Switzerland

Homburger successfully represented U.S. artistic gymnast Jordan Chiles in proceedings before the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in connection with the 2024 Olympic Games. On January 23, 2026, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court upheld a request for revision filed on behalf of Ms. Chiles and set aside a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) award that had deprived her of the Olympic bronze medal in the women’s gymnastics floor exercise final. Ms. Chiles had initially been awarded the bronze medal after her coach’s inquiry resulted in an increase to her final score. A CAS panel subsequently ruled, however, that the inquiry had been submitted four seconds after the applicable one-minute time limit and was therefore invalid. In September 2024, Homburger filed both a request for revision and an appeal with the Swiss Federal Supreme Court on behalf of Ms. Chiles. In the revision proceedings, Ms. Chiles relied on newly emerged video evidence demonstrating that the inquiry had in fact been submitted within the prescribed time limit. The Swiss Federal Supreme Court granted the request for revision, set aside the CAS award and remitted the matter to the arbitral tribunal. In doing so, it gave particular weight to the extreme time pressure to which Ms. Chiles had been subjected as a result of a gross notification error by the CAS. The belated notification left her with only hours before the issuance of the award to appoint counsel, review the case file, develop a defense strategy, draft a written submission and prepare for a hearing. «The Swiss Federal Supreme Court’s decision underscores the importance of standing firm when fairness is at stake,» the Homburger team representing Ms. Chiles said. The decision constitutes a landmark ruling in several respects, including regarding the requirements for the revision of an arbitral award under the recently revised Swiss arbitration legislation, as well as the conduct of hyper-expedited arbitration proceedings more generally. The Homburger team advising Ms. Chiles was led by Gabrielle Nater-Bass and included Stefanie Pfisterer, Richard G. Allemann and Frédéric Fitzi (all Arbitration, Litigation). Homburger acted as co-counsel together with international counsel Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.  

Niederer Kraft Frey advised medermis clinics on its acquisition of Dermazentrum Schaffhausen AG. medermis clinics is a leading provider of dermatological, phlebological and aesthetic healthcare services, operating 73 locations in Germany and Switzerland, with more than 1’500 employees including 300 physicians. Dermazentrum Schaffhausen AG is an established dermatology practice offering a broad range of medical dermatology services. This acquisition marks a strategic step in expanding medermis clinics’ presence in the Schaffhausen region. The NKF team was co-led by partner Moritz Maurer and senior associate Samuel Hochstrasser (both Corporate/M&A), working with partner Janine Reudt-Demont (Healthcare/Regulatory), senior associate Alexander Göbel, associates Alexandra Neuenschwander, Sabrina Gysi and Kevin Melchior Ebener (all Corporate/M&A) and associate Yannik Bleiker (Real Estate).

On January 27, 2026, SubjectWell, Inc. announced the acquisition of Swiss-based Clariness AG and the merger of Clariness and SubjectWell to form one of the largest global, full-service patient recruitment platforms, combining global scale, scientific rigor, and patient-first design to transform clinical trial access and execution worldwide. Homburger acted as transaction counsel to the selling shareholders. The Homburger team comprised Andreas Müller, Carlo Sulser, Marco Rostetter, Anina Preusker, and Viviane Egli (all M&A), Reto Heuberger and Philippe Weber (both Tax), Luca Dal Molin and Joel Fink (both IP / IT and Healthcare / Life Sciences), and Richard Stäuber, Allegra Arnold, and Timothy Porter (all Competition).

Zurich, 28 January 2026 Bär & Karrer legally advised BNP Paribas REIM, acting on behalf of one of its managed funds, on the successful sale of two investment properties in prime city locations in Basel and St. Gallen to two institutional investors. Julius Bär Real Estate acted as BNP's exclusive sell-side advisor. Bär & Karrer acted as legal advisor to BNP Paribas for the sale and assisted the seller, particularly during the NBO and BO phases and throughout the contractual negotiations, as well as in connection with lease/tenancy, construction law, and tax matters. The team was led by Rocco Rigozzi (Real Estate) and included Corina Moschen and Hannah Birchmeier (both Real Estate), as well as Cyrill Diefenbacher, Alessia Grieder, and Sandro Berchtold (all Tax). For further information please contact: Media Relations, Eric Stupp Tel: +41 58 261 50 00 Email: [email protected]