Switzerland

Our Swiss lawyers advise clients on some of the most significant matters in the European market. Most recently we advised the Mövenpick Group and Kingdom Holding Company on their sale of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts to AccorHotels.

Our team from multiple jurisdictions advised listed Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG) on the acquisition of all issued shares in Swiss-headquartered Duagon AG, a leading independent provider of network components, and our pan-European team advised Cosmo Pharmaceuticals N.V. on its successful debut offering in the Eurobond markets placement of EUR 175 million senior unsecured convertible bonds.

Our Swiss lawyers acted for 44 Swiss banks, negotiating with the US Department of Justice and addressing potential tax evasion liabilities. The group of cases was recognised as one of the top "Global Disputes of the Year" by American Lawyer in 2015, with Baker McKenzie being the most active law firm in Switzerland in this area.

With offices in Zurich and Geneva, Baker McKenzie is one of the largest law firms in Switzerland. Our offices have been an integral part of the Swiss legal landscape for more than 50 years, firmly establishing us as a prominent force for our domestic and foreign clients. With more than 130 lawyers, we are the go-to firm for Swiss companies, multinationals and financial institutions seeking domestic and cross-border advice in Corporate Law, M&A, Tax, Dispute Resolution, and on Financial Services and Regulation. The quality of our work is reflected in the recognition we receive within the legal community. Our Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate/M&A, Real Estate, and Restructuring & Insolvency and Tax practices have been top ranked by Chambers and Legal 500, respectively. We are also a leading practice in Switzerland in the areas of Labor, Employment & Immigration Law.

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Overview

Helping the communities where we operate is an integral part of our work. Therefore, we are committed to having a positive impact on both our global and local community through our Corporate Social Responsibility program comprising three pillars: pro bono and community service, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability.

Pro bono and community service

• Since education is not self-evident, Baker McKenzie Zurich launched an initiative called BakerSupportsEducation to support Aiducation, an established non-profit organization for educational development. By granting performance grants, Aiducation enables talented but in-need young people in the Philippines and Kenya to attend high school. Baker McKenzie Zurich supports this initiative by funding two four-year scholarships in Kenya.
• As part of our commitment, we work closely with the University of St. Gallen’s law school to help educate the next generation of lawyers. We sponsor students’ participation in the Willem C. Vis Moot Court, and many of our professionals participate in various programs to coach and mentor law students.

Diversity and inclusion

• Our offices are also known for their multifaceted commitment to diversity and inclusion. Since our inception, we have boosted diversity awareness and inclusion practices every single day. We will continue to do everything possible to create the best environment for all of our employees. While our approach to diversity and inclusion is multifaceted, the three main areas on which we focus are: ethnic and cultural diversity, gender diversity, and LGBT diversity.

Sustainability

• We understand that being responsible global citizens means protecting our environment. With this understanding, in our two Switzerland offices we continue to implement initiatives to reduce our environmental footprint. In Zurich, for example, our professionals work in a "Minergie-P" standard building, which has been completely shifted to energy efficient lighting. Furthermore, our lawyers and staff participate in a building-wide recycling program and we have numerous "Go Green" strategies, which include encouraging our staff to conserve energy and resources.

On a global level

One of the major benefits of being a global law firm is having the bandwidth and resources to help people through our work in lots of places and on large-scale projects. Through our Corporate Social Responsibility program, we inspire Firm colleagues to make a difference, and collaborate with clients who share the same commitment to social justice. Our Firm is also a signatory of the UN Global Compact, pledging to support 10 universally accepted human rights, labor, anti-corruption, environment and sustainability principles.

Find out more about our Global CSR initiatives

Would you like to know what your personal "Life with Baker" would look like?

With us, you are part of an international team. You are in regular contact with our global offices around the world and get an insight into the vibrant everyday life of a global corporate law firm. We offer you flexible career models at the different stages of your life. All this in an atmosphere in which we take different cultural backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking seriously and make optimum use of this diversity. From the very first day you start with us, you will be given the opportunity to work with exciting clients – at the client's site, often cross-border and always cutting edge.

In addition, we attach particular importance to professional and personal training and the further education of our employees – both in Switzerland and abroad. From the very first day, you are accompanied by a mentor and take part in numerous hard and soft skills training courses at our in-house university. Within the first half of the year, you will attend the European New Joiner Meeting: together with young associates from all over Europe, you will visit and become familiar with one of our European offices, learn the strategy of our law firm, and be trained in hard and soft skills. In the following years, you will attend the European Junior Associate Meeting and the European Mid-Level Associate Meeting. As part of the Associate Training Program (ATP), you can even work from 4 to 12 weeks or for up to a year in one of our global offices and get to know other Baker McKenzie locations. Secondments to clients working as part of the clients' legal team in their offices complete the diverse range of training opportunities at Baker McKenzie.

Are we your choice? Check out our Switzerland career opportunities