Kellerhals Attorneys at Law and Carrard & Associés (Lausanne, Switzerland) have announced that their firms have merged to form Kellerhals Carrard as of 1 September 2015.
Kellerhals Carrard now has over 120 lawyers and a total of over 200 employees at its main locations in Zurich, Basel, Berne and Lausanne/Sion as well as its representative offices in Shanghai and in Binningen (for notarial services). The firm, whose roots date back to 1885, now ranks 5th on the list of the largest law firms in Switzerland. It will offer its clients comprehensive legal services throughout all of Switzerland.
Carrard & Associés is, in addition to its core practice of consulting and litigation in commercial law matters, an international leader in sports law.
By strengthening its resources in the fields of corporate law, public and private takeovers, complex litigation and sports law, the new firm, which has steadily grown in past years, will maintain and strengthen its position on the legal market in the future.
Beat Brechbuehl, Managing Partner of Kellerhals Attorneys at Law and soon of Kellerhals Carrard, notes: “It doesn’t matter to international clients where a lawyer’s office is located; what matters is legal expertise, quick availability and pragmatic solutions. For Swiss clients, however, a firm’s local connections are important. Through the merger with Carrard and our entry into the dynamic and growing economic region around Lake Geneva, we are taking our clients’ needs into account – and increasing our attractiveness as an employer for young talent”.
Jean-Philippe Rochat, Managing Partner of Carrard & Associés, adds: “In the past few years, we have been able to grow and develop our firm and build up a solid international network, making us well-known as an important player in French-speaking Switzerland. With our entrepreneurial approach to legal consulting, which our Swiss German colleagues share, we are confident that we will be able to rise to any challenge on the Swiss legal market to the benefit of our clients”.
Both firms emphasise that their spirit of enterprise, a shared business-centred approach and interpersonal understanding are the three decisive factors in the success of this merger, which transcends language barriers.
