The Legal 500

Baker & McKenzie Zurich’s ‘respected and able’ practice acted for OC Oerlikon on its large rights offering and for Schmolz & Bickenbach on its CHF300m capital increase. Geneva-based Martin Anderson leads the team in conjunction with Theodor Härtsch and Matthias Courvoisier in Zurich.

Bär & Karrer AG’s ‘excellent, very responsive’ team provides ‘in-depth know-how and experience’. It acted for ENEL Finance International on its bond issuance and for Swiss Prime Site on its CHF190m convertible bond placement. Other clients include Novartis, Credit Suisse and UBS. Thomas Reutter is ‘experienced, business-oriented and available’, and Ralph Malacrida is also recommended.

The ‘successful and extremely competent’ team at Homburger acts for banks including Deutsche Bank and Société Générale, as well as for large corporates such as F. Hoffmann-La Roche. It advised Credit Suisse on a $2bn placement of tier 2 buffer capital notes and on $3.5bn and CHF2.5bn of tier 1 buffer capital notes as a form of contingent capital. René Bösch is ‘a very strong debt capital markets lawyer’, and Benedikt Maurenbrecher ‘always does an excellent job’.

Lenz & Staehelin’s ‘excellent’, ‘well-connected’ and ‘very professional’ group acted on the indirect IPO of Switzerland-based Exceet Group through its acquisition by SPAC Helikos; and on GAM Holding’s new share buyback programme for up to 20% of its issued capital. Other clients include Banque Privée Edmond de Rothschild, Compagnie Financière Richemont and Credit Suisse. Geneva-based Jacques Iffland is recommended, as are Patrick Hünerwadel and Patrick Schleiffer in Zurich.

François Bianchi’s team at Niederer Kraft & Frey AG acts for clients including ACE Limited, Barclays Bank and BSI. It advised Qatar Holding on its investment in contingent convertible securities put in place by Credit Suisse, and acted for the bookrunners and a consortium of banks on Clariant’s CHF368m capital increase. Urs Pulver and Philippe Weber are recommended, and Marco Häusermann was made up to partner in 2011.

‘First-choice firm’ Walder Wyss Ltd’s ‘highly responsive’ team combines ‘good business practice know-how’ with ‘good solutions and very good value for money’. It acted for Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale on various mortgage bonds and public sector debentures worth €2.75bn. Other clients include UBS, Barclays Bank, Bank Vontobel and Credit Suisse. Luc Defferrard’s team includes Enrico Friz, who has ‘an excellent network in the sector’, and Johannes Bürgi, who is ‘a real leader’ in the field.

Christoph Heiz’s team at meyerlustenberger acted for Allreal Holding on its CHF180m bond issue. The group has strength in debt capital markets, derivatives and structured finance, as well as investment funds and companies. Wolfgang Müller is recommended.

Pestalozzi ‘provides a very high level of service’ and its lawyers ‘know what they are talking about’. The team advised Glencore on the complex Swiss law implications of an IPO in London and Hong Kong. It also assisted Reynolds Group Holdings on the issuance of $1bn senior unsecured notes and $800m incremental term loan borrowings. Practice co-heads Urs Klöti and Sébastien Roy are recommended, as is ‘mastermind’ Oliver Widmer, who ‘provides constructive feedback and is able to paint the full picture’.

Schellenberg Wittmer’s clients include Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Bank Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie., and Banque AIG’s Paris and London branches. It also acted as transactional counsel advising both the issuer and the lead manager in StarragHeckert’s CHF65m capital increase. Geneva-based Jean-Yves De Both and Zurich-based Martin Lanz jointly lead the practice.

Vischer acts for clients including UBS, Bank of America and Dresdner Bank. It advised Bank Julius Bär on documenting and updating its structured products listings on the SIX Swiss Exchange and advised International Minerals Corporation on its SIX listing. Markus Guggenbühl heads the team.

Wenger & Vieli’s capital markets team advises on IPOs, delistings, debt issuances and share buybacks. The team often advises on the Bern Exchange, which is more suited to smaller companies opting for a more cost-effective Swiss IPO. Wolfgang Zürcher and Christoph Schmid are the key names.

Bratschi Wiederkehr & Buob’s capabilities include listings, bonds and share structures, and clients appreciate its ‘reasonable and business-minded approach’. Christian Stambach is ‘pragmatic and solutions-oriented’.

Jürg Guggisberg’s team at CMS von Erlach Henrici Ltd is ‘strong in the capital markets realm’. It acted for General Electric Capital Corporation on numerous Swiss franc denominated bond issues. Bernhard Lötscher and Kaspar Landolt are recommended along with Guggisberg.

Froriep Renggli’s ‘very professional’ team provides ‘targeted and customer-oriented’ advice. Areas of strength include equity capital market transactions for issuers, sponsors and principal shareholders. Catrina Luchsinger Gähwiler ‘provides hands-on legal advice to the client, and gives clear recommendations’.

GHR Rechtsanwälte’s Bruno Hunziker and Michael Meer advise on regulations and act on a variety of transactions, including IPOs, and the filing of listing applications.

Kellerhals Attorneys at Law’s clients include Clariant, SIX Group, Nobel Biocare and Galenica. Beat Brechbühl and Ines Pöschel are recommended.

Klein Attorneys Ltd’s ‘business acumen is exceptional’, and it advises on the issuing and listing of shares on both foreign and domestic stock exchanges and all other transactions related to listed companies and securities. Carl Stadelhofer, Michael Hartmann and Thomas Klein, who has ‘a wealth of experience, both domestic and international’, are the team’s key individuals.

Python & Peter’s Jacques Python and Nicolas de Gottrau are the key names for capital markets in the Geneva office.

Staiger, Schwald & Partner Ltd advises broker dealers, foreign and domestic banks and hedge funds on capital markets matters. Areas of strength include the restructuring and selling of bond issuances and real estate capital markets transactions. Mark-Oliver Baumgarten heads the practice.

Thouvenin Rechtsanwälte advises clients on the listing of securities and on private placements and also advises listed companies on takeover bids. Thomas Rihm, Stefan Seiler and David Känzig are the main partners.

Wyss Wiesli Rechtsanwälte’s Martin Wiesli and Ralph Wyss lead the capital markets team, which provides comprehensive service.