Find Lawyers in Zürich, Switzerland
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Practice Areas
Dr. Martin Aebi is an experienced dispute resolution practitioner who has acted as counsel in numerous large-scale cases (also involving states) before arbitral tribunals and state courts. Originally, Martin focused on intellectual propertyrelated matters such as licensing and joint-development issues. However, over time, his experience has broadened to cover a wide range of business areas including construction, M&A and banking. He is ranked as one of Switzerland’s leading arbitrat...
Martin Ammann became counsel to the firm in January 2018, before which he was co-head of the firm’s employment law and competition law groups. In employment law he represents Swiss and international clients in complex employment law proceedings and civil litigation and advices them e.g. in drafting tailor made solutions for managerial employees, bonus plans and further employment regulations. He handles complex restructuring and mass redundancy cases and supports clients in setting up s...
Reto Arpagaus supports Swiss and international companies, entrepreneurs and private individuals in drafting and reviewing contracts as well as with corporate transactions, and he advises his clients in matters of intellectual property and competition law. Reto Arpagaus represents clients before state courts and courts of arbitration. He has extensive experience and specialist knowledge, in particular in the areas of financial services, industry, telecommunications, IT and the sports sector. R...
Oliver Arter’s practice focuses on private clients and their advisers (banks, family offices, foreign advisers) in all aspects of domestic and international wealth planning. He also specialises in banking, asset management and regulatory matters. Oliver Arter became Of Counsel in June 2009. His work involves representing and advising private clients on the structuring of assets (trusts, foundations, international business corporations), domestic and international estate planning, divisi...
Nicola Benz’s practice is focused on technology and life sciences transactions. She assists technology companies of all sizes, from start-ups to established players, as well as investors, suppliers and customers across a broad range of industries and sectors. Nicola Benz’s expertise covers outsourcing, licensing, joint ventures and collaborations and associated intellectual property issues. She also has considerable experience advising on all types of commercial contracts, competi...
Manuel Bigler is a managing associate in the firms’ practice area Intellectual Property (IP). He advises and represents clients in all aspects of IP law with a particular focus on trademark, patent and copyright law. His practice also includes unfair competition, media and advertising law. He regularly advises clients in negotiating IP and technology-related agreements, such as license agreements. Manuel Bigler is further specialized in representing clients in disputes before courts and...
Counsel Simone Brauchbar Birkhäuser advises and represents clients in connection with contentious and non-contentious issues relating to trademarks, designs, copyrights, patents, data protection, unfair competition and advertisement. She has substantial experience in the drafting and enforcement of contracts for the transfer of intellectual property rights, especially license agreements. She further regularly deals with all due diligence relevant IP/IT and data protection aspects of corp...
Stefan Brunnschweiler is the managing partner of CMS Switzerland and co-heads the CMS Corporate/M&A Practice Area Group. He was named one of the top 10 lawyers in Switzerland in the edition of “Who is Who” by Bilanz. Stefan Brunnschweiler specialises in international and domestic M&A transactions, venture capital, corporate restructurings, corporate law and general contract matters (e.g. joint ventures, partnerships and shareholders' agreements). He is experienced in a bro...
Lukas Bühlmann is partner and head of the firm’s digital, data privacy & e-commerce group. He advises and represents clients in the legal structuring of digital business concepts, regulatory proceedings and civil litigation. He has wide-ranging experience in assisting with contractual and regulatory implementation of cross-border transactions and business concepts in the digital economy. Lukas Bühlmann chairs the firm’s ICT practice group comprising lawyers from the ...
Johannes Bürgi, partner with Walder Wyss since 2005, advises clients on matters involving real estate, finance, structured finance, restructuring, and capital markets (including debt and equity offerings and initial public offerings). In finance, he focuses on secured and unsecured lending, structured finance transactions including securitisation, alternative risk transfer, RMBS, CMBS, covered bonds, factoring, project finance and asset finance including complex real estate financings an...
