André S. Berne is an associate in the Corporate and Commercial practice group. His primary practice areas consist of Swiss corporate and commercial law, mergers & acquisitions (M&A) and general contract law. In addition, he advises companies and organizations on matters pertaining to healthcare and life sciences law as well as competition law. He represents companies and organizations in German and in French before courts and authorities.
Beat Stalder is a partner in the Real Estate and Constitutional and Administrative Law teams. He advises companies and private individuals in connection with planning and construction projects as well as on business administration and health issues. He also represents clients before the authorities and courts. Beat Stalder advises government agencies and parliamentary bodies on legislation, produces expert opinions and conducts administrative investigations. Beat Stalder teaches courses in land-use planning, construction law and expropriation at the University of Bern. He regularly speaks and publishes on land-use planning and construction law.
Brigitte Umbach-Spahn is a partner on the Insolvency and Restructuring team. She advises creditors and debtors in national and cross-border restructuring and insolvency cases and represents clients in court in insolvency matters. She also acts as administrator/liquidator in complex insolvency proceedings and serves as a member of creditor committees. Brigitte Umbach-Spahn has been appointed by FINMA as an investigating agent for banks and financial institutions. Brigitte Umbach-Spahn is past co-chair of the IBA Insolvency Section and since 2019 member of the advisory board of the IBA Insolvency Section. She regularly speaks at national and international conferences and publishes on topics relating to insolvency law.
Carsten Otto works as an attorney at law primarily in the business groups Litigation and Arbitration as well as Private Clients. He advises clients in Switzerland and abroad on corporate and commercial law disputes and represents clients before national courts and arbitration tribunals. Carsten Otto publishes regularly on topics of procedural and commercial law, and has experience in legal matters in Latin America, particularly in Brazil.
Christian Martin Gutekunst is an Attorney at Law and a Certified Tax Expert in the Tax group. He advises corporate and private clients on national and international tax law. He regularly provides advice to private individuals moving to Switzerland, including advice with regard to lump-sum taxation, in particular. He also provides companies and senior management with advice on setting up employee participation plans and negotiates with tax authorities in tax proceedings and tax rulings. He is a member of the Zurich Bar Association (ZAV), the Swiss Bar Association (SAV), and the Swiss branch of the International Fiscal Association (IFA).
Cristina Solo de Zaldívar is a Counsel and member of the Employment Law team. She advises employers and executives on the full spectrum of private and public sector employment issues and represents them before courts and governmental authorities. She also advises clients on all legal issues relating to mass redundancies and restructuring, as well as in complex insolvency proceedings. Cristina Solo de Zaldívar is a Certified Specialist SBA Employment Law and has considerable practical experience in dealing with employment matters.
Damian Schai is a partner in the IP and IT as well as the Life Sciences and Health Law practice areas. He advises companies and private clients in all areas of intellectual property and represents them before the courts. A focus of his practice is on the protection, defense, and legal enforcement of trademarks worldwide. He has broad experience in other intellectual property law and related disciplines, such as copyright law, the laws governing personal rights, names and company names, the law against unfair competition and data protection. In the area of IT, Damian Schai provides clients with advice and support, particularly in contract law issues (such as in the areas of software and software development, hosting and other IT providers, eCommerce and licenses). He can also draw on a broad experience in the areas of employment law, contract law, and civil procedure that he gained as a law clerk and in numerous court proceedings as a lawyer. He maintains a holistic approach when advising clients and also takes into account aspects of other legal areas.
Daniel Gabrieli is a partner in the Private Clients business group. He is specialised in Swiss and international family and inheritance law. He provides advice in the areas of wealth and estate planning (especially wills, prenuptial and inheritance contracts), business succession planning, the settlement of estates, and represents clients in inheritance disputes. Daniel Gabrieli is a Certified Specialist SBA Inheritance Law and publishes on a regular basis in his preferred areas of practice. In addition, he advises clients on the relocation planning and on the acquisition of real estate. His other areas of practice include employment law, contract, commercial and corporate law, association and foundation law as well as child and adult protection law (living wills, advance care directives and guardianships).
