SwissLegal Dürr + Partner

Our claim

SwissLegal advises and represents companies and private individuals in commercial law and tax matters. It sets high standards for legal quality and counts its flair for unconventional solutions and the cost-effectiveness of its resources among its strengths. The lawyers and experts of the SwissLegal Group are experienced, quality-conscious, goal-oriented, independent, and discreet.

The various SwissLegal locations maintain a regular exchange of expertise. Depending on the mandate, teams of specialists can be put together across offices in order to provide clients with the best possible advice.

SwissLegal specialists regularly undergo further training in their fields of expertise and some also act as speakers at training events or as authors of specialist publications. With SwissLegal partners and law professors Prof. Dr. iur. David Dürr and Prof. Dr. iur Andreas Kellerhals, SwissLegal is at the forefront of current teaching and research.

Our group structure

The SwissLegal group was formed in 2004 as an association of independent law firms. It currently has offices in Basel, Bern, Chur, Olten, St. Gallen, Zug, and Zurich. Further locations are in preparation, including in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino.

The group structure combines the efficiency and personal trust of the individual local law firms with the broad professional expertise and wealth of experience of the entire supra-regional group of around 30 specialists. The internal exchange of expertise and the professional and reputational quality promoted throughout the group are coordinated and managed by the legally independent SwissLegal Ltd, based in Zug.

The client's contractual partner is exclusively the local law firm that is in charge of the mandate. No legal relationship is entered into with SwissLegal Ltd or the other SwissLegal law firms. In order to avoid conflicts of interest between SwissLegal law firms and to respect attorney-client privilege, clients are asked to give their consent for the necessary clarifications to be made within the group as a whole. Professional liability is covered by an Allianz Suisse insurance policy covering the entire SwissLegal group.

OUR AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Contract law

Contract law in various economic areas

SwissLegal advises companies in all industries on contractual matters at every level of business.

Our traditional tasks include drafting, writing, and negotiating contracts such as purchase agreements and general terms and conditions, contracts for work and services, supply and production contracts, consulting and other service contracts, as well as agency and distribution agreements, brokerage agreements, cooperation and license agreements, lease agreements, employment contracts, and franchising and factoring agreements.

Corporate law

Corporate and other business law

SwissLegal supports you in choosing the legal form and structure for your business activities, including holding structures in Switzerland and abroad. Our specialists advise you not only on the formation of your companies and groups, but also on their organization and management, as well as on restructuring (mergers, demergers, conversions, asset transfers), employee participation projects, and holding structures.

In addition, SwissLegal represents the legal and economic interests of shareholders and equity holders in and vis-à-vis corporate bodies or advises them on the conclusion of shareholder agreements.

Tax law

Tax advice and representation

SwissLegal advises companies and private individuals on all aspects of Swiss and international tax law. SwissLegal's strengths include many years of experience in handling complex tax cases, corporate tax law with various forms of restructuring, tax optimization of transactions, and, in particular, cross-border tax issues.

SwissLegal specialists represent companies and private individuals in tax disputes before authorities and courts. SwissLegal has a proven network of foreign tax specialists with whom it cooperates on cross-border issues.

Real estate law

Transfers of ownership, financing, and project implementation

Numerous legal questions arise when searching for a property, purchasing and financing it, implementing a construction project, integrating it into a complex real estate portfolio, and selling it. The same applies to leasing or selling condominiums or building rights.

SwissLegal specialists support you with careful analysis of the legal situation, tailor-made but swift implementation in legal structures, contracts, and regulations, as well as with our own notary's office in Basel.

Building law

Representation and advice on construction projects

The planning and implementation of construction projects raises a wide range of legal issues, whether in relation to official permits, neighborhood plan developments, or, in some cases, conflicts of interest with the neighborhood. SwissLegal specialists support you with expertise, experience, and perseverance, but also with a keen sense for pragmatic solutions, for example when it comes to avoiding excessive delays.

Labor and social security law

Labor and social security law

SwissLegal advises companies on all matters relating to labor and social security law and represents their interests before courts and authorities.
Our specialists support you with their legal expertise, particularly in the case of company mergers or the transfer of parts of companies, as well as in the area of outsourcing; but we are also on hand to advise and assist you in the drafting of employment contracts and personnel regulations, in matters of executive remuneration, in cases of extraordinary dismissals or layoffs of employees, or in the enforcement of post-contractual non-competition clauses. Of course, we are also happy to assist you with administrative matters relating to the posting of employees or the work permit procedure for foreign employees.

Healthcare law

Medical, health insurance, therapeutic products, and medical professions law

Doctors, hospitals, physiotherapists, and other service providers in the Swiss healthcare system are increasingly confronted with complex legal issues. Characterized by government regulation, the legal foundations of healthcare law are extremely numerous and complex.
The SwissLegal specialists working in the field of health law have the necessary long-standing experience to provide comprehensive and competent advice and representation to service providers. In their case-by-case legal assessment, they take into account the special features of the healthcare market and its interdependence with the relevant regulatory authorities.

Competition law

Competition and antitrust law

SwissLegal advises and supports companies from Switzerland and abroad in all matters relating to national and European competition and antitrust law, as well as in the area of unfair competition. The specialists represent companies before Swiss competition authorities and in competition law proceedings before Swiss courts.