Dr. Martin Burkhardt is a partner based at our Zurich office and considered a leading lawyer for commercial disputes. He advises and represent clients, both before state courts and arbitral tribunals, and in whatever ancillary or supplementary proceedings that may be helpful for his clients to achieve their overall objectives. This includes interim measures, administrative or penal proceedings, and enforcement or asset recovery proceedings. Martin's advice on defining and executing a legal st...
Martin Busenhart is a partner in the Tax Team. He advises on national and international tax matters and is specialised in domestic and international structuring of capital market transactions, acquisitions and divestments and tax-optimized structuring for relocations of entrepreneurs, partnerships and corporate groups. Martin Busenhart was educated at Zurich University (lic. iur. 1988) and graduated as Certified Tax Expert (1994). He has working experience as tax expert and tax partner with a...
Partner Mark Cagienard specialises in tax law, covering individual and corporate taxation both on a domestic and international level with a particular focus on corporate finance, M&A and VAT. Mark Cagienard assists clients frequently in obtaining tax rulings and represents them in front of courts and tax authorities. Mark Cagienard graduated from the University of Zurich in 2006 (magna cum laude) and was admitted to the bar in 2008. In 2012 he qualified as a Swiss Certified Tax Expert. In...
Dr. Thierry Calame is the firm's managing partner based in Zurich and an expert in intellectual property matters with a particular emphasis on patent law. He has vast experience as counsel in patent, trademark, unfair competition and copyright litigation, as well as IP-related arbitration. He regularly sits as an arbitrator in IP-related arbitration. Thierry also advises on licensing, the intellectual property aspects of a wide range of other transactions and pharmaceutical law, including reg...
Michael Cartier represents parties in international arbitrations under all major institutional rules and in ad-hoc proceedings, before state courts and in enforcement and legal assistance matters. He is listed as an expert for arbitration in Who's Who Legal 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. He also acts as arbitrator and is listed on the panel of arbitrators of the ICC National Committee (Switzerland) and of the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board. The focus of his work is on constructio...
Partner & Member of the Steering Committee of the CMS Competition & EU Group Marquard Christen specializes in competition (antitrust) and public procurement law. Marquard advises Swiss and foreign companies on all aspects of Swiss and EU competition law (horizontal and vertical agreements, dominance abuse, merger control and civil antitrust law) and represents them in proceedings before competition authorities and courts. Over the past 15 years, he has gained special knowledge in vari...
Luc Defferrard, partner with Walder Wyss since 2001, has been active in the finance and legal industry for many years. He mainly advises clients in domestic and cross-border mergers & acquisitions, financing, restructuring as well as in real estate and capital market. Luc Defferrard particularly focuses on private equity and venture capital transactions. He is regularly recommended by Chambers, Legal500 and IFLR1000. Chambers Europe describes him as "always available" and "very strong neg...
Robert Desax is a partner in the tax team. He works in the fields of national and international taxation. He represents clients in controversial tax matters and assists private clients regarding the tax aspects of estate and wealth planning. He regularly advises on cross-border implications of international taxation, especially on the application of double tax treaties, on issues in connection with the refund of Swiss withholding taxes in international structures, on the Swiss tax treatment o...
Partner Philipp Dickenmann is the head of the Dispute Resolution Practice Group of CMS Zurich. He also serves as core team member of the global CMS Dispute Resolution Practice Area Group as well as the CMS Commercial Practice Area Group. Philipp Dickenmann has extensive experience in commercial litigation and international arbitration. He acts as counsel and co-counsel, sole arbitrator and co-arbitrator in numerous national and international cases. This includes arbitrations conducted under t...
Hans-Jakob Diem is a corporate Partner at Lenz & Staehelin. He heads the firm's Corporate and M&A practice group and is the co-head of the Capital Markets practice group in Zurich. He has extensive experience in representing clients in a variety of corporate transactions, concentrating on mergers and acquisitions, capital market transactions, bank financings and corporate governance matters. Hans-Jakob Diem is regarded as a leading corporate practitioner in Switzerland and is regularl...
