
Bär & Karrer Ltd. advises listed companies, private equity houses and family offices on mergers, spin-offs, and complex corporate restructurings. Rolf Watter specialises in corporate governance, while Christoph Neeracher is recognised for assisting on both the buy and sell-side of small, mid and large-cap private M&A. Mariel Hoch focuses on public tender offers, and Ralph Malacrida has a strong reputation for advising Swiss and international clients on the full gamut of corporate transactions. Dieter Dubs concentrates on public M&A and is regularly instructed on both acquisitions and divestitures. Martin Anderson has a broad practice and is particularly active in matters involving the IT industry. Corporate relocation specialist Paolo Bottini rounds out the leadership. Philippe Seiler excels in the life science and healthcare M&A space. Raphael Annasohn is an expert in the venture capital and start-up space.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘The team is highly competent in their field. They always seek creative solutions, even for unusual problems. Collaboration is on equal terms and always very pleasant.’
- ‘Philippe Seiler does a great job as lead partner on an M&A deal. He's pragmatic, always available and just easy to work with while being very professional and knowledgeable. He quickly involves the right resources and colleagues if needed and is very client and outcome-focused.’
- ‘The team led by Christoph Neeracher and Philippe Seiler really puts the client first. Especially on complex and high-paced M&A projects, the team is always available, delivers quickly and provides clear legal guidance paired with the right amount of pragmatism. It's fun and easy to work with them.’
- ‘Perfect collaboration, the team is perfectly aligned so that core team members were always up to date on various topics and responsive for anyone from the client side. The team is well informed about current market activities, which is extremely valuable for finding the best solutions and terms with banking counterparties.’
- ‘Highly professional, high quality from partner down to associate.’
- ‘Ralph Malacrida is efficient and to the point.’
- ‘Christoph Neeracher, Raphael Annasohn and Philip Seiler stand out for being strong negotiators who combine deep expertise with pragmatism and speed. They bring broad experience across diverse deal types, consistently delivering quick turnarounds and clear, effective solutions.’
- ‘Raphael Annasohn is a very intelligent, quick thinker, which is invaluable in negotiations and extremely responsive.’
- Very diligent and highly competent lawyers, with business knowledge and a great understanding of our needs.
- Extremely commercial and to the point.
Key clients
- 4B group
- Aebi Schmidt
- Amapharm GmbH
- Amrize
- Axpo Holding
- BuildTec Software Group
- Capvis AG
- Circet Europe
- Coatue
- Communardo Group GmbH
- Constantia Flexibles
- Crayon
- Deutsche Beteiligungs AG
- Deutsche Private Equity
- Diploma PLC
- DSM-Firmenich
- Empira Group
- Equistone
- EQT
- GBA Group
Work highlights
Advised Holcim on the spin-off and public listing of its North American business, Amrize.
Advised Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund as lead counsel on the sale of Hotelplan.
Advises GENUI on sale of Labor TeamGroup to Galenica AG.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Rolf Watter; Christoph Neeracher; Mariel Hoch; Dieter Dubs; Ralph Malacrida; Martin Anderson; Paolo Bottini
Other key lawyers
Philippe Seiler; Raphael Annasohn; Marlene Lienau
Comparative Guides
Comparative Guide
Venture Capital
Switzerland
Raphael Annasohn, Philippe Seiler, Susanne Schreiber, Martin Leu & Julian Lindt
Comparative Guide
Private Equity
Switzerland
Dr. Christoph Neeracher, Philippe Seiler & Raphael Annasohn
Comparative Guide
Blockchain & Crypto Assets
Switzerland
Daniel Flühmann & Peter Ch. Hsu
Comparative Guide
Sports Law
Switzerland
Michele Bernasconi, Emanuel Cortada & Jonáš Gürtler




