Ernst F. Schmid

Luc Defferrard, partner with Walder Wyss since 2001, has been active in the finance and legal industry for many years. He mainly advises clients in domestic and cross-border mergers & acquisitions, financing, restructuring as well as in real estate and capital market. Luc Defferrard particularly focuses on private equity and venture capital transactions. He is regularly recommended by Chambers, Legal500 and IFLR1000. Chambers Europe describes him as "always available" and "very strong neg...

Monique Sturny is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Antitrust/Competition Law and Public Law. Monique, who practices law in Zürich, Switzerland, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Monique is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Managing Partner Jodok Wicki concentrates on dispute resolution, litigation and international arbitration. He heads the firm's dispute resolution group and leads also the litigation practice group of CMS. Jodok maintains an active practice of state court litigation and appellate proceedings in a variety of commercial matters, such as purchase and sales agreements, joint ventures, post M&A disputes, director and officer and auditor liability and product liability. He has also a particular ...

Martin Busenhart is a partner in the Tax Team. He advises on national and international tax matters and is specialised in domestic and international structuring of capital market transactions, acquisitions and divestments and tax-optimized structuring for relocations of entrepreneurs, partnerships and corporate groups. Martin Busenhart was educated at Zurich University (lic. iur. 1988) and graduated as Certified Tax Expert (1994). He has working experience as tax expert and tax partner with a...

Counsel Simone Brauchbar Birkhäuser advises and represents clients in connection with contentious and non-contentious issues relating to trademarks, designs, copyrights, patents, data protection, unfair competition and advertisement. She has substantial experience in the drafting and enforcement of contracts for the transfer of intellectual property rights, especially license agreements. She further regularly deals with all due diligence relevant IP/IT and data protection aspects of corp...

Markus Pfenninger is a partner in the Transactions Team. His fields of expertise include capital market transactions, mergers & acquisitions, finance, restructurings, collective investment schemes as well as banking and insurance regulatory matters. He is a member of the International Bar Association’s (IBA) Task Force on the Financial Crisis and a past chair of the IBA’s Subcommittee on Legal Opinions as well as a past co-chair of the IBA’s Banking Law Committee. Born i...

Stefan Brunnschweiler is the managing partner of CMS Switzerland and co-heads the CMS Corporate/M&A Practice Area Group. He was named one of the top 10 lawyers in Switzerland in the edition of “Who is Who” by Bilanz. Stefan Brunnschweiler specialises in international and domestic M&A transactions, venture capital, corporate restructurings, corporate law and general contract matters (e.g. joint ventures, partnerships and shareholders' agreements). He is experienced in a bro...

Dominique Gemperli's main practice areas are banking & financing, capital markets and restructuring. She has more than 10 years of experience in advising Swiss and international financial institutions, industrial enterprises and other companies in project financing, asset financing, corporate lending, real estate financing and acquisition financing. She further assists clients in regulatory matters and general contract and corporate law. Dominique graduated from the University of Zurich i...

Partner Stephan Werlen focuses on M&A and corporate law, joint ventures, MBOs, acquisition finance, venture capital transactions, corporate restructuring and corporate relocation. He has broad experience both in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions (including auction processes) and the financing of such transactions. In addition, he is an expert in W&I insurance transactions (M&A insurance) with a long track record in this area. Stephan Werlen also regularly advises...

Ivo Hungerbühler is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Antitrust/Competition Law and Insolvency and Reorganization Law. Ivo, who practices law in Zürich, Switzerland, has been recognized since 2011. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ivo is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.