When you contact Valken, you're not writing to a brand or an intake form. You're writing to one of these eleven people. Every mandate is handled personally by a senior lawyer — not passed to a junior, not routed through a call centre. Here's who they are.
Team size11 people
Bar admissionsGeneva · Zürich
Languages spoken9 languages
Avg. response time< 4 hours
01 · Leadership
Partners & senior counsel.
The three people who sign the opinions, take final responsibility for every file, and — more often than not — personally read your first message.
Leadership · 3
🇨🇭
Dr. Alexander Brunner
Founding Partner · LL.M.
DE · EN · FR
Founded Valken in 2022. Previously 11 years in cross-border criminal defence and Interpol matters at a leading Geneva firm. Admitted to the Geneva and Zürich Bars. Speaks at the European Bar Conference annually.
Leads the Interpol and international-cooperation practice. 14 years at the intersection of Swiss, EU and French criminal law. Former legal advisor to a CCF-related working group. Handles the most sensitive client files personally.
Handles the firm's banking, AML and account-freeze matters. Previously in-house at a tier-1 Swiss private bank's compliance department. Fluent in EN, DE, FR and RU — often the voice on the other end of bank correspondence.
The lawyers and specialists who carry the cases day-to-day — each with their own focus area, jurisdiction or client desk. Many of our clients reach out specifically because they want someone on the team who speaks their language and understands their context.
Practice · 8
🇹🇷
Elif Yıldız
Senior Associate · Interpol Desk
TR · EN · DE · FR
Leads our Turkish-speaking client desk. Eight years focused on CCF challenges and Red Notice removals, with particular expertise in cases originating from Türkiye and the wider MENA region.
Runs the firm's Central & Eastern European client desk. Background in cross-border criminal procedure with a focus on post-Soviet jurisdictions. Frequently the first point of contact for Ukrainian and Russian-speaking clients.
Dual-qualified in Geneva and Milan. Twenty-two years of criminal defence practice on both sides of the Alps. Handles European Arrest Warrant matters and coordination with Italian and Swiss prosecutors.
Oversees compliance, sanctions screening and regulatory matters. Former senior counsel at SECO's legal affairs unit, with nineteen years of Swiss regulatory experience. The person who usually writes to banks on your behalf.
Usually the first voice new clients hear. Handles intake, secure document collection and triage — making sure the right lawyer sees your file quickly. Background in international law from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Coordinates our 24/7 urgent-response line. When someone is detained at a border at 3am, she's the one who mobilises local counsel within the hour. Previously with the ICRC's legal protection team.
Handles OFAC, EU and UN sanctions matters, including delisting requests and compliance opinions. Previously with a Milan-based international arbitration boutique. Frequently instructed on false-match delisting cases.
Leads our research team and the accuracy of our database checks. Every written opinion crosses his desk before signature. Fifteen years in OSINT and legal due diligence; previously with a Zürich-based investigations firm.
We are deliberately small — because the moment you start passing sensitive files between junior associates, something important breaks. Here's what that means in practice.
— 01
No junior-first model
Every file is assigned to a senior lawyer from day one. Paralegals support — they don't substitute. You will always know who, by name, is responsible for your case.
— 02
Your language, your context
With nine languages on the team and clients in 38 countries, we deliberately hire people who understand where you're coming from — not just linguistically, but culturally.
— 03
Full Swiss professional secrecy
Every member of this team — including paralegals and research staff — is bound by Swiss professional secrecy, not a corporate NDA. The protection is criminal law, not a contract.
Ready to speak with one of us?
Tell us briefly what's going on. Based on the subject, the right lawyer from the team will personally get back to you — usually within four hours.
