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Philippe Pulfer

Philippe Pulfer

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Walder Wyss Ltd.

Walder Wyss Ltd.

Switzerland

1

Private client

Walder Wyss Ltd. fields a sizeable team of private client experts with wide-ranging specialisms, including tax, matrimonial and inheritance issues, as well as estate planning and philanthropy matters, often with a cross-border element. Practice head Kinga M. Weiss is well-regarded for her expertise in marital property, inheritance and family law matters. Co-head Philippe Pulfer primarily handles trust and charity-related mandates referred by English and US law firms and trust companies. Olivier Sigg handles trusts, foundations and last wills and testaments, while Fouad Sayegh advises on tax, relocation and charitable project matters. Robert Desax is an expert in international taxation.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Phone
+41 58 658 30 10
Email
[email protected]
Profile
walderwyss.com

Profile

Work Department
Private client, litigation
Position

Partner

Career

Philippe Pulfer is co-head of the firm’s Private Client practice. He is widely recognised as one of Switzerland’s leading private client lawyers and, for nearly 20 years, has been constantly top-ranked by all major professional directories. He is, according to Chambers HNW, ‘the go-to person in Switzerland’ in his area of practice and has been described by Legal 500 as 'one of the most knowledgeable trust and private client practitioners in Switzerland'. He has been included in the Legal Week Private Client Global Elite since the ranking’s inaugural edition in 2012 and every year since its relaunch in 2017.

Philippe Pulfer specialises in wealth structuring and estate planning with an international focus and acts in complex, mostly multi-jurisdictional, succession and trust disputes. He advises charities and charity donors in all areas of philanthropy, with a particular focus on the arts and the support to cultural institutions, and serves as a board member of several charitable foundations. He has also significant experience in private banking disputes, in particular mismanagement of funds, fraud cases and international judicial assistance.

He is a frequent speaker at international conferences and the author of publications on Swiss succession law, the practice of trusts in Switzerland, charities and art law.

Languages
Philippe Pulfer speaks French and English.
Memberships
Philippe Pulfer is a member of the Geneva Bar Association, Swiss Bar Association, International Bar Association (IBA), Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law (TIAETL). He is a long-serving committee member of STEP Geneva and sat for two terms on the STEP Worldwide Council.
Education

Philippe Pulfer graduated from the University of Geneva in 1992 and was admitted to the Bar in 1995.

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Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘They have several private client partners in their teams in Zurich and Geneva who have excellent expertise in cross-border planning and contentious trust and estate matters.’

  • ‘Kinga M. Weiss is an excellent practitioner and has deep knowledge of cross-border planning and contentious estates matters. It is a pleasure to work with her.’