The Legal 500

Baker & McKenzie’s ‘established’ practice includes Urs Schenker, Marcel Giger, Matthias Courvoisier and associate Theodor Härtsch. The Zurich-based team recently represented Pelham Investments in its public takeover offer for Athris Holding. Other highlights included the IPO of Orior, and several high-value convertible bond offerings. Clients also include Clariant, Renova and Georg Fischer.

‘Premier Swiss law firm’ Bär & Karrer AG provides an ‘excellent service’. The firm’s primary areas of activity include the healthcare, banking, insurance and hi-tech industries. The team advised the banking syndicate led by Credit Suisse on the IPO of Orior, a fresh food company valued at approximately CHF284m on the first day of trading. Key clients also include Novartis, UBS, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and Adecco. Thomas Reutter and Rolf Watter are recommended, and Ralph Malacrida is ‘extremely responsive and committed to client service’.

The ‘very precise, high-quality and responsive’ team at Homburger ‘always thinks ahead and takes care of clients’ needs’. It recently acted for Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse in the first corporate hybrid bond in Switzerland, a deal valued at CHF400m. The firm also advised a consortium of banks including Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and UBS on a CHF850m capital markets deal. René Bösch heads the team, and Hansjürg Appenzeller has ‘comprehensive knowledge and relevant transactional experience, and is a very reliable adviser in key situations’.

Lenz & Staehelin is ‘involved in the majority of large Swiss capital markets transactions and has the required skill and capacities’. Patrick Schleiffer and Matthias Wolf head the Zurich team, while Jacques Iffland and François Rayroux lead in Geneva. The team advised mondoBIOTECH on a non-underwritten rights offering combined with an offering of tradeable call options, in a deal valued at CHF9.2m.

Zurich-based Niederer Kraft & Frey AG recently advised Swiss Confederation in a complex divestment of its stake in UBS, a deal valued at CHF7.2bn. The firm has also acted for Deutsche Bank, Natixis, Bank Julius Baer and Mizuho. Philippe Weber comes highly recommended and is ‘impressive and always available, with a very good sense of humour’.

meyerlustenberger acts for underwriters, issuers and financial institutions, across equity and debt capital markets, derivatives, structured products and investment funds. It recently advised Allreal Holding on its issue of convertible bonds and capital increase. Christoph Heiz leads the team, which includes Wolfgang Müller.

The ‘skilful’ team at Schellenberg Wittmer advises clients on issuances of equity, convertible bonds, mandatory convertible securities and hybrid products. The firm recently acted in the CHF290m convertible bonds issue of Graubündner Kantonalbank. Philippe Borens, Martin Lanz and Geneva-based Jean-Yves De Both come highly recommended.

Markus Guggenbühl heads the banking and finance and capital markets group at Vischer, which includes recently promoted partner Benedict Christ. It advises Bank Julius Baer on securities and derivatives matters, including stock exchange regulation, market abuse and MiFID. It is advising the liquidators of Lehman Brothers in relation to the Swiss Lehman Brothers entities.

Luc Defferrard leads the ‘notable and highly recommended’ team at Walder Wyss & Partners Ltd, which advises domestic and international clients. The team recently advised UBS on its multibillion-euro covered bonds programme. Clients also include SCM Microsystems, Zürcher Kantonalbank and the Swiss Structured Products Association. Markus Pfenninger, Johannes Bürgi and Enrico Friz are highly recommended.

‘Excellent all round law firm’ Wenger & Vieli recently advised Canon Europe NV and Canon (Switzerland) on a public takeover. The firm has also recently advised on IPOs, delistings, share buybacks, hostile takeovers and debt refinancing deals. Christoph Schmid and Wolfgang Zürcher lead the team.

Bratschi Wiederkehr & Buob advised Adecco SA in the issuance and listing on the SIX Swiss Exchange of CHF900m mandatory convertible bonds. It also acted as company counsel to the publicly traded AFG Arbonia-Forster-Holding on the change of its share structure to a unitary share structure. Christian Stambach and Thomas Jaussi lead the team.

Jürg Guggisberg heads the banking and finance team at CMS von Erlach Henrici Ltd, which recently advised Citron Holding on the restructuring of bond transactions, a deal valued at CHF40m. Kaspar Landolt and Jodok Wicki are also active.

Froriep Renggli advised numerous minority shareholders of Alcon in relation to the acquisition of shares by Novartis from Nestlé, including on minority shareholders’ rights and related corporate, contractual and procedural matters. Beat Barthold and Catrina Luchsinger are recommended.

GHR Rechtsanwälte is advising Myriad Group on its issuance and listing of new shares on the SIX Swiss Exchange, as well as regulatory matters and the allocation of earn-out shares. Bruno Hunziker and Michael Meer are the key partners.

Kellerhals Attorneys at Law has experience in friendly and hostile takeover bids and shareholders matters related to listed companies. Clients include Galenica, Nobel Biocare, Adecco and Kardex. Ines Pöschel and Beat Brechbühl are the key contacts.

Carl Stadelhofer leads the three-partner team at Klein Attorneys Ltd. The firm recently advised an international asset manager on listing opportunities in Switzerland for investment companies and on related legal and regulatory issues. The team also acts for Renova on tax structuring.

Clients of Pestalozzi Attorneys at Law Ltd include Bank of America Merrill Lynch, HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, Rabobank and Nordea Bank. Zurich-based Urs Klöti and Geneva-based Sébastien Roy lead the team.

Geneva-based Jacques Python and Nicolas de Gottrau are the key contacts for capital markets at Python & Peter.

Mark-Oliver Baumgarten leads the team at Staiger, Schwald & Partner Ltd, which advises domestic and foreign banks, broker-dealers and hedge funds on a wide range of capital market matters, including the selling or restructuring of bond issues. The firm also handles related real estate issues.

David Känzig, Stefan Seiler and Thomas Rihm are the key partners at Thouvenin Rechtsanwälte, which regularly advises clients on the listing of securities and on private placements. The firm also advises listed companies on takeovers.

Ralph Wyss and Martin Wiesli are the key partners for capital markets at Wyss Wiesli Rechtsanwälte. The firm is advising investment service providers on several high-value CDO transactions.