Dr Martin Burkhardt > Lenz & Staehelin > Zurich, Switzerland > Lawyer Profile

Full-service firm Lenz & Staehelin  ‘boasts a wealth of experience’ in all banking and finance matters including refinancing transactions, sustainability-linked financings, acquisition financings, growth company financings, and financial restructurings as well as regulatory matters, fintech work, and issuing legal opinions. Practice head Marcel Tranchet has extensive expertise in syndicated financings, bond offerings, and derivatives. Structured and lease finance specialist Patrick Hünerwadel has a broad regulatory practice with a focus on financial institutions and financial market infrastructures. Patrick Schleiffer has a special focus on financial market law and financial services regulation. Martin Burkhardt is an expert on banking-related disputes.

‘Outstanding’ Lenz & Staehelin enjoys a strong reputation within banking and finance litigation, representing a variety of Swiss financial institutions in relation to money laundering and investment fraud schemes. The team also demonstrates considerable capabilities across the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards in Switzerland, company law disputes and employment disputes. Notable corporate and M&A disputes expert Harold Frey, who is noted for his ‘great advocacy skills’, and commercial litigator Daniel Tunik spearhead the practice. Martin Burkhardt‘s wealth of experience extends from handling financial services and joint ventures to general corporate matters, while Xavier Favre-Bulle bolsters the team’s commercial disputes expertise. ‘Excellent advocate’ Dominique Müller leads the investigations practice, and Hikmat Maleh advises on the full gamut of criminal and commercial litigation.

A team recommended for its ‘truly global outlook’ and ‘great communication and organisational skills’, Lenz & Staehelin has recently been engaged by an impressive roster of clients to assist with mandates including post-M&A and construction disputes, as well as substantive and procedural matters produced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis. It is pre-eminent with a diverse scope of sectors, from energy and telecoms to luxury goods and sports. ‘Exquisite top-performing colleague’ Harold Frey and ‘one of the leading arbitration practitioners’ Xavier Favre-Bulle spearhead the team from the firm’s Zurich and Geneva offices respectively. The former is especially noted for his vast experience in construction and M&A disputes on an international scale, and the latter utilises his wide-ranging experience to take on the role of President of the Arbitration Court of the Swiss Arbitration Centre. Commercial litigator Martin Burkhardt and IP expert Thierry Calame further bolster the practice. Daniel Tunik is notably active in the banking sector, and Martin Aebi consistently covers construction, M&A and banking arbitration.