The Legal 500

Geneva-based Martin Anderson and Zurich-based Urs Schenker lead the team at Baker & McKenzie, which also includes recommended Geneva partner Denis Berdoz. The practice recently advised shareholders of a large private Swiss pharmaceutical company on its sale to a listed company. The firm also represented a large national listed electricity company on several acquisitions and joint venture projects. Blue-chip clients include Credit Suisse, Renova, OC Oerlikon and Georg Fischer.

Clients praise the ‘excellent’ Bär & Karrer AG for ‘its high level of service and the depth of the whole team’. The 19-partner M&A department includes specialists in public M&A, private M&A, tax and merger control, acting for large clients such as Novartis, UBS, Credit Suisse, Swiss Prime Site and Implenia. The team recently acted for Citibank on the sale of its Diners Club Card issuing business in Switzerland and Germany to a group of private investors. Rolf Watter and Christoph Neeracher are the key contacts.

Homburger’s ‘established and leading’ practice ‘is certainly one of the best in the Swiss market’. The firm advised ESBATech on its acquisition by Alcon for a purchase price of $150m plus contingent payments of up to $439m. New client wins include Adobe Systems and Aryzta, joining existing clients such as Credit Suisse, Nestlé, Zurich Financial Services and UBS. Daniel Daeniker heads the team and Frank Gerhard is highly recommended.

Zurich-based Rudolf Tschäni and Andreas Rötheli in Geneva lead the practice at Lenz & Staehelin, which is ‘deservedly a top-tier law firm’. The firm advises major private and publicly listed companies in domestic and cross-border M&A transactions. Its core strengths also include advising private equity funds on investments as well as on exit strategies. The firm recently advised Logwin on Swiss law aspects of the sale of Logwin Solutions Switzerland to its management team.

Niederer Kraft & Frey AG has an ‘excellent mastery of M&A issues’ and offers clients ‘great insight’. The firm recently advised Garant on the sale of its Swiss subsidiary Pasito-Fricker to Ludwig Görtz Group. Clients also include Athris, Siegfried, Metalor and Orange. Peter Isler ‘leads and coordinates the team well’. The practice also includes Philippe Weber, who has a ‘good sense of humour and an efficient manner’; Thomas Frick, recognised as a ‘competition law expert’; and Andreas Casutt, who ‘always provides good-quality work’.

Schellenberg Wittmer’s M&A practice is spread across its Zurich and Geneva offices and has ‘true national capabilities’. Martin Weber, Oliver Triebold and Lorenzo Olgiati lead from Zurich, while Jean Jacques Ah Choon and Roy Ryan head the team from Geneva. The firm recently advised BKW FMB Energie on the disposal by its anchor shareholder E.ON of its 21% stake in the company, with an aggregate transaction value of €526m.

Froriep Renggli has ‘profound business acumen and is dependable and attentive’. It recently advised on the acquisition of a group of hotels across Europe, including two properties in Switzerland. Zurich-based Beat Barthold is an ‘excellent tactician’, and Catrina Luchsinger is noted for her ‘knowledge in corporate matters’.

Managing partner Hans-Peter Schwald and Marc Metzger are recommended at Staiger, Schwald & Partner Ltd, along with Oscar Battegay in the firm’s Basel office. The practice is currently assisting with the restructuring of a major international technology group owned by the Swiss Confederation and active in aerospace and defence. The firm was also involved in the CHF200m acquisition of a substantial minority stake in a Swiss listed company, for a privately owned Swiss company.

The ‘professional, responsive and knowledgeable’ team at Vischer has ‘a very good grasp of Swiss corporate law’. The firm advised Tyco International on the Swiss aspects of its purchase of Broadview Security for $2bn, a cash and stock deal. Zurich-based practice head Jürg Luginbühl and Markus Guggenbühl are ‘pragmatic, reliable, and responsive, and great negotiators’, and Basel-based Matthias Staehelin is ‘professional, realistic and practical’.

Markus Vischer (‘very experienced and fast in execution with a no-diva approach’) and Urs Gnos (an ‘excellent technician with a view for practical solutions’) lead the team at Walder Wyss & Partners Ltd. The ‘business and client-orientated’ team has ‘excellent technical skills’, and recently acted as Swiss legal adviser to SCM Microsystems in its voluntary public takeover offer to the shareholders of Bluehill ID. The practice was bolstered by the firm’s new office in Bern.

