Bär & Karrer Ltd.‘s leading employment and migration team advises clients in German, French, and Italian and covers the full breadth of employment law topics. Notably, the firm often represents clients in employment-related litigation matters, as well as advising on employment considerations regarding M&A and private equity transactions, and in relation to the employment aspects of restructuring or winding down companies. Heading the practice is Laura Widmer, who specialises in individual and mass dismissals, reorganisations, compensation plans, and employment investigations. Thomas Stoltz advises clients on all legal issues relating to employment and immigration law, with a special focus on companies opening new offices in Switzerland.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Good labour law skills.’

  • ‘Combines very solid labour law expertise with the intricacy of Swiss public company law and stock exchange requirements. This is different from the vast majority of law firms that have labour law expertise, but no link to the law of public companies.’

  • ‘Laura Widmer: Very good combination of labour law expertise and public company know-how.'

  • 'Manuel Schmid: A rising talent, great in arguing difficult cases in simple terms, and making complex situations understandable. High levels of client centricity.’
  • ‘The team is highly knowledgeable, staying up-to-date with the latest legal developments, including cross-jurisdictional jurisprudence. They are incredibly responsive, often available on short notice, whether for brief calls or urgent tasks, and consistently deliver results even under tight deadlines.'

Key clients

  • Novartis and Sandoz
  • UBS Group AG

Work highlights

  • Advising Novartis and Sando on the spin-off of Sandoz.
  • Advising UBS on the merger of UBS Switzerland AG and Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Laura Widmer, Thomas Stoltz, Ruth Bloch-Riemer

Other key lawyers

Manuel Schmid