Walder Wyss Ltd.

The firm: Around 290 legal experts make Walder Wyss one of the most successful and fastest growing Swiss commercial law firms. The firm specialises in corporate and commercial law, banking and finance, intellectual property and competition law, dispute resolution and tax law. Its clients include national and international companies, publicly held corporations and family businesses as well as public law institutions and private clients.

Growth and a close relationship to its clients are the factors that determine the firm’s success. Walder Wyss was established in Zurich in 1972 and has since grown continuously. With offices in Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Berne, Lausanne and Lugano, it provides its clients with seamless one-stop-shop, personalised and high-quality services in all language regions of Switzerland.

Its strong national and international network of correspondents and partners from a broad range of disciplines are selected according to the highest standards of professional competence.

Areas of practice
Banking, finance and insurance: Walder Wyss handles domestic and international banking, securitisations, infrastructure and project finance, domestic and cross-border leasing, and structured financial instruments, as well as over-the-counter and exchange-traded derivatives. Walder Wyss advises on all aspects of Swiss securities laws and regulations.

IT, telecommunications and multimedia: Walder Wyss focuses on the interlinked and converging areas of information technology, internet, multimedia, as well as media and telecommunications law. It advises on software protection, licensing issues, systems integration contracts, and data processing contracts.

Intellectual property: the firm has a wide range of experience in protecting intellectual property rights, as well as exploiting such rights by way of licensing, franchising and merchandising.

Corporate and commercial: Walder Wyss advises on and assists in the incorporation and organisation of business activities in Switzerland, including the establishment of corporations, partnerships, limited partnerships, joint ventures and non-profit organisations.

M&A, restructuring, joint ventures, IPOs and private equity: Walder Wyss handles the structuring and implementation of corporate mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, outsourcings, shareholder agreements, takeovers, demergers, capital restructurings, repurchases of shares, management buyouts, joint ventures, reorganisations, cross-border business arrangements and other direct investment transactions. Walder Wyss advises on seed, early stage and growth financing.

Litigation, arbitration and ADR: Walder Wyss is renowned for its international arbitration and litigation practice. This is reflected both by a high number of arbitration cases, both with respect to party representation and arbitrator appointments, and a well-established commercial court practice leading to an important number of pending cases before the Zurich Commercial Court and other relevant courts throughout Switzerland.

Tax: Walder Wyss’ tax specialists advise on private and public M&A, capital market transactions, IPOs, real estate, structured finance, tax-optimised financial products and investment funds.

Competition/antitrust: Walder Wyss is proficient in all aspects of the regulation of competition. The competition team regularly handles complex merger filings in Switzerland and co-ordinates them with filings in other jurisdictions. The team is routinely involved in questions of market dominance and the design of agreements that do not violate competition law.

Private clients: Walder Wyss advises high-net-worth individuals regarding domestic and international estate planning and provides tailor-made succession solutions. Its services include drafting of wills, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, particularly matrimonial property agreements, and inheritance contracts, as well as any related contractual arrangements, all of which are drawn up in close collaboration with Walder Wyss’ experienced notaries. The firm supports relocations and taking up residence in Switzerland and the planning and setting up of appropriate structures.