News

Banking and financial markets law: The pilot case of a PostFinance customer concerns a payment processing breakdown in connection with the online casino Jackpots.ch, which made headlines two years ago. Payment orders relating to play money purchases had not been executed for over two months. After discovering the glitch, PostFinance debited the stuck orders in a single day, driving around 1,000 online gamblers in Switzerland into massive negative balances. BGPartner has now achieved a far-reaching victory in a pilot case in the first instance. All debits that violated an overdraft limit, were made unlawfully. The court of first instance accuses PostFinance of a gross breach of duty. PostFinance will very likely appeal the ruling. The case was led by Kathrin Straub (Of Counsel).

Silvio Denz, majority shareholder and chairman of Lalique Group, together with entrepreneur Peter Spuhler, have acquired the Hotel Florhof, a Zurich hotel steeped in tradition. After a renovation in the Lalique style, the historical building will reopen its doors as ‘Villa Florhof’ in 2024 to offer guests its renowned hospitality and first-class gastronomy. Lalique Group will be operating the new hotel and restaurant as leaseholder.

Florhof has been one of the jewels in the city of Zurich’s hotel scene for more than 100 years, although the building’s history dates back much further. The origins of the patrician house in Florhofgasse, which is located between Zurich’s old town and the university quarter, can be traced back to the 16^th century. The property has served as a hotel since 1908 but the name ‘Florhof’ is a reference to the manufacturing and trading of silk that once took place on this site and was one of Zurich’s most important industries for many years. Florhof is today one of the last remaining silk yards in the city.

By acquiring Florhof, Silvio Denz and Peter Spuhler are securing its future as a hotel and restaurant. This comes after the previous owners, whose family had owned the property for almost 100 years, announced the closure of the business with effect from the end of July 2022.

The renowned hotel manager Tanja Wegmann will oversee the transformation and the reopening of the property as ‘Villa Florhof’, which is planned for early 2024.

BGPartner advised Silvio Denz in all legal matters regarding the acquisition of the Hotel Florhof. The team consisted of Oliver Gnehm (Partner) and Victoria Marty (Associate).

BGPartner | Attorneys-at-law advised a leading global employee-assistance program (EAP) provider on the successful acquisition of a leading European EAP provider and its subsidiaries.
 
The client of BGPartner is a global corporation taking care of the most valuable assets of an organization: its employees. The transaction is a category-defining match and will allow the Swiss-based target to further grow within the acquirer's global network of employee-assistance program providers.
 
The cross-border transaction (share deal) included the acquisition of the target's various foreign subsidiaries. Such transactions are only possible with a strong, trustful and well-rehearsed international network. Since 2006, BGPartner has relied on its partner law firms from the international LAWorld network.
 
Starting with the legal due diligence up to the successful signing and closing of the transaction, BGPartner not only advised the buyer strategically and operationally on all legal issues, but also successfully led the negotiations.
 
The BGPartner team was led by Dr. Alain P. Röthlisberger (Of Counsel). The team also included Thomas Gysin (Senior Associate), Livia Grass (Lawyer), Marie-Antoinette Aljinovic (Lawyer) as well as the LAWorld - The International Legal Network (act AC Tischendorf Rechtsanwälte, PENDL MAIR Attorneys at Law, Studio Corno, Avocate au Barreau de Paris).

The Jazz Brunch has been an annual highlight of BGPartner for over two decades, having achieved cult status. We are particularly proud that with this year’s edition, we were able to welcome a record-breaking attendance of over 300 guests from all over the world on one of the Swiss capital’s most famous landmarks, the Gurten Hill.
 
For the 22nd time we celebrated, enjoyed the jazz music and took the great opportunity to meet with our clients, business partners as well as families and friends in a relaxed atmosphere.
 
A big thank you to the perfect event organization of the Gurten - Park im Grünen and of course the jazz band of Imelda Gabs, who remained loyal to us over the years, despite her rising fame. Pictures Jazz Brunch 2022.  

As an integral part of BGPartner’s DNA, negotiating skills are a key success factor of our firm. To further strengthen our skills, all BGPartner lawyers and partners participated in an intensive two-day workshop focusing on the topic of negotiation. Amongst others, we made an in-depth analysis of our personal negotiation styles, got valuable insights into how successful negotiation teams are set-up and deepened our practice in mastering difficult negotiations, using real-life legal cases.
 
A fantastic workshop excellently facilitated, which not only helped us expand our expertise as lawyers and negotiators, but also was great fun for the entire team. Enjoy the video with some impressions and highlights from this event. Klick here for the Video.