These terms govern your use of this website and any preliminary contact with us. They do not by themselves create a lawyer–client relationship. A formal mandate is always based on a separately signed engagement letter.
This website is operated by IvoAdvisory GmbH, a Swiss limited liability company registered with the Commercial Register of Basel-Stadt, company number CHE-299.308.181, with registered offices at Hardstrasse 127, 4052 Basel, Switzerland. "Valken" is the brand under which IvoAdvisory GmbH offers its advisory and coordination services. In these Terms, "we", "us", "our", "Valken" and "the Firm" refer to IvoAdvisory GmbH.
These Terms apply to:
They do not apply to work performed under a signed engagement letter — that work is governed by the specific terms of that engagement and by the applicable Swiss professional rules.
The content of this website is provided for general information only. It is not, and must not be relied on as, legal, tax, regulatory or financial advice. Every legal situation is fact-specific. Reading an article on this website — or exchanging a few messages with our intake team — is never a substitute for proper legal advice on your specific case.
No lawyer–client relationship, no mandate, and no duty of representation is created merely by you reading this site, sending us a message, receiving a reply, or paying an invoice for general information. A formal engagement comes into existence only through a signed engagement letter and, where applicable, a power of attorney.
Where we publish fixed-price services (for example Pre-Travel Check, Interpol-Only Check, Bank Freeze Review), the prices and timelines shown are indicative standard offers. Before we begin work, you will receive a written confirmation with:
Timelines involving official authorities depend on those authorities' own procedures. We commit to our own deadlines; we do not, and cannot, guarantee the internal processing times of Interpol, SECO, courts, banks or any third party.
We accept bank transfer (SEPA / SWIFT), card (via a regulated payment provider) and — for fixed-price services — major cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, and major stablecoins). Invoices are issued in EUR or CHF. VAT, where applicable under Swiss law, is added as a separate line item.
For fixed-price services, payment is made in full upfront. For bespoke mandates, the engagement letter will specify the retainer and billing cycle.
Because our work typically starts within hours of instruction, cancellation options are limited and described in the engagement letter. As a general principle:
When you contact us or instruct us, you agree to:
All content on this site — including text, design, code, graphics, the "Valken" name and associated marks — belongs to IvoAdvisory GmbH or its licensors. You may read and privately quote reasonable portions for personal, non-commercial purposes. You may not reproduce, republish, scrape, systematically mine or create derivative works from the site without our prior written consent.
To the fullest extent permitted by Swiss law:
Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded under applicable mandatory Swiss law — including liability for gross negligence or wilful misconduct.
Links to third-party websites are provided for convenience. We do not control, endorse or take responsibility for the content of external sites.
We are not in breach of these Terms where performance is prevented or delayed by events beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to regulatory changes, government actions, infrastructure outages, strikes, or emergency closures.
We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulation or our practice. The "Effective" date at the top will always show the current version. Material changes will be visibly flagged on the site.
These Terms and any non-contractual obligations arising from them are governed by the substantive law of Switzerland, excluding its rules of private international law and the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). The exclusive place of jurisdiction is Basel, Switzerland, subject to any mandatory forum of a consumer under applicable law.
Questions on these Terms: legal@valken.ch · IvoAdvisory GmbH, Hardstrasse 127, 4052 Basel, Switzerland.