Lara Dorigo is partner and heads the Intellectual Property group at Pestalozzi. She has profound experience in every field of intellectual property law with a particular affinity for technology-related issues. Her practice focuses on IP enforcement and defence, technology transfer agreements and branding strategies. Lara is a passionate IP litigator and licensing specialist. She has extensive experience with pharmaceutical and biologics patent litigation before courts and arbitral tribunals, ...
Christian Eichenberger is a partner in the real estate team. He focuses on real estate development, real estate transactions and real estate dispute resolution. In addition to his real estate transaction and real estate development experience, Christian Eichenberger also has extensive experience in real estate dispute resolution with particular expertise in the fields of construction law, planning and zoning law and landlord tenant law. He represents clients in both arbitration proceedings an...
Stephanie Eichenberger is an attorney-at-law and certified tax expert. She has more than 20 years of experience working in tax, starting out with the tax chamber of the Zurich administrative court followed with the law firm of Lenz & Staehelin and Tax Partner. Her broad experience covers the advising of national and international corporate clients as well as individuals including tax litigation. Stephanie became a Partner of Tax Partner in 2015. Areas of expertise Tax advice for national ...
Stephan Erni is a Zurich-based partner whose specialist areas include real estate transactions, domestic and international M&A transactions, including public tender offers. He regularly advises clients on domestic and international transactions and on corporate and commercial matters. One of the main foci of Stephan's practice is advising private equity firms in auction processes, both buy-side and sell-side. During a placement with one of New York's major law firms (2005/2006), he gained...
Michael Feit is a partner in the Litigation & Arbitration Team. He has extensive experience in representing parties in complex arbitration disputes under all major arbitration rules (including ICC, LCIA and Swiss Rules) and in ad hoc proceedings. He also sits as an arbitrator, both in commercial and investment arbitrations (ICC, ICSID, Swiss Rules). He has worked on several high-value arbitrations, with amounts at stake in the three digit million Euro range up to of several multi-billion ...
Guillaume Fournier is a partner with MLL and co-head of the firm’s trademark and design group. His practice encompasses all aspects of IP law, with a focus on IP litigation and arbitration, trademark and design prosecution and contractual and commercial intellectual property. He has extensive experience in litigating IP cases (both technical and non-technical) in both the French and German-speaking parts of Switzerland. Having taken care of clients’ IP issues in China for a long t...
Harold Frey leads our Litigation and Arbitration practice in Zurich. In the past several decades, he has represented clients in several hundred international arbitrations and court litigations. Harold's practice has a particular focus on corporate and M&A disputes as well as energy and construction related disputes. He regularly acts in cases involving states and state-owned companies (several cases pending). Harold is ranked as a leading individual as counsel in arbitration (Legal500; Ch...
Markus Frick specializes in all aspects of intellectual property law with a particular focus on trademark, patent and unfair competition law. Other areas of expertise include media law as well as food and drugs regulations. He regularly represents clients in complex and cross-border litigations before courts and administrative bodies. He advises clients on the development and management of IP rights, related contracts and transactions. He speaks and publishes regularly on topics in his area o...
Robert Furter is a partner and member of the Financial Services group as well as the Corporate/M&A group in Zurich. His areas of practice are banking and capital markets as well as corporate and private M&A. In his fields of practice, he advises Swiss and international clients in transactions and on regulatory and governance matters. He is an authorized issuer's representative at the SIX Swiss Exchange. He also sits on the board directors of a number of Swiss corporations. Robert Furt...
