Bär & Karrer

Bär & Karrer advised Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund on the sale of Hotelplan Group to DERTOUR Group and HomeToGo Group, subject to regulatory approval. The team is co-led by Dr. Christoph Neeracher and Dr. Luca Jagmetti and includes Benjamin Grunwald, Thomas Rohde, Dr. Philippe Seiler, Nicola Schön, Yascha Fengler and David Mark (all M&A), Susanne Schreiber, Patrick Schmid and Aron Liechti (all Tax), Markus Wang and Christine Schweikard (both IP/IT) as well as Mani Reinert and Tim D. Meyer (both Antitrust). Read more in our press release: https://lnkd.in/dTjhQiBK #baerkarrer #lawfirm #merger #acquisition

The Swiss Federal Council has decided not to introduce a Swiss equivalent of the EU AI Act, but to amend Swiss law where necessary and as sector-specific as possible. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘄? Ratification of the Council of Europe's Convention on AI: On 12 February 2025, the Swiss Federal Council committed to ratifying the Convention on AI and amending Swiss law where necessary. As an international treaty, the Convention is not self-executing, meaning it is not directly binding for private parties and does not establish private legal claims. Amendments to Swiss law will be necessary, for example, for transparency obligations or risk and impact assessments of AI systems. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀: The Federal Council's regulatory approach aims at • Reinforcing Switzerland as an Innovation Hub: Balancing regulatory certainty with adaptability to foster responsible AI innovation. • Safeguarding Fundamental Rights: Ensuring AI applications respect fundamental individual rights, particularly in data protection. • Increasing Public Trust in AI: Promoting transparency and accountability to bolster public confidence in AI technologies. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗻: '𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁': https://lnkd.in/d4SYDhsk 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀: Christian Kunz, Dr. Katharina Schreiber, Ferdinand Rombach #baerkarrer #ai #airegulation #aigovernance #aiact

Bär & Karrer advises the Shareholders on the Sale of Zwei Wealth Experts to Swiss Life. Swiss Life acquires Zwei Wealth Experts AG, a leading wealth office platform and advisory firm specializing in wealth management for HNWI and institutional clients such as foundations and family offices. The team is led by Dr. Christoph Neeracher and further includes Thomas Rohde, Dr. Philippe Seiler and Lazar Lepir (all M&A), Susanne Schreiber and Julian Hodel (both Tax) as well as Thomas Stoltz (Notary). Read more in our press release: https://lnkd.in/dAxE3sKq #baerkarrer #lawfirm #wealthmanagement #merger #acquisition

We are pleased to be ranked in Band 1 for our expertise in Corporate/M&A, Tax, Banking and Finance, Litigation, International & Cross-Border Disputes and International & Cross-Border Transactions. This year, we are particularly excited to see Ruth Bloch-Riemer earn her first ranking in Tax. Additionally, 18 of our lawyers have received top individual rankings, including: Rolf Watter (Band 1), Dr. Christoph Neeracher (Band 1), Susanne Schreiber (Band 1), Eric Stupp (Band 1), Dieter Dubs (Band 2), Ralph Malacrida (Band 2), Martin Anderson (Band 3), Daniel Bader (Band 3), Frederic Betrisey (Band 3), Peter Hsu (Band 3), Cesare Jermini (Band 3), Nadja Jaisli (Band 3), Andreas D. Länzlinger (Band 3), Mariel Hoch (Band 4), Raoul Stocker (Band 4), Aurélie Conrad Hari (Band 4), Dr. Philippe Seiler (Band 5) and Raphael Annasohn (Up and Coming). Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dvYNKubm #baerkarrer #chambersglobal #ranking #lawfirm

Bär & Karrer has secured prominent representation in the Private Client Global Elite Directory 2025. We congratulate our partners Hanna Brozzo, Ruth Bloch-Riemer, Aurélie Conrad Hari, Daniel Leu and Tina Wüstemann, along with Senior Associate Predrag Sunaric, on receiving this special recognition as leading practitioners in the private wealth industry.   Read more: https://lnkd.in/dq2_n6fU Daniel Bader, Matthias Bizzarro, Ruth Bloch-Riemer, Bottini Paolo, Hanna Brozzo, Cinzia Catelli, Aurélie Conrad Hari, Prof. Dr. Andrew Garbarski, Nadja Jaisli, Cesare Jermini, Daniel Leu, Thomas Stoltz, Christoph Suter, Massimo Vanotti, Tina Wüstemann, Andreas Bär, Dr. iur. Dominik Infanger   #baerkarrer #award #privateclient #estateplanning