Daniel Zimmerli’s preferred areas of practice cover Antitrust Law, Administrative Law, Economic Constitutional Law as well as Administrative Procedure. He has an in-depth knowledge of the infrastructure (telecommunications, energy, public transport, postal services) and the healthcare sector (hospital planning, in particular). He advises and represents clients both in courts and before administrative bodies. Daniel Zimmerli was educated at the University of Bern (lic. iur. 1998; Dr. iur. 2006) and at the University of Michigan Law School (Ann Arbor, USA; LL.M. 2007). He gained working experience as a teaching and research assistant at the University of Bern, as a scientific collaborator at the Swiss Competition Commission, as an attorney at a Bernese law firm, and as an attorney at the legal department of Swiss Post. For the last 16 years, he worked as an attorney (counsel) with a leading Swiss law firm. Daniel Zimmerli speaks German, French and English. He is registered with the Bar Registry.
Daniela Fritsch is a senior associate in the Corporate and M&A team. She specialises in corporate and capital markets law as well as M&A. She advises corporate clients on national and international M&A and financing transactions as well as on complex reorganizations and restructurings. She also has many years of experience in financial market law and advises banks and financial institutions on regulatory issues and financing.
Dieter Gränicher is a partner on the Corporate and Commercial and Private Clients teams. He advises Swiss and international companies and individuals in those areas and represents them before arbitration tribunals and national courts. He also acts as arbitrator, board member, and executor of wills and provides notarial services (including in relation to German matters). He has a strong track record in complex contractual projects and restructuring (shareholder agreements, outsourcing, corporate transactions, etc.) and a wide range of infrastructure projects (in the chemicals and pharmaceutical industries as well as energy industry). He has a wealth of experience and expertise in national and international commercial disputes, with a focus on manufacturing, supply, distribution and licensing agreements, agreements for work and services, and corporate litigation. Dieter Gränicher publishes on arbitration topics.
Felix Uhlmann is a counsel in the specialised area of constitutional and administrative law. He is a full professor of constitutional and adminsitrative law and of lawmaking at the University of Zurich. He advises governmental entities (federation, cantons, municipalities) and private individuals on all questions of public law and prepares expert opinions for them. He conducts litigation before the Federal Supreme Court, the Federal Administrative Court, and the cantonal administrative courts.Staats- und Verwaltungsrecht
Filippo Th. Beck is a partner in the Private Clients business group and advises in banking and financial markets law. As a counsel of choice, he advises entrepreneurs, companies and individuals on a wide range of issues, with a special focus on contract law, inheritance law, asset structuring, sports law and compliance. Where necessary, he draws on the expertise of specialists in other disciplines to ensure integrated advice on national and international legal issues. Filippo Th. Beck has been appointed by FINMA as an investigating agent for banks and financial institutions.
Florian Fleischmann is an associate on the Real Estate team. He provides advice to his clients on all aspects of real estate, construction and tenancy law, and also represents his clients before authorities and courts. His area of expertise also includes, in particular, advising and representing clients in public law matters.
Fritz Rothenbühler is a partner on the Insolvency and Restructuring team. He advises creditors and debtors on national and cross-border restructuring and insolvency issues. He also acts as an administrator/liquidator in composition and bankruptcy proceedings. Fritz Rothenbühler’s other preferred areas of practice include corporate and competition law as well as construction and real estate. He also advises and represents individuals on selected cases. Fritz Rothenbühler provides both advice and litigation support in the above areas of law.
Gaudenz Schwitter is a partner on the Real Estate team. He advises clients on the full spectrum of real estate, construction and tenancy issues and also represents clients in court. Gaudenz Schwitter is a regular speaker at various conferences and events for continuing professional development. He also lectures at the Center for Urban & Real Estate Management (CUREM) in the Department of Banking and Finance at the University of Zurich.
Isabel Zeller works as an associate mainly in the areas of general contract, real estate and intellectual property law. She is also part of the employment law team. She advises clients in Switzerland and abroad on contentious and non-contentious matters and represents them before state courts of all instances.