Tino Gaberthüel is a partner heading the firm's Corporate and M&A practice group, based in Zurich. He has extensive experience representing clients in a variety of corporate transactions, focusing on M&A, capital markets and corporate governance matters, with a special focus on PE buy-outs. Tino is regularly involved in key transactions in the Swiss market – both domestic and cross-border. He recently represented, among others, Bain Private Equity and Cinven in the acquisit...
Dominique Gemperli's main practice areas are banking & financing, capital markets and restructuring. She has more than 10 years of experience in advising Swiss and international financial institutions, industrial enterprises and other companies in project financing, asset financing, corporate lending, real estate financing and acquisition financing. She further assists clients in regulatory matters and general contract and corporate law. Dominique graduated from the University of Zurich i...
Partner & Certified Specialist SBA Construction and Real Estate Law Stefan Gerster is a partner with CMS Zurich since 2001. His practice focuses mainly on real estate law. He is the head of our internal practice group Real Estate & Construction. Among the clients of Stefan Gerster are Swiss and foreign institutional real estate investors, companies with corporate real estate matters and individuals. He provides advice in real estate transactions, including acquisition and financing as...
Urs P. Gnos heads the Transaction Team. His practice focuses on international and domestic mergers & acquisitions, private equity, venture capital and capital market transactions, commercial and corporate law as well as public tender offers and buy-outs. Urs P. Gnos also advises companies with respect to corporate governance matters, stock exchange regulations, corporate reorganizations and restructurings, incl. relocations. Urs P. Gnos is a member of various board of directors, among oth...
Patricia Guerra is head of the private clients team in Zurich and head of the Latin-America desk of the firm. She has extensive experience in advising UHNW and HNW individuals and families in all personal matters and matters concerning family assets as well as in philanthropic endeavours. Patricia Guerra continuously deals with cross border issues and regularly takes on the legal leadership necessary to coordinate teams across various jurisdictions. She is fluent in English, Spanish, German a...
Walter Häberling is a partner in the litigation department and real estate practice group and has been with the firm for more than 20 years. He represents clients in commercial, real estate and certain private clients litigation and arbitration proceedings. Before joining MLL, he worked for 7 years with two different district courts in the Canton of Zurich, two of which as a district and rental court judge. Thus, he knows from his own experience what counts in judges’ minds. In int...
Theodor Härtsch is a partner in the Banking & Finance team in Zurich. He advises banks and corporate clients in financing matters (debt and equity financings). In addition, he counsels on capital markets law (initial public offerings, rights issues), public M&A matters as well as corporate and capital markets compliance. Furthermore, Theodor Härtsch advises financial institutions on regulatory matters. In the area of collective investment schemes, he supports clients in lice...
Andreas Hauenstein is Partner at Baumgartner Mächler Attorneys Ltd and head of the litigation and arbitration team. For eighteen years, Andreas Hauenstein has advised and acted as counsel to companies and individuals in disputes concerning commercial and corporate law, contract law, employment law as well as debt enforcement and bankruptcy law. Due to his consistent focus on dispute resolution in contract and commercial law cases, Andreas Hauenstein has a lot of experience in out-of-cour...
Christoph Heiz is a partner of the Corporate & Finance Department and heads firm’s capital market practice group. He regularly advises on capital market transactions, M&A, investment fund schemes and corporate finance structures. His Swiss and international clients include several listed companies, financial institutions as well as other large and medium-sized companies. Christoph Heiz has a particular focus on regulated industries such as financial services, banking and investm...
Prof. Dr. Pascal Hinny is a partner leading the Tax practice at our firm’s Zurich office. He specialises in national and international tax planning for multinationals, a field spanning everything from M&A, restructurings, recapitalisation, financing and relocation to private equity and family offices. In addition, Pascal regularly represents tax payers in front of tax authorities, in court- and MAP proceedings and acts as expert witness both for tax payers and governmental bodies. P...
