Wartmann Merker

Number of partners: 5

Number of lawyers: 13

Languages: English, French, German

Firm Overview:

The firm’s core area of practice is dispute resolution. It represents companies and individuals in court and administrative proceedings as well as in international and domestic arbitral proceedings. Members of the firm act as counsel or arbitrator in international and domestic arbitral proceedings. In addition, the firm advises small and mid-cap Swiss manufacturing, trading and service companies. It also acts for foreign corporations pursuing activities in Switzerland, notably in the financial and media sectors.

Main Areas of Practice:

Litigation & Arbitration

Recent assignments of the firm included, among other cases:

■ Representation of a UK company in the pursuit of claims exceeding USD 70 million under a steel trading contract, against a Swiss commodity trader, a subsidiary of a global mining and commodity trading group.

■ Assisting a foreign bank to recover over USD 225 million in assets that were unlawfully misappropriated.

■ Representing a private individual in a dispute with family members and a financial institution over claims related to inheritance division.

■ Acting for a Swiss bank in a lawsuit brought by 29 former clients, seeking over USD 20 million in damages related to loss-making investments made by their external asset manager.

■ Representation of a Swiss bank in its defence against an EUR 18 million claim involving alleged errors in a margin call.

■ Representing a litigation funder in matters concerning the recognition of orders issued by the English High Court.

■ Representation of a Swiss bank in its defence against a CHF 22 million claim arising from allegedly unjustified margin calls.

■ Supporting a global bank in defending itself against liability claims filed in the USA, applying Swiss law.

■ Acting as counsel for a Swiss bank in a post-M&A dispute before an ad hoc arbitral tribunal (amount in dispute > CHF 160 million).

■ Presiding arbitrator in two related proceedings under the Swiss Rules regarding claims arising from the non-delivery of steel (CISG and Swiss law; seat in Switzerland).

■ Acted as sole arbitrator in a dispute concerning claims arising from a technology licence (Vienna Rules).

■ Acting as counsel for a Turkish construction company in two ICC arbitration proceedings against a Qatari real estate and hotel company in relation to contracts concerning two luxury hotel projects (amount in dispute: USD 10 million).

■ Acting as chair of an arbitral tribunal regarding claims related to the dissolution of a partnership agreement (Swiss Rules).

■ Acted as counsel in arbitration proceedings concerning the dissolution of a joint venture agreement for an infrastructure project in Africa (Swiss Rules).

■ Representation of a pharmaceutical company in an M&A arbitration case (ICC Rules) against the seller (amount in dispute: CHF35 million).

■ Successfully defended a client against claims in a cross-border, multi-party M&A arbitration (Swiss Rules; value in dispute in excess of CHF 40 million).

Main Contact: Peter Reichart

Tel: +41 44 212 10 11

Email: [email protected]