Jürg Rieben acts as a counsel for Wenger Plattner. He advises clients on Corporate and Commercial law and corporate transactions. As former Chairman of Berner Kantonalbank, he has extensive expertise in banking and financial markets law. Jürg Rieben also specialises in Health law, advising health insurance companies, hospitals and medical practitioners. Jürg Rieben has expertise and experience in arbitration.
Karl Wüthrich is a counsel on the Insolvency and Restructuring team. For more than 30 years, he has advised creditors on national and international enforcement law and assisted debtors in formulating and implementing reorganisation and restructuring plans. He acts as administrator, liquidator, trustee in bankruptcy and member of creditor committees in complex insolvency proceedings. He has been appointed by FINMA as an investigating agent and liquidator for banks and financial institutions. Karl Wüthrich regularly speaks at national and international conferences and at universities in Switzerland. He publishes in the area of insolvency law.
Linda Novina is an associate in the Insolvency and Restructuring team. She provides advice primarily regarding national and cross-border restructuring and insolvency law issues (including securing of claims) and represents clients in insolvency law matters in court. In addition, Linda Novina is specialised in the area of Litigation and Arbitration. In this area, she is able to draw on her experience as extraordinary law clerk at the High Court of the Canton of Thurgau and at the District Court of Kreuzlingen.
Lukas Graf works as an associate in the practice area Insolvency and Restructuring. He advises creditors and debtors on national and cross-border restructuring and insolvency cases. He also participates in the Construction and Real Estate Law team. Lukas Graf advises clients in Switzerland and abroad and represents them before courts and authorities.
Markus Mühlemann is a Swiss certified tax expert and a partner in the business group Tax. He provides advice to corporate and private clients in national and international tax matters. The focus of his advisory services is in the areas of mergers & acquisitions, restructuring, financing, tax planning and real estate transactions. In addition, he provides companies and senior management with advice for setting up employee participationplans and negotiates with the tax authorities on a regular basis in tax proceedings and tax rulings. His economic expertise is particularly advantageous when it comes to analysing and developing complex models to calculate the tax consequences of potential structuring and optimisation alternatives for private and corporate clients. Markus Mühlemann lectures and publishes on topics relating to tax law, including for ExpertSuisse, the University of Zurich and IBFD.
Martina Braun is a Counsel and a member of the IP and IT team. She advises and represents companies, foundations and individuals on all aspects of intellectual property law and information technology, with a particular focus on copyright, trademarks and data protection. Her key area of expertise is advising on contract law. She also deals with various questions related to personality rights. Martina Braun completed her doctoral thesis on copyright law and worked at the Centre for Business Law at the University of Lausanne.
Mathias Burghardt is a Senior Associate on the Insolvency and Restructuring team. He advises on national and cross-border restructuring and insolvency law issues. Mathias Burghardt has many years of experience in providing guidance to financial institutions facing crisis, especially in regard to supervisory, stabilisation, restructuring and bankruptcy measures. He has a wealth of experience in handling complex bankruptcy and liquidation proceedings. He also specialises in the area of banking and financial market law. In these areas of the law, he can draw on his many years of experience at FINMA.
Michael Schifferli is a partner in the Litigation and Arbitration and Private Clients practice groups. As an experienced litigator, he represents private clients and companies before state courts and international arbitral tribunals in Switzerland and abroad and acts as arbitrator himself. His expertise includes complex contractual and commercial disputes under Swiss law and UN sales law, corporate disputes between shareholders and co-owners as well as post-M&A disputes following the sale of companies, including the clarification of warranty claims and contractual purchase price adjustments. As a member of the sports law business group, Michael Schifferli also brings his procedural expertise to bear in sports arbitration proceedings or court disputes between athletes and sponsors, employers and associations. In his second area of expertise, inheritance law and estate planning, Michael Schifferli has in-depth knowledge of national law which he uses to advise and, if necessary, represent his clients in court. In addition, his international network helps him to consider all aspects of cross-border estate planning for his clients. Michael Schifferli also has expertise in association and foundation law. He advises renowned associations and foundations and assists in their establishments. Michael Schifferli is actively involved in the Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats (AIJA). He is a member of the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA) and the German Institution of Arbitration (DIS) as well as of its young organisations ASA below 40 and DIS40. In his areas of expertise, Michael Schifferli is an active participant and regular speaker at meetings and conferences. In addition, he is a volunteer arbitrator at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Michael also volunteers time as a board member of various association boards in Switzerland.
