Our multidisciplinary, multijurisdictional teams routinely assist Swiss clients in navigating simultaneous inquiries by Swiss, US, UK, and other authorities. We are adept at:

• Representation in governmental enforcement proceedings, congressional investigations, and internal investigations involving a variety of financial crimes and related allegations, including allegations of fraud, market manipulation, Anti-Terrorism Act violations, and regulatory and criminal money laundering, sanctions, and bribery and corruption violations in US and European forums;
• Managing civil litigation, class actions, and shareholder disputes;
• Coordinating internal reviews across jurisdictions, while respecting Swiss financial privacy and data protection laws;
• Successfully designing and implementing strategies for the lawful transfer of protected information to regulators or courts abroad; and
• Engaging with prosecutors and regulators to resolve matters efficiently and protect corporate and individual reputations.

Swiss engineering has a reputation of excellence, and Mayer Brown’s Intellectual Property Group has a long history helping protect and enforce the IP of these innovative companies. We regularly assist Swiss technology, medical device, consumer product, and food & beverage companies in navigating US and global intellectual property issues such as patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secrets. We are acutely skilled at helping Swiss companies handle global, high-stakes IP litigation against industry competitors. This includes building a worldwide strategy, litigating throughout US courts and agencies, and partnering with regional counsel to operate in any jurisdiction necessary.

Representative Matters

• Represented Galderma S.A. in US patent litigation involving injectable dermal filler products. Asserting Galderma’s US patents, we obtained a finding of infringement and damages against industry competitors.
• Represented Nestlé and Nestlé Nespresso S.A. in Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings, where we successfully invalidated numerous patents asserted by coffee competitor K-fee System GmbH.
• Represented Nestlé and Nestlé Nespresso S.A. in patent and antitrust litigation claims brought by competitor Ethical Coffee company. We successfully obtained dismissal of all claims with prejudice with Nestlé deemed the prevailing party and costs awarded, as well as dismissal of certain Swiss Nestlé entities for lack of personal jurisdiction.

Swiss multinationals and growth companies rely on Mayer Brown for transactions and ongoing strategic advice that spans continents and industries. Our team offers:

• Comprehensive M&A advice—from strategic acquisitions and divestitures to joint ventures and strategic alliances—grounded in deep sector knowledge;
• Guidance on US and European public and private securities offerings, including Rule 144A/Regulation S transactions and listings on the NYSE, Nasdaq and European exchanges;
• Counsel on venture capital financings, private placements and late-stage investments for life sciences, tech, fintech and industrial clients;
• Integrated tax, antitrust, employment, intellectual property and real estate support to address every facet of a deal and the complexities of operating in the global environment; and
• Counsel on sanctions, anti-corruption and financial crimes compliance.

Representative Matters

• Represented UBS AG in the sale of Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc., the mortgage servicing business of Credit Suisse Group AG, to a consortium led by a private equity company.
• Represented Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., a subsidiary of Nestlé S.A., in the purchase of substantially all of the assets of Seres Therapeutics, Inc.’s VOWST microbiome therapeutic business, in consideration for an up-front payment of $235 million, plus additional milestone payments aggregating $275 million, depending on the achievement of specified sales milestones and a related $15 million equity investment.
• Represented Nestlé Health Science in the acquisition of assets relating to, and the sole right to develop and commercialize, the enzyme CDX-7108, a potential new therapy for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, from Codexis, Inc.
• Represented Nestlé S.A. in its acquisition of a majority stake in Grupo CRM, a premium chocolate player in Brazil with more than 1,000 boutiques under the Kopenhagen and Brasil Cacau brands, from private equity firm Advent International, L.P.
• Represented Powerfleet in the acquisition of Movingdots GmbH, a developer of insurance telematics and sustainable mobility solutions, from Swiss Re.
• Represented a global biotechnology company in a licensing and collaboration agreement for a monoclonal antibody-based cancer therapy in certain territories involving an upfront payment in the hundreds of millions of dollars in addition to milestone payments and royalties.

Our Global Tax Team regularly advises Swiss financial institutions and their subsidiaries and branches on information reporting and US tax withholding obligations, including compliance with the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), the Qualified Intermediary (QI) regime, and other Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) frameworks such as the Common Reporting Standard (CRS). We counsel Swiss financial institutions on the practical impact of these regimes, help affected entities understand and meet their associated obligations, and work closely with clients to design and implement pragmatic policies and procedures that facilitate ongoing reporting and withholding compliance, including periodic FATCA and QI certifications. We also have extensive experience advising Swiss multinational corporations on the tax‑efficient structuring of US investments and operations, encompassing holding and financing structures, intellectual property and supply chain planning, cash repatriation and post‑acquisition integration, transfer pricing, bilateral advance pricing agreements, and strategies to optimize benefits under the US–Switzerland income tax treaty.

Our Private Clients Team regularly advises Swiss family offices and high‑net‑worth individuals on pre‑immigration tax planning, US–Swiss cross‑border trusts, estate and gift tax planning strategies, and the tax‑efficient structuring of multijurisdictional investments.

With Switzerland’s robust data-protection regime and its role as a leading technology hub, our lawyers help clients:

• Structure cross-border data transfers in compliance with the revised Federal Act on Data Protection, the EU General Data Protection Regulation, and sector-specific regulations;
• Respond to cyber incidents, including multijurisdictional breach notifications and interactions with regulators; and
• Negotiate complex technology, outsourcing and cloud-services agreements.