4 January 2022 – We are pleased to announce that our employees Simone Wetzstein and Martin Zobl have been appointed as Partners in our firm, effective from 1st of January, 2022.

Simone Wetzstein is a partner in the Employment Law Team. She advises national companies, international groups as well as private individuals on all aspects of employment law, in particular in connection with the drafting of employment contracts, compensation models, the termination of employment relationships and in the context of restructuring projects (transfers of undertakings, mass redundancies, etc.). In addition, Simone Wetzstein has many years of expertise in questions of personnel leasing/staffing agencies and obtaining work and residence permits. Simone Wetzstein also advises in the context of social security law issues related to employment law and represents parties in court. Finally, a particular focus of Simone Wetzstein’s work is on issues relating to various forms of discrimination and gender equality law.

Martin Zobl is a partner in the Regulated Markets, Competition, Technology & IP team. He specializes in public commercial law and administrative litigation. Martin Zobl has vast experience in the public sector and in regulated markets with a particular focus on public procurement, health care and life sciences, energy, infrastructure and transport as well as data protection. In addition, he benefits from an extensive track record in handling complex litigations before administrative bodies and courts on all federal levels. He speaks at conferences and publishes in his areas of expertise on a regular basis.

In addition, Laura Luongo has been promoted to Counsel and Nico Bernhard, Manuel Bigler, Regula Fellner, Ursina Gremminger, Grégoire Henriod, Matthias Lötscher, Yannick A. Moser, Rafal Szala, Valentin Wiesner and Dzevrije Zendeli have been promoted to Managing Associates. All promotions are effective as of 1st of January, 2022.

Laura Luongo is counsel in the Employment Law Team. She regularly advises and represents our clients in all aspects of employment law, including litigation matters, primarily complex employment disputes, whether for domestic or international clients. She also advises our clients on immigration, social security and insurance matters. Her expertise also includes succession law and advising international high-net-worth individuals on asset holding structures, estate planning, relocation and philanthropy.

Nico Bernhard is a managing associate in the Corporate/M&A team. His practice focuses on national and international M&A transactions and capital markets law (incl. IPOs). He further advises companies on restructuring as well as on general commercial, corporate (incl. corporate governance) and contract law matters, in particular in the areas of healthcare and life sciences, financial services as well as industry and commerce.

Manuel Bigler is a managing associate in the firms’ Technology & Intellectual Property (IP) group. He advises and represents clients in all aspects of IP law with a particular focus on trademark, patent and copyright law. His practice also includes unfair competition, media and advertising law. He regularly advises clients in negotiating IP and technology-related agreements, such as license agreements. Manuel Bigler is further specialized in representing clients in disputes before courts and state authorities.

Regula Fellner is a managing associate in the real estate team. She advises companies, private individuals and public sector clients on all aspects of real estate law with a particular focus on public construction and planning law, environmental law as well as public procurement law. Regula Fellner advises and represents clients both in courts and before administrative bodies. In addition, she regularly publishes and lectures in her fields of expertise.

Ursina Gremminger is a managing associate in the tax team. She is a lawyer and certified tax expert and holds a DAS in Swiss VAT. Ursina Gremminger advises companies, entrepreneurs and individuals in matters of national and international tax law as well as in matters of inheritance law, matrimonial property law and with regard to estate planning and settlements.

Grégoire Henriod is a managing associate in the Lausanne office of Walder Wyss. His areas of expertise include amongst others M&A, private equity and venture capital transactions. He is also active in the areas of financing and corporate law.

Matthias Lötscher is a managing associate in the Banking & Finance Team. He specializes in financial services law and regulation, including anti-money laundering regulation. Matthias advises financial institutions (i.e. banks, securities firms and asset managers) and other financial service providers on financial services and financial instruments. A particular focus of Matthias lies with asset management and all types of collective investment schemes. He also represents and advises domestic and international financial service providers in obtaining FINMA and other licenses and affiliations.

Yannick A. Moser is a managing associate in the Employment and Real Estate Team. His areas of expertise include employment law and tenancy law. In addition, he has many years of experience in questions of obtaining work and residence permits. He regularly advises and represents national companies, international groups as well as private individuals in all aspects of these practice areas, including litigation matters.

Rafal Szala is a managing associate in the Banking & Finance Team. He advises clients in connection with finance, restructuring and M&A transactions and more generally in banking, stock exchange and capital market law. Rafal Szala has been advising on various complex cross-border and national finance and M&A transactions in Germany and Switzerland involving large multinational clients. In finance, he focuses on corporate debt finance, acquisition finance and securitisations, as well as on questions regarding the Swiss and European banking supervisory law.

Valentin Wiesner is a managing associate in the Banking & Finance Team of Walder Wyss. He primarily advises domestic and international financial institutions, funds and corporations on corporate and acquisition financing. Another focus of his practice is advice on capital market transactions.

Dzevrije Zendeli is a managing associate in the Corporate/M&A-Team of Walder Wyss. Her practice focuses on domestic and international mergers & acquisitions, capital markets law, general commercial and corporate law and employment law matters.