Nicole Tschirky is a senior associate on the Real Estate team. She advises institutional and private clients on all aspects of real estate law and represents clients in complex construction and fee dispute cases, disputes in tenancy law and claims relating to construction faults. Her areas of specialism include advising and representing clients in relation to administrative law matters, including building permits, environmental issues and public procurement law. In these areas of practice, Nicole Tschirky draws from her extensive experience at the Administrative Court of Zurich, where she currently serves as substitute judge.
Nils Kern is an Associate in our Private Clients and Tax practice groups. He advises and represents individuals, companies, foundations and associations in the practice areas of contract law, inheritance law, commercial and corporate law as well as tax law.
Pablo Duc is a partner on the Insolvency and Restructuring team. He has been active for more than 20 years as a trustee / liquidator and as a private bankruptcy administrator. He handles major bankruptcies and composition proceedings in a national and international context and advises creditors and debtors on restructuring and insolvency cases. He represents clients before the courts and other authorities in relation to debt enforcement and bankruptcy matters and serves on creditors’ committees. In addition, Pablo Duc has broad experience in corporate and property law as well as general contract law. He also has profound knowledge in the area of corporate and real estate financing. He advises and litigates on behalf of clients with respect to these business segments.
Placidus Plattner is a partner on the Real Estate team. He advises investors, developers and landlords as well as entrepreneurs, planners, project developers and tenants. He represents clients in court and before authorities in proceedings under both public and private law. Placidus Plattner teaches courses on a regular basis, for example as a lecturer at the Center for Urban & Real Estate Management (CUREM) in the Department of Banking and Finance at the University of Zurich.
Roland Burkhalter is a Counsel on the Insolvency and Restructuring team as well as on the Banking and Finance team. He has a long track record in complex restructuring and insolvency assignments as well as in the domain of extensive investigations and audits for the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA
Sarah Hilber is a counsel on the Real Estate and Insolvency and Restructuring teams. She advises institutional and private clients on all aspects of real estate law and represents clients before courts and the authorities. A major part of her practice is devoted to complex construction disputes. Sarah Hilber also works on complex national and cross-border insolvency proceedings and advises creditors and debtors on insolvency issues.
Simon Schweizer advises and represents companies and individuals in the areas of Real Estate, Corporate and Commercial and Private Clients. In addition, he acts as notary in the Canton of Basel-Stadt (including in relation to German matters) and has in-depth knowledge in the area of real estate law (e.g. property purchase agreements, liens, easements), corporate law transactions (e.g. incorporations, capital increases, restructuring) as well as wealth and estate planning (e.g. advance care directives, wills, matrimonial property agreements and contracts of succession). In addition to his activity as attorney at law and notary, he also acts as executor.
Simon Fluri is a partner on the Real Estate team. He advises on construction and tenancy matters and represents clients in court in both German and French. He also advises companies on general issues of contract and insolvency law.
Simon Böhi is a senior associate on the Real Estate team. He provides advice to his clients on all aspects of real estate, construction, and tenancy law, and also represents his clients before authorities and courts. His areas of specialization include advising and representing clients in relation to administrative law matters, including building permits, environmental issues, and public procurement law.
Stefan Bossart is a Counsel on the Insolvency and Restructuring team. He advises on national and cross-border restructuring and insolvency law (including the securing of claims) and represents clients in court in connection with insolvency matters. Stefan Bossart also possesses many years of experience in handling complex liquidations, where he regularly looks after a variety of matters, many of them cross-border. He also has a long track record of dealing with a broad range of regulatory and internal investigations, in particular in the area of banking and financial markets law.
