Kellerhals Carrard partners and counsels appointments for 2022  

Kellerhals Carrard has announced the appointment of eight new partner and three new counsels. 

Meet the new partners 

Martin Föhse first joined Kellerhals Carrard in 2015. He specialises in constitutional and administrative law. He advises companies, federal, cantonal and municipal authorities as well as private individuals, also as an representative in court proceedings and in front of regulatory and administrative authorities. 

Föhse is an expert in energy law in Switzerland. As former head of legal services at the Swiss Federal Office of Energy and responsible for the legal implementation of the federal government’s Energy Strategy 2050. His experience includes handling complex legislative projects and in administrative organisational issues. He supports communities and public institutions in such projects both in drafting of legislation and in strategic issues. 

Costante Ghielmetti joined the firm in Sept 2021. He advises legal entities and individuals in the field of national and international tax law. His activities extend in particular to tax assistance in m&a transactions, tax litigation and advice in the context of business generational changeover. 

Claudio Helmle joined the firm in 2012. He is a consulting and a litigation lawyer in the life sciences sector. He counsels clients particularly on health law and on drug law. 

Furthermore, Helmle advises clients in the areas of torts and product liability law, competition law, contract law, social security law, general civil and administrative law as well as on issues of national and international civil procedure law. 

Jean-Christophe Hocke joined Kellerhals Carrard in January 2022 from Python & Peter, where he practiced law for the past 26 years. He advises mostly entrepreneurs, HNWI, medium size companies and family offices on all types of commercial and corporate matters, and in relation with private equity and real estate investments. Jean-Christophe Hocke also regularly advises clients on their relocation to Switzerland, and on shareholder and family member related matters in the context of domestic and international investments. He also has significant expertise in residential and commercial real estate projects, including the hotel industry. 

Nicolai Nuber joined the firm in 2014. His practice focuses on corporate and contract law, m&a and commercial law. 

Moreover, as a member of the Startup Desk of Kellerhals Carrard Zurich, Nicolai offers advice to entrepreneurs and investors in connection with financing rounds and questions of general contract law, employment law and commercial law. 

Michèle Remund-Ludwig first joined the firm in 2010. She has many years of experience in corporate and tax law and regularly assists clients in m&a transactions. She is also a member of Kellerhals Carrard’s Startup Desk and advises start-ups in particular in connection with employee shareholdings, financing rounds and various other issues. 

Isabelle Romy joined Kellerhals Carrard in May 2021. Her practice focuses on international litigation, arbitration and private international law in commercial matters. She is also a leading expert in environmental and construction law in Switzerland, and regularly advises private companies and public bodies in these areas, including in environmental litigation. Romy regularly acts as an expert on issues of environmental law and international procedural law in Swiss courts as well as in proceedings before foreign courts. 

Nicolas Zbinden started with Kellerhals Carrard in 2015. His practice is dedicated to sports law. He has represented WADA, International Federations and other sports organisations in more than a hundred cases before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the Swiss Federal Tribunal and other courts. Zbinden also advises sports organisations with respect to regulatory and governance matters. In particular, he was part of the drafting team of WADA’s 2021 International Standard for Results Management and is a member of the Anti-Doping Commission of the International Weightlifting Federation. 

Meet the counsels 

Christine Bassanello joined the firm in October 2021. She has long-standing experience in all areas of private and public employment law, public personnel law and immigration law. Bassanello advises and represents individuals and companies with national and international backgrounds. 

Melanie Huber joined the firm in 2010. She specialises in all employment and collective labour law matters (Certified Specialist SBA Employment Law). She is also active in the area of general contract law. Melanie Huber is dedicated to her clients in an advisory capacity as well as in her role as a litigator. 

Anne-Gabrielle Piaget has been a part of the firm since 2002. She assists clients in contractual matters, corporate law, commercial law and employment law. Her practice has also developed in the area of mergers and acquisitions. In addition to her practice in advising companies, she is active as well in the field of estate law and deals with the liquidation of international estates.