The employment team at Walder Wyss Ltd. is been praised by one client for its ‘commitment, availability and deep expertise.’ Led by Rayan Houdrouge, Philippe Nordmann, Irène Suter-Sieber and Simone Wetzstein, the team advises on executive compensation, social security, immigration, investigations, restructuring and regulatory matters. Houdrouge acts for a client base featuring a number of tech companies, and he and Nordmann both assist with employee transfers, compensation packages and collective agreements. Suter-Sieber handles a variety of employment disputes, with Wetzstein helping clients draft employment contracts and compensation packages. The group was strengthened by the January 2025 arrival of Jamar E. Brown, formerly of Lenz & Staehelin and admitted in California, who defends the interests of organisations before the ILO’s Administrative Tribunal.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘For me what stood out was the team’s commitment, availability and deep expertise paired with empathy - it felt very personalised and invested.’
‘The Zurich employment team at Walder Wyss is exceptionally responsive, client-focused and creative in finding solutions.’
‘Great practically-focused advice and outstanding client service.’
‘Working with Simone Wetzstein is a true privilege - she combines razor-sharp legal expertise with an outstanding sense for strategy and people.’
‘Rayan Houdrouge is a tier-one advisor on all labour-related matters in French-speaking Switzerland.’
‘Irène Suter-Sieber is passionate about labour law. She blends profound legal expertise with pragmatism and clarity.’

Key clients

AOZ
Bachem
Bâloise
Bayer Pharma
CBRE
Equinix
Hero AG
Inditex
Lonza
Migros
Moody’s
Novocure

Work highlights

Representing Uber in negotiations and discussions with unions and government authorities (federal and cantonal), as well as court proceedings (both against decisions issued by various governmental authorities and in proceedings with individual drivers and couriers) before local and federal courts, including the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.

Advised Helvetia on all Swiss law aspects of the merger with Baloise. With a combined market capitalization of approximately CHF 18 billion and a combined business volume of approximately CHF 20 billion, the merged entity will be one of the largest continental European insurers and the second largest player in aggregate life and non-life volumes in Switzerland.

Advised Convenience House Schweiz AG in successfully securing the franchising rights from Subway® to manage and develop all Subway point of sales in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.