Stephan Kesselbach is a partner in the Litigation and Arbitration business group. He is also a member of the Wenger Plattner Insolvency and Restructuring team. He provides litigation advice to national and international clients and represents them before administrative authorities and courts, focusing mainly on corporate, contract, and insolvency law matters. Stephan Kesselbach is highly experienced in complex insolvency proceedings. Stephan Kesselbach regularly speaks at national and international events and publishes on topics relating to procedural and insolvency law.
Suzanne Eckert is a Counsel on the Corporate and Commercial team. She advises individuals and legal entities on all aspects of Swiss corporate law and the law governing associations and foundations, including incorporation, restructuring, relocation, reorganisation, acquisitions, sales and liquidations. She also assists in drafting all necessary agreements and regulations between shareholders, governing bodies and third parties. She has many years of experience in dealing with Commercial Registries in particular. She also advises on general contract law
Thomas Wetzel, a Certified Specialist SBA in real estate law, is a counsel of the Real Estate business group. He advises clients on private and public sector construction law issues and with regard to the purchase and sale of properties. As a long-standing board member for Swiss Prime Site AG and long-standing chair of the Investment Committee of the AFIAA Foundation for International Real Estate Investments, he shared responsibility for major real estate portfolios. Thomas Wetzel is also a lecturer at the Center for Urban & Real Estate Management (CUREM), Zurich in the Department of Banking and Finance at the University of Zurich.
Tina Marina Heim is a senior associate in the Real Estate team as well in the Constitutional and Administrative Law team. She has particular expertise in advising and acting for clients in relation to real estate matters, including applications for planning permission and construction permits. She also advises on matters of constitutional and administrative law.
Tobias Meili is a partner in the Corporate and Commercial Law practice group and on the IP and IT team. He advises clients in the areas of corporate and commercial law, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate financing. In addition, he provides support to our clients in the areas of data protection and IT law. He also advises companies on all issues relating to responsible business conduct, an area in which he has been actively involved, on the corporate side, for many years.
Urs Reinwald specializes in mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions, such as private equity, venture capital, restructurings and carve-out transactions. Urs has significant experience in representing entrepreneurs, investors, start-ups, SMEs and public companies across a broad range of business sectors. His practice also includes general corporate and commercial law, with a focus on governance matters, succession planning and shareholder disputes. Urs Reinwald also has experience in financial and capital markets law, in particular stock exchange law, and has advised on numerous capital market transactions involving public and private offerings of debt and equity securities. Before joining Wenger Plattner, Urs Reinwald worked in large, international law firms in Switzerland and abroad and also gained working experience at a Swiss district court and in-house (secondments).
Valérie Berger is an associate in the Corporate and M&A team. She provides advice to individuals and legal entities, regarding all aspects of Swiss commercial and corporate law, especially drafting all necessary agreements.
Werner Wenger is a founding partner of Wenger Plattner, since 2012 practising as of counsel. Increasingly focusing his practice on international commercial arbitration, Werner Wenger has been serving as chairman or sole arbitrator under numerous institutional rules (among others ICC and Swiss Rules) and in ad hoc-proceedings. His arbitration experience includes disputes relating to long-term supply, joint venture, distribution, agency, licensing and financing agreements as well as to M&A transactions with regard to a broad range of industries (media, telecommunication, insurance, banking, industrial equipment, engineering and construction, pharmaceutical and chemical products, military equipment). In professional directories covering international commercial arbitration, Werner Wenger has been described by peers as a highly experienced practitioner (ranked in Chambers Europe, Chambers Global, Who's Who Legal and as one of the "Best of the Best" in Expert Guides). In addition, Werner Wenger advises clients involved in negotiating complex commercial contracts and in corporate law matters. He is also acting as board member of various companies and as executor of last wills.
Yannick Hostettler advises and represents Swiss and foreign companies as well as individuals in proceedings before state courts of all instances and arbitral tribunals. His practice focuses on commercial disputes, particularly in the areas of distribution, general contract, intellectual property and employment law. He also provides advice on non-contentious matters in these fields. Yannick Hostettler has extensive experience in conducting complex cross-border litigation, in the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgements and in international mutual legal assistance in civil and criminal matters. He publishes regularly on topics concerning civil procedure and intellectual property law.