Switzerland

Opportunities and Risks of Legal Changes 2011/2012 

Here you can find an overwiev of all the articles of the new edition.

 

All articles in German.

Company Law/ Mergers & Acquisitions/ Capital Market Law

Overview of the most important developments in Corporate Law

Therese Amstutz and Nadine Trachsler provide an overview of the recent topics in the Corporate Law.

 

Revision of the Stock Exchange Act

The new bill is aimed at creating standards hat efficiently sanction market abuse and accommodate international regulations.

 

Ad Hoc Publicity

The rules on ad hoc publicity are intended to ensure that issuers inform the public in a fair and transparent manner.

 

Successor wanted - have you ever thought about Private Equity?

If an internal family succession is not an option, financing will become increasingly important in the context of succession planning.

 

First experiences with the Capital Contribution principle

After almost one year under the regime of the new law regarding the new principle, it may be worth to have a first look at the experiences gained.

 

Delegation of board duties

Concerning various doctrines, the delegation if the board of directors duties to another board member may be possible under certain circumstances.

Financial Markets Law

Overview of the most important developments in the financial markets law

The political and economic climate also led in Switzerland to tightened regulations for Financial Services.

 

Revision of the Insurance Contract Act: the ten most relevant changes

Nowadays the over 100-year-old Insurance Contract Act (ICA) is revised. Silvan Meyer explains the opportunities and risks of the revision.

 

The Codification of the Swiss Investment Foundation

The codification of the investment foundation is an important achievement of the pension schemes regulation reform, as Dr. Armin Kühne explains.

Intellectual Property, Competition and Technology Law

Developments in the Anti-trust Law

The Federal Council will submit an amendment to the antitrust Act, which provides that a company can benefit from a reduction in penalties.

 

Cloud Computing - Contract arrangements from a Risk Management perspective Cloud computing contracts are not bound by any legal formalities, but its worth to observe certain and minimum standards.

Employment and Pensions

Selected developments in Employment Law

Overview on the current developments in the Swiss employment law.

 

Whistleblowing

An employee acting as a whistleblower is currently facing a situation of legal uncertainty, for Swiss law does not provide for a specific protection.

 

Employer's issues in times of the strong Swiss Franc

The strong Swiss franc and the weak economic climate present challenges to many employers in Switzerland.

Tax

Overview on tax law changes in Switzerland

An overview of the current developments in the Swiss tax legislation.

 

The Tax Agreements with Germany and the United Kingdom

Heiko Kubaile and Jürg Birri explain the current developments with regard to Switzerland's tax treaties with Germany and the United Kingdom.

 

Changes regarding Employee Stock Option Plans

In 2013, new legal provisions regarding the taxation of employee participation rights will enter into force, Jürg Birri and Philipp Zünd point out.

 

Lump-sum Taxation - Quo vadis?

Foreign citizens may under certain conditions opt for the so called lump-sum taxation.

 

Limited taxation for employees who are not tax domiciled in Switzerland

Michael Müller comments on the tax situation for foreign employees in Switzerland.

Other