SwissLegal's strengths also include advising on concentrations, market-dominant positions, discrimination, and other competition law issues, as well as on the admissibility of contract clauses that restrict competition.

European law

International agreements

In connection with cross-border transactions and other international agreements, SwissLegal takes into account European legislation in the area of the free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital, as well as competition and antitrust regulations. SwissLegal provides you with expert advice and representation in this area.

In order to identify legal and economic implications at an early stage, SwissLegal closely monitors the EU's ongoing harmonization efforts and legislative activities.

Restructuring, DEBA

Insolvency law and restructuring

SwissLegal's attorneys advise you in all areas of debt collection and bankruptcy law. They represent companies and private individuals as creditors or debtors in attachment and pledge enforcement proceedings, bankruptcy proceedings and liquidations, as well as in restructuring and composition agreement proceedings, including all related legal proceedings and proceedings for asset protection and recovery.

Capital market law

Banking and financial market law

The financial sector involves legal issues, whether in the relationship between the bank and its customers, in the financing of projects, companies, or real estate, or in the structuring, distribution, or subscription of investment vehicles. The high level of regulation requires not only careful action, but above all mastery of the numerous national and international regulations imposed by the state or associations.

It is important to carefully analyze the applicable legal basis and to align economic decisions accordingly. The specialists at SwissLegal in capital market and banking law will support you in this process.

Intellectual property

Intellectual property, license agreements, trademarks

SwissLegal has extensive experience in the field of intellectual property law and advises and supports you in matters of copyright and trademark law as well as in the protection of industrial know-how and designs, including the transfer and licensing of the corresponding property rights. SwissLegal works with external patent attorneys on patent law matters.

Marriage, inheritance, foundations

Marriage and inheritance contracts, estate administration, foundations

SwissLegal helps you to analyze the legal aspects of asset succession and, if necessary, to arrange it with a suitable will or a marriage and inheritance contract. You are not completely free to do as you please, as the law stipulates certain mandatory conditions. However, with professional support, you can make full use of the scope available to you.

The tasks are particularly challenging when companies or complex financial circumstances are part of the estate. In the case of inheritance or matrimonial property succession, the tax implications must also be taken into account. SwissLegal helps you avoid unpleasant surprises.

Notary services, deeds

Notarial services for legal transactions

The law requires the involvement of a notary or certifying officer for certain legal transactions. These include, in particular, real estate, marriage, and inheritance contracts, wills, and various corporate transactions such as formations, capital increases, mergers, and the like. Depending on cantonal regulations, notarial services are provided by public authorities or by private attorneys with the appropriate license.

SwissLegal also offers notarial services. In such mandates, our aim is not to represent one party over another, but to create added value for both sides as an independent guarantor.

Litigation

Litigation and arbitration

Disputes cannot always be settled amicably and sometimes end up in court. When this happens, SwissLegal specialists know how to act decisively, not only legally, but also with tactical and psychological experience. It is not uncommon for opportunities to find a mutually acceptable agreement to arise even during the course of a lawsuit.
Our litigation services cover not only state courts but also private arbitration tribunals, with SwissLegal acting as a party representative or arbitrator. We focus on civil litigation, i.e., disputes between private parties, but also appeals against administrative authorities and defense in criminal proceedings, particularly in commercial cases.

Criminal law

Criminal law and criminal procedure

Victims and private plaintiffs in criminal proceedings depend on competent legal support, while defendants need a qualified criminal defense attorney. In criminal proceedings, we help them choose the best tactics for achieving the best possible outcome, taking all relevant circumstances into account.

Although our focus is on commercial and tax criminal law, the SwissLegal specialists working in this field cover all areas of criminal law. Some of them also have specialist knowledge in the field of military criminal law.

Damages, insurance

Liability, insurance, and pension law

Not all private or economic circumstances can be regulated in advance by contract. From time to time, something happens, whether negligently or even intentionally, whether in the private or economic sphere, for example in the case of liability as a member of the board of directors. This raises questions of liability and often also insurance law.

Insurance aspects also arise in connection with the risks of unemployment, disability, and death. This is accompanied by various legal and, not least, tax problems. The SwissLegal specialists help to solve them.

Careers and jobs

When recruiting young lawyers and specialists, SwissLegal focuses on innovative, dynamic, and honest personalities. As an employer, the organization promotes talent at all levels and offers them an exciting platform in a modern, rapidly growing group that is committed to the highest level of legal competence and diligence.

Our specialists

• Christine Boldi-Goetschy, lawyer and notary

• Prof. Dr. David Dürr, Attorney at Law and Notary

• Dr. Thomas Kaufmann, Attorney at Law

• Daniel Knecht, Attorney at Law

• Daniela Korody, Attorney

• Lisa Oberholzer, lawyer

• Dr. Sabine Pegoraro-Meier, Attorney

• Dr. Paul Rüst, Legal Consultant

• Dr. Frantisek J. Safarik, Swiss certified tax expert, licensed auditor

• Dr. Balz Settelen, Attorney at Law

• Dr. Peter Vetter, Attorney at Law