In its decision 6B_525/2024 of 15 January 2025 (publication pending), the Swiss Federal Supreme Court held that law enforcement authorities must inform the accused of their right to remain silent and refuse cooperation before demanding access to information, such as PIN codes, to unlock electronic devices.   Key Considerations of the Federal Supreme Court: • Providing access to electronic devices is considered active participation in self-incrimination. • If a person is considered as a suspect, they must be informed of their right to remain silent and refuse cooperation. Informally asking for access data to bypass this obligation is a violation of the nemo tenetur principle. • Law enforcement cannot claim that asking for a PIN code is merely to facilitate a house search, as it still constitutes an interrogation in the material sense. • Any PIN code obtained without informing the suspect of their rights, and any evidence derived from it, is inadmissible.   Authors: Prof. Dr. Andrew Garbarski and Massimo Chiasera Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gfvgkJuu   #baerkarrer #criminallaw #nemotenetur #federalsupremecourt #criminaldefense

Bär & Karrer advised nVent Electric plc on the USD 1.7 billion sale of its Thermal Management business to funds managed by Brookfield Asset Management. The team was led by Ralph Malacrida and included Faton Aliu, Jorgos Boulamatsis, Flurina Tesch, Nikolaus Lange (all Financing), Cyrill Diefenbacher, Ruth Bloch-Riemer, Susanne Schreiber (all Tax), Markus Wang (Trademark), as well as Laura Widmer (Employment). Read more in our press release: https://lnkd.in/dMtgrbUM #baerkarrer #lawfirm #merger #acquisition

On 1 January 2025, the revised Swiss Civil Procedure Code has come into effect, introducing significant modernisation to Swiss civil justice through the integration of videoconferencing and the electronic transmission of audio and visual data. This reform aims to enhance judicial efficiency while ensuring procedural fairness. The key provisions focus on: • Enhancing cross-border dispute resolution by aligning Swiss procedural law with international standards and clarifying the use of videoconferencing in judicial assistance. • Improving cost and time efficiency by reducing travel expenses, optimizing judicial resources, and enabling more flexible scheduling. • Ensuring fairness and transparency by guaranteeing equal access to technology and upholding procedural safeguards. • Addressing conditions for videoconferencing, witness examination, and international judicial assistance by specifying its use in hearings and witness testimony, setting technical requirements, and addressing data protection concerns. The use of such means will ultimately always depend on the judge's discretion and require consent from the parties. Despite remaining challenges, this advancement however marks a significant step towards a more accessible and technologically integrated legal system in Switzerland. Authors: Aurélie Conrad Hari and Nadia Spang Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dasS46yh #baerkarrer #lawfirm #revisionCPC #internationalcommercialdisputes #litigation

On 1 May 2025, the protective measures that were introduced in response to the EU’s refusal to grant equivalence to Swiss stock exchanges will be lifted. This marks a significant shift for Swiss issuers and the Swiss financial market, effectively ending the de facto ban on dual listings in the EU that had been in place since 2019.   Our latest Legal Insight covers the key developments: • End of the EU dual listing ban: Swiss companies will once again be able to list their shares on EU stock exchanges. • Changes to the EU’s share trading obligation: The revised MiFIR no longer applies to Swiss shares, eliminating the original need for Switzerland’s countermeasures. • Recognition by FINMA remains relevant: EU trading venues will still need approval from FINMA under Art. 41a FinMIA, but major EU exchanges are expected to receive recognition swiftly. While this is a positive step for Swiss issuers, Swiss stock exchanges remain disadvantaged as the EU has still not recognized them as equivalent. It remains to be seen whether this will change following the currently ongoing finalization of the new bilateral treaties between Switzerland and the EU. Authors: Urs Kägi and Florian Schweighofer Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dvfnHccx #baerkarrer #swissfinance #duallisting #capitalmarkets #stockexchange

Bär & Karrer advised UNITED GRINDING Group on the agreement of a EUR 800 million acquisition and working capital credit facility with UBS Switzerland AG to finance the acquisition of the GF Machining Solutions business unit of Georg Fischer AG, a global leader in precision components, tools manufacturing, and mold-making solutions. The team was led by Ralph Malacrida and included Faton Aliu, Tim Salz and Jorgos Boulamatsis (all Financing). Read more in our press release: https://lnkd.in/dqDM9Wps #baerkarrer #lawfirm #financing #manufacturing