First 45-minute meeting, CHF 200, deducted from the first invoice if you retain us.
Geneva Bar
CAS Digital Finance Law, UNIGE
Big Four and Geneva Public Prosecutor’s Office
French, English, German
Nine services, from shareholders’ agreements to commercial litigation. Business difficulties often stem from a document signed too quickly or a risk poorly assessed. An initial discussion lets us assess the stakes, the risks, the timing and the options available, in complete confidence.
When a contract turns into a dispute or an investigation targets the company, the matter moves to litigation and negotiation or to criminal defense, without leaving the firm.
For founders, 50/50 partners and minority investors. We draft or review the agreement, with deadlock, exit, pre-emption and valuation clauses written for the day the partners disagree.
50/50 or 51/49, what your shareholders’ agreement really changes →
For start-ups and SMEs opening their capital. Term sheet, capital increase, convertible loan, due diligence and negotiation of investor rights, without losing control of the company.
For entrepreneurs starting alone or with partners, and foreign groups setting up in Geneva. Choice of legal form (SA/AG or Sàrl/GmbH), articles of association, share capital and commercial register filing.
Deadlock on the board or at the general meeting, a partner who wants out or must be bought out. Civil and criminal risks assessed first, then negotiation of the exit and the share price, court action if needed.
For buyers and sellers of an SME, a shop or a restaurant. Due diligence, share or asset purchase agreement, warranties, transfer of the lease and contracts, payment terms.
Distribution, partnership, services and works contracts. Drafting, review and negotiation, with an eye on what happens if the other side does not perform.
Unpaid invoices, non-performance, disputed termination. Formal notice, debt enforcement, conciliation, proceedings before the Geneva courts or arbitration, including against debtors abroad.
SaaS or cloud contracts, failing IT providers, hacked access keys, AI agents acting outside their instructions. Disputing the bill, contractual liability and criminal complaint handled together.
Token issuance, Web3 foundations and companies, regulatory classification, SRO membership or FINMA licensing. A token is classified by its economic function, not its technology.
Matthias Traussnig worked at a Big Four firm and spent three years at the Office of the Public Prosecutor of the Canton of Geneva. He advises businesses knowing how a file is read on the day it is challenged, by a court, a prosecutor or a supervisory authority.
Contracts, articles of association and shareholders’ agreements drafted with the day they are challenged in mind.
Criminal mismanagement, directors’ liability, AML obligations. Risk areas are flagged before a criminal complaint brings them to light.
CAS in Digital Finance Law (UNIGE) and blockchain certification. Technology and crypto projects are analyzed down to their mechanics.
Legal advice designed as a decision-making tool, taking operational and financial constraints into account.
Drawn from the firm’s matters, anonymized. Each card leads to the page or article that deals with the situation.
Two founders set up their SA in Geneva. The articles of association say little about the day the partners stop agreeing. Capital, governance, deadlock rules and exit terms were therefore set out in a shareholders’ agreement before the deed was signed at the notary’s office.
Shareholders’ agreements, 50/50 or 51/49 → 02 · ContractsPartnerships, incoming investors, construction and service contracts. Price, warranties and exit terms are settled at the negotiating table. We review the other side’s draft, weigh the risks with the client and negotiate the clauses that will matter if a dispute arises.
Corporate law & M&A → 03 · DigitalA Swiss company’s access keys were hacked and used at its expense. The cloud bill reached several hundred thousand francs. It was challenged with the provider and a criminal complaint was filed, the two proceedings pursued in parallel, each one supporting the other.
Read the analysis → 04 · CompaniesA partner leaves a Geneva staffing agency, a business that requires a license. The exit was prepared in advance, including the buyout of the shares, so the company carried on without interruption and kept its licenses.
Corporate law & M&A → 05 · LitigationA founder leaves his employer and starts his own company. The former employer accuses him of disparaging its business and poaching its clients. We defend the founder and his new company, on unfair competition as well as on the non-compete clause.
Litigation and negotiation → 06 · LitigationA debt owed by someone based outside Switzerland is recovered where the debtor’s assets are. Formal notices in French and English were sent from Geneva, ahead of proceedings before the courts of the debtor’s country, where the judgment can be enforced.
Litigation and negotiation →« His advice, his rigour and his ability to answer our questions quickly allowed us to move forward calmly at every stage of setting up our company. »
Every matter is different. The outcome of a past case does not predict the outcome of another.
The minimum capital is CHF 100,000 for an SA (company limited by shares), of which CHF 50,000 must be paid in, and CHF 20,000 for a Sàrl (limited liability company). A Sàrl makes its members visible in the commercial register and makes transfers of shares more cumbersome. An SA keeps shareholders anonymous and makes it easier for investors to come in. The right choice depends on who will join the capital within three years, not only on the starting capital.
Yes, in principle. Proceedings on the merits are preceded by an attempt at conciliation before the conciliation authority (Art. 197 CPC), subject to statutory exceptions. That is often where the case settles or where positions are set. We prepare the application and the hearing as a hearing in its own right, not a formality.
Yes, any company that processes personal data in Switzerland, since September 1, 2023. Privacy notice, contracts with processors, a record of processing activities from 250 employees or where processing is high-risk, and an impact assessment for high-risk processing. We review your situation and deliver the documents.
It depends on the token’s economic function, not on its technology. FINMA distinguishes payment, utility and asset tokens. An asset token is treated as a security, and a payment token triggers the Anti-Money Laundering Act. We classify the token, submit an inquiry to FINMA where useful and structure the issuance accordingly.
Banking, asset management, securities dealing, collective investment and insurance activities require a license. Since 2020, independent asset managers and trustees fall under FinIA and must be licensed. We classify your activity and, if a license is required, we prepare the application.
A first 45-minute meeting, at CHF 200, lets us assess the stakes, the risks, the timing and the options available, in complete confidence. The amount is deducted from the first invoice if you retain us.
First 45-minute meeting, CHF 200, deducted from the first invoice if you retain us.