Six new partners join Valfor
As of January 2025, Valfor will be joined by six new partners. Four from the Lausanne-based law firm Mercuris Avocats, Olivier Cherpillod, Jean-Michel Clerc, Martine Loertscher, Maxime Rocafort (joining the Pully’s office) and two more, one from Lalive, Deborah Hondius, and Nicolas Gurtner, from Canonica & Partners.
The new partners specialise in commercial law, tax, and dispute resolution, white-collar crime, and contractual matters. The former Mercuris’ partners will join the firm’s Pully office, while Hondius and Gurtner will be based in Geneva.
The profiles
Olivier Cherpillod has co-founded Mercuris Avocats, firm where he is a partner. He is a business law expert with extensive experience in general contract law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, and labor and immigration law. He provides legal assistance for structured transactions, including company purchases, mergers, demergers, and financial reorganizations. Furthermore, he advises Swiss and foreign clients on setting up, running, or closing subsidiaries in Switzerland. Additionally, Cherpillod is active in regulatory compliance for the health and financial sectors and serves as an auditor for the Swiss Bar and Notary Associations regarding money laundering. Before co-founding Mercuris Avocats, he was a founding partner of Lexartis Avocats from 2004 to 2017. He held senior positions at RWB Attorneys-at-law and KPMG Legal, with earlier practice at Des Gouttes & Associés in Geneva.
Jean-Michel Clerc is a lawyer specializing in national and international tax, focusing on establishing foreign businesses in Switzerland and tax planning for corporations and individuals using special tax regimes. Clerc is registered as a financial intermediary under the Federal Act against Money Laundering and serves on the boards of various multinational companies. He co-founded Lexartis and Mercuris Avocats.
Martine Loertscher is an expert in labor law at the Swiss and European levels, covering employment contracts, restructuring, litigation, and work permits. She has also gained expertise in social insurance law related to labor issues, including unemployment, old age insurance, and private loss of earnings insurance. Additionally, Loertscher is an expert in immigration matters, including work permits, family reunification, and obtaining Swiss nationality. Her background also includes significant experience in business law, particularly in contract drafting and litigation. Before co-founding Mercuris Avocats with Jean-Michel Clerc and Olivier Cherpillod, she was a partner at Lexartis Avocats since 2012. She held senior legal roles at Logitech Europe SA, RWB Avocats, and KPMG Legal Lausanne.
Maxime Rocafort, before becoming a partner at Mercuris Avocats in 2021, founded MR Avocats Associés in Lausanne in 2014 and later in Geneva with Stéphane Voisard in 2015. The firm evolved into VR Avocats Associés in 2017.
Deborah Hondius has been working at Lalive since 2018. She is a Swiss-qualified lawyer with experience in domestic and international litigation and internal investigations. Her practice encompasses asset recovery, white-collar crime, cybercrime, compliance, and mutual assistance in criminal matters. Hondius represents corporate and individual clients before Swiss courts, prosecution offices, and regulatory authorities.
Nicolas Gurtner has been working at Canonica & Partners since 2011, focusing on criminal law (both Swiss and international) and complex civil procedures.
