminal and administrative courts.

Prior to obtaining her law degree, she worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers SA for more than three years as a lawyer in the Financial Services, Regulatory & Compliance Services department. She then completed her legal internship at Fontanet et Associés in Geneva, before passing her bar exam in June 2015. From 2015 to 2018, she worked as an associate for a law firm before joining 100 Rhône Avocats in April 2018 as an associate then as a senior associate at Rhône Avocat·e·s.

melissa.palin@rhoneavocats.ch

Morgane de la Gandara has collaborated with the law firm 100 Rhône Avocats since September 2019, first as an intern and then as an associate and in this same capacity with the law firm Rhône Avocat·e·s. Her practices of area include real estate law, tenancy law, contract law and civil and administrative litigation. She is fluent in French, English and Spanish.

She obtained her Bachelor in Law in 2015 and her Master degree in 2017 at the University of Geneva. Within a partnership with the Canadian Department of Justice, she earned a grant in December 2017 from the L.R. Wilson Chair in Information Technology and E-Commerce Law, which is part of the Faculty of Law of the University of Montreal. She then obtained her Certificate of Advanced Studies in Legal Professions in July 2018. In parallel of her career in law, she is also a gemologist, member of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A).

morgane.delagandara@rhoneavocats.ch

Myriam de la Gandara is mainly active in real estate and construction law (lease law, contracts for works and services, right in rem, brokerage contracts, real estate transactions, building regulations), as well as commercial law. She also represents clients in disputes related to family and inheritance law, and regularly assists clients in resolution of such matters through settlement negotiations.

Graduated from the University of Fribourg, she then qualified in Geneva where she is currently admitted as an attorney-at-law. After practicing for many years in two renowned Geneva law firms, she joined 100 Rhône Avocats then Rhône Avocat·e·s in 2022.

myriam.delagandara@rhoneavocats.ch

Nathalie Bréant’s practice focuses on all aspects of complex commercial disputes, including international arbitration and the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in Switzerland. She represents clients in a range of domestic and cross-border advisory and contentious matters. She has particular experience in representing private companies, individuals and public institutions in real estate and construction projects.

Prior to joining 100 Rhône Avocats in March 2021, as a trainee, she worked in a leading international law firm in Geneva, where she assisted on several high-value cross-border commercial and construction disputes under ICC, LCIA and SCAI arbitration rules regularly governed by English law. She also has particular expertise in disputes relating to the development, commercialization and protection of intellectual property, including in the Life Sciences sector. She studied in Nice then in Geneva, where she qualified in October 2022 and now is an associate at Rhône Avocat·e·s.

nathalie.breant@rhoneavocats.ch

Emile Branca is a trainee lawyer at Rhône Avocat·e·s until March 2023. He completed his studies at the University of Geneva, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Law, a Certificate in Transnational Law, a Master’s degree in Law and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Legal Professions.

In parallel to his academic career, Emile Branca worked for three years (2015-2018) as a legal secretary in a law firm specialized in lease and real estate law. He then completed a summer internship (2019) in a law firm and was hired as a minute taker (2019-2021) in the Geneva Parliament where he was in charge of drafting the minutes of several parliamentary committees, including the Housing Committee, the Judiciary and Police Committee, the Social Affairs Committee, and the Environment and Agriculture Committee.

emile.branca@rhoneavocats.ch

Aïcha Othman holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Geneva and a Master’s degree in Business Law from the Universities of Geneva and Zurich. She attended a commercial law program at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and obtained the « Certificate in Business Law and Technologies » in August 2020. She also obtained the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Legal Professions in July 2021.

In parallel to her studies, Aïcha Othman worked as a legal assistant in a law firm in Geneva. She then worked as a paralegal in a second law firm in Geneva, before joining 100 Rhône Avocats then Rhône Avocat·e·s as a trainee lawyer until May 2023.

aicha.othman@rhoneavocats.ch

Adrien Lacour is a trainee lawyer with the law firm Rhône Avocat·e·s until March 2024. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Lausanne obtained in 2019 as well as a Master’s degree in law from the Universities of Zurich and Lausanne (magna cum laude) obtained in 2022. That same year, he successfully achieved the certificate of advanced studies in legal profession from the University of Geneva.

After his high school graduation, he completed a one-month language immersion internship at a german law firm in Berlin. During his studies, Adrien Lacour was partiucularly involved in the University of Lausanne basketball club as a player and a member of the committee. He was also a summer intern at 100 Rhône avocats in 2020.

adrien.lacour@rhoneavocats.ch

Manuel Jaquier is a trainee lawyer with the law firm Rhône Avocat·e·s until February 2024. He studied at the Universities of Fribourg and Vienna and obtained a PhD in public procurement law and a Master’s degree in law with a bilingual mention. He passed the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Legal Professions in 2021.

From 2012 to 2016, he worked as a graduate assistant to Prof. Jean-Baptiste Zufferey at the Chair of Administrative Law of the University of Fribourg Law Faculty. He then completed several internships, in particular clerk for a first instance civil law court and legal officer for the Valais State Council.

manuel.jaquier@rhoneavocats.ch