FRORIEP and MLL announce merger to take place in 2021
The Swiss law firms FRORIEP and Meyerlustenberger Lachenal (MLL) plan to merge in 2021, creating a new top-tier commercial law firm in Switzerland. A total of 155 lawyers will provide Swiss and international law advice to clients from four Swiss locations in Zurich, Geneva, Zug and Lausanne, and from its international offices in London and Madrid. The new firm will have a strong focus on high-tech, innovative and regulated sectors and counts 251 employees. With 14 female partners, the new practice will also have by far the highest share of female partners of any Swiss commercial law firm.
As a press release reports, “combining the expertise of FRORIEP and MLL, the new law firm consolidates and strengthens the existing pool of know-how in the traditional areas of business law, such as Mergers & Acquisitions, Finance, Dispute Resolution and Intellectual Property (IP)”. The new firm will also be able to draw on unparalleled expertise in innovative sectors such as Fintech, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence, in addition to IP-rich and regulated sectors such as Life Sciences, Telecommunications, Financial Services, Real Estate, and Retail & Luxury.
The new law firm will have a very strong international profile. The offices in London and Madrid provide services on the ground to foreign clients active in the Swiss market. These outposts are key links in the new firm’s high-quality international network, which also provides bespoke assistance to Swiss clients working in international markets. The six members of the Board of Directors, comprised of representatives of both law firms and from across the larger offices, will be Dr Alexander Vogel (Chairman), Nicola Benz, Dr Hubert Orso Gilliéron, Dr Simon Holzer, Daniel Schoch and Philippe Prost. The firm will be managed by seven members of the Executive Board, headed by the two co-managing partners Jean Marguerat (pictured left) and Michael Ritscher (pictured right). The Executive Board also has a balance of members from both law firms and from the German- and French-speaking regions of Switzerland.
