Editorial sections
- Legal market overview
- Banking and finance: Geneva
- Banking and finance: Zurich
- Capital markets
- Dispute resolution
- EU, competition and WTO
- Insolvency and corporate recovery
- Intellectual property
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Private banking
- Public sector
- Real estate and construction
- TMT
- Tax
- Transport: Aviation, maritime and rail
- Basel Leading firms
- Geneva Leading firms
- Zurich Leading firms
Other
All countries
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- Mexico
- Moldova
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- Netherlands
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- Papua New Guinea
- Peru
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- Senegal
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- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
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- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
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- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United States
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Venezuela
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- Yemen
Overview
Switzerland’s major legal hubs are Zurich and Geneva. However Bern, Basel and Lugano are also popular, and a handful of firms practise across Switzerland.
There was some movement among firms in 2009 and 2010. Notably, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP took Hogan & Hartson LLP’s Geneva office in May 2010, a shift that saw the entire team move across.
Pestalozzi Attorneys at Law Ltd saw a group of partners leave its Geneva and Brussels offices, including Bernard Lachenal and Alain Le Fort, who set up Lachenal & Le Fort. Pestalozzi Attorneys at Law Ltd’s practice in Geneva is now led from a new office by Sébastien Roy and Christophe Emonet.
Former Winston & Strawn LLP managing partner Marc Palay left the firm to join Sidley Austin LLP, taking a team of associates with him.
Firms new to the Swiss rankings include King & Spalding LLP, White & Case LLP and Zurich and Lugano-based firm Poledna Boss Kurer AG. Key players with well-rounded capabilities include Baker & McKenzie, Bär & Karrer AG, Homburger, Lenz & Staehelin, Niederer Kraft & Frey AG and Schellenberg Wittmer.
Switzerland is standardising the rules across the country so a law firm can handle litigation cases outside its canton. The unified Swiss Code of Civil Procedure (SCCP) came into force on 1 January 2011.
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Press releases
The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to
Legal Developments in Switzerland
Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to
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The Enforceable Public Instrument
1. Introduction On the 1st of January 2011 the new Swiss Code of Civil Procedure entered into force. Among other things, it introduces a new remedy, referred to as an «enforceable public instrument» -
Trends 2012 in media and technology law
Michel Jaccard (TMT|IP, Corporate) lists in the Bilan magazine the 10 challenges in 2012 for the media and technology industries. -
MIFID II and “European passport” for Swiss financial service providers: from dream to reality?
The European Commission adopted on October 20 its draft proposal for a Directive on markets in financial instruments (MIFID II) repealing Directive 2004/39/EC, which surprisingly remained almost uncommented in Switzerland so far. -
The Revision of the Unfair Competition Act
The Revision of the Unfair Competition Act increases the requirements for general terms and conditions for contracts with consumers as of July 2012 and introduces specific disclosure obligations in e-commerce as of April 2012. -
GOING PUBLIC ON SIX SWISS EXCHANGE
Foreword Switzerland and its Financial Market -
Swiss Capital Markets Law
Securities -
Trusts in the context of Swiss divorce proceedings
TinaWu« stemann* and Delphine Pannatier Kesslery -
A Safe Haven
Though the Swiss economy appeared to come out of the economic crisis relatively unscathed, it’s not all plain sailing, says Baer & Karrer’s Eric Stupp. -
New tax regulation to stimulate the Swiss bond market
The Swiss domestic bond market virtually died after the Swiss federal stamp tax act came into force back in 1973. Swiss insurance stamp tax must be paid on the insurance bonds by, among others, a Swiss-resident company or the Swiss-registered branch of a foreign resident company. -
Switzerland’s new information exchange policy and new Protocol to DTAA India-Switzerland
1. Reasons to revise Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) 2. Status of new Protocol to DTAA 3. Application of new Protocol to DTAA 4. Development of Swiss policy of tax information exchange
Press Releases in Switzerland
The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to
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Two new partners
BCCC has the great pleasure to announce two new partners, Stéphanie Fuld and Thomas Goossens , as of January 1st, 2012: -
Departure of Michel Jaccard
Michel has decided to leave BCCC to set-up his own law firm. In agreement with the Partners, he will leave the firm during the first semester of 2012. We thank him for his commitment to BCCC and wish him the best for his future endeavors. -
STADA acquires generics business of Spirig
On January 31, 2012, STADA Arzneimittel AG, a German pharmaceutical company listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange, with headquarters in Bad Vilbel, successfully closed the acquisition of the generics business that has previously been spun off of the Swiss based Spirig Pharma AG. The purchase price amounts to approximately CHF 97 million. -
Clariant AG successfully issues EUR 500 million Eurobond
On January 17, 2012, Clariant AG, listed on the SIX Stock Exchange (SIX: CLN), announced that it had successfully priced an Eurobond transaction of EUR 500 million with a tenor of 5 years. -
Stefan Oesterhelt new partner at Homburger
The partners of Homburger are pleased to announce that Stefan Oesterhelt became a partner of the firm on January 1, 2012. -
ZKB issues CHF 590m 3.5% Tier 1 Subordinated Bonds
On January 18, 2012, Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) launched a CHF 590m 3.5% Tier 1 Perpetual Subordinated Bonds transaction in the Swiss market, placed through UBS AG and ZKB as Joint-Lead Managers. -
ARYZTA AG closes placement of shares in the amount of approximately CHF 174 million
ARYZTA AG, a public Swiss nutrition company, has successfully placed 4.25 million new shares for approximately CHF 174 million through an accelerated book-building initiated and arranged by UBS AG. -
Schellenberg Wittmer is very pleased to announce three new partners
Schellenberg Wittmer is very pleased to announce three new partners for our teams International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution / IP / IT. -
Niederer Kraft & Frey is advising Newave Energy Holding SA
Niederer Kraft & Frey is advising Newave Energy Holding SA in connection with the voluntary public takeover offer by ABB Switzerland Ltd -
Niederer Kraft & Frey advises CPH Chemie und Papier Holding AG on the sale of CU Chemie UETIKON GmbH
Niederer Kraft & Frey advises CPH Chemie und Papier Holding AG, a listed industrial company, on the sale of CU Chemie UETIKON GmbH, a fine chemical specialist based in Lahr, Germany, to a company controlled by Equistone Partners Europe (Schweiz) AG.