Manuel Isler, Laurent Isenegger and Guillaume Fatio are the key contacts at B.M.G Avocats. It regularly advises on acquisitions of stakes in SIX-listed companies. The firm handles significant deals in the real estate sector, and also advises on small and medium-sized deals in various other industries.

Oliver Blum, who is ‘fast, smart, pragmatic and commercial’, leads the team at CMS von Erlach Henrici Ltd. The ‘very committed team gives good advice’, and acts for large international clients such as BC Partners, 3i and Siemens Enterprise Communications.

GHR Rechtsanwälte’s ‘spirit is extremely dynamic and very entrepreneurial’. The firm recently advised Myriad Group on the acquisition of Sagem Mobile’s software platform activities; and the acquisition of French Purple Labs, including the allocation of earn-out shares to former Purple Labs shareholders. Marc Grüninger and Bruno Hunziker lead the team.

Ines Pöschel and Beat Brechbühl, who is ‘an excellent and talented lawyer’, lead the team at Kellerhals Attorneys at Law, which advises clients from a variety of industries including life sciences, natural resources, private equity and real estate.

Carl Stadelhofer leads the team at Klein Attorneys Ltd, which includes Gerrit Straub and Thomas Klein. The practice advises on national and international M&A transactions, and recently advised on the CHF500m trade sale of a privately held German energy and communications group to a London-based private equity fund.

meyerlustenberger advises on national and cross-border acquisitions for Swiss and international clients. The firm recently advised longstanding client Meyer Burger Technology in its acquisition of 3S Industries, with a transaction value of CHF330m. Alexander Vogel leads the seven-partner team.

While former Geneva-based practice head Alain Le Fort has left the firm, Zurich-based Jakob Hohn is active in M&A at Pestalozzi Attorneys at Law Ltd. The firm represented Alcon in relation to Novartis’ acquisition of a 77% interest in the company.

Python & Peter is a ‘visible and very good firm’, with a team including Christophe de Kalbermatten, William Balzli and Marc Iynedjian. It recently represented Gaz de France Suez on its acquisition of an equity interest in the new Nord Stream pipeline in the North Sea.

Tavernier Tschanz’s ‘experienced’ team focuses on French and South American M&A deals, and recently advised one of the largest media companies in French-speaking Switzerland on the sale of its activities to a media company in German-speaking Switzerland. Edmond Tavernier is ‘particularly good at overall strategy and visionary thinking’.

Wenger & Vieli recently advised on the sale of a provider of IT solutions for office and printing services, and also handled work for Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank, Eberhard Holding, Statoil ASA, and EGL. Christoph Schmid and Wolfgang Zürcher co-head the team.

The team at Wenger Plattner is spread across the firm’s three offices and includes Bern-based Fritz Rothenbühler, Basel-based Alexander Gutmans and senior associate Reto Vonzun and Marc Nater in Zurich. Highlights included advising a US listed company on its purchase of a majority stake in a Swiss biotech company.

BCCC Attorneys-at-law LLC’s ‘responsive and knowledgeable team’ recently acted in a cross-border acquisition of a UK-based group with subsidiaries globally in the aviation business by a Luxembourg private equity fund operating in Switzerland. Michel Jaccard is ‘experienced’.

Allen Fuchs leads Badertscher Rechtsanwälte AG/ Attorneys at Law’s ‘excellent and experienced’ group. Recent highlights include advising Canyon Pharmaceuticals Group, MAG and Marquard Media.

Borel & Barbey has a ‘small but active’ team in Geneva. Michel Barbey is the key contact, and is currently negotiating the sale of a Swiss bank in an auction process.

Bratschi Wiederkehr & Buob’s ‘professional’ practice recently advised a Swiss industrial group in the sale of a group supplying the metalworking products industry to a US-listed buyer. Martin Moser, who is ‘intelligent, calm and prudent’, and Matthias Schmid are the key contacts.

FBT Attorneys-at-Law’s seven-strong team includes Marco Villa and Christophe Wilhelm. The firm recently acted on a management buy-out by local managers of a Swiss subsidiary of a large US publishing company.

Urs Suter and Mauro Loosli are the key contacts at Suter Howald Attorneys at Law, which handles small and medium-sized M&A transactions. The firm recently advised on a reverse merger.

David Känzig, Thomas Rihm, Thomas Loher and Stefan Seiler are the key contacts at Thouvenin Rechtsanwälte, which advises various international clients on Swiss domestic issues.