Dieter Hofmann heads the Litigation & Arbitration Team. His primary focus is dispute resolution in complex, mainly international cases, ranging from pre-litigation advice, representation of clients in court and in arbitration proceedings, coordination in cases involving multiple jurisdictions, enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards and international legal assistance. He also sits as arbitrator in international arbitrations. Dieter Hofmann has considerable experience in compl...
Simon Holzer is a member of MLL’s IP team, which is consistently ranked as one of the top Swiss IP teams by peers and clients, and heads the firm’s Patent and Life Sciences team. He has extensive experience in all areas of IP law, with a focus on patents, trademarks, geographical indications and unfair competition. Simon Holzer is also a trusted advisor in the field of pharmaceutical regulatory law. Simon Holzer is an experienced IP litigator and has substantial experience in both...
Markus F. Huber joined MLL as partner on 1 July 2017, after retiring from Ernst & Young where he was partner for more than 20 years. He headed the International Tax Services Group at EY for 15 years. Markus F. Huber now has more than 35 years of experience in fiscal law and holds particular in-depth expertise in international corporate tax law, in the area of cross-border transactions and restructurings and other complex tax planning. In addition, Markus advises high net wealth indiv...
Partner Reto Hunsperger acts as head of the insolvency and restructuring department at CMS Zurich.He specialises in litigation and arbitration. With this focus, he represents national and international companies and individuals before state courts and arbitral tribunals (under ICC Rules, Swiss Rules and CAS Rules), mainly in civil, enforcement and sport law matters. In addition, he serves as an arbitrator. A further focus of Reto Hunsperger lies in all sorts of domestic and international inso...
Managing Partner & Certified Tax Expert David Hürlimann’s practice focuses on tax law, in particular taxation of groups, merger & acquisition, corporate restructuring, international tax and tax accounting. Other areas of his tax practice include banking, executive compensation and tax planning for high net worth individuals.David Hürlimann graduated from the Universities Zurich and Geneva in 1998. After serving as a law clerk at the District Court of Zurich for two yea...
Michael Isler is a partner and member of the management board in the product groups Intellectual Property, Information Technology and Data Protection. He regularly advises in complex outsourcing, technology transfer and platform projects from the conceptual and negotiation phase to dispute settlement. He further enjoys a vast experience in copyright, trademark and patent law. A particular focus of his work is dedicated to the life sciences and health sector. Michael Isler regularly publishes ...
Reto Jacobs heads the Antitrust and Competition Team. He advises domestic and foreign companies with respect to all competition law issues, represents them before competition authorities and courts, and assists them in complex merger filings. Reto Jacobs advises also with respect to distribution systems and he supports various companies with respect to their antitrust compliance programs. He is lecturer at the University of St. Gall. Born in 1964, Reto Jacobs was educated at the University of...
Partner Marjolaine Jakob is the head of our insolvency and restructuring team of CMS Zurich. Her practice focuses on national and international insolvency law and related litigation. She advises clients in connection with insolvency proceedings and represents their interests in related proceedings before the competent courts and authorities. Marjolaine Jakob has broad experience in advising companies in restructuring proceedings. Further, she is a proven specialist in international insolvency...
Dr. Florian S. Jörg, MCJ, is a partner in the Zurich office of Bratschi Wiederkehr & Buob, one of the larger independent Swiss law firms. He graduated from the University of St. Gallen Law School and obtained a postgraduate degree from NYU Law. His areas of practice include corporate law, M&A and banking law. Florian S. Jörg is also a lecturer for corporate and contract law at the University of St. Gallen Law School. Florian is a frequent speaker both on a national and an in...
Miriam Kaufmann is an attorney-at-law and certified tax expert. She has over 10 years of experience in tax matters. After several years in the tax team of a leading law firm in Zurich, Miriam Kaufmann joined Tax Partner in 2012. She focuses on tax planning and tax advice for corporations and individuals in complex situations. In addition, she advises clients in tax litigation procedures. Areas of expertise Tax advice for corporations and individuals in complex situations Advice in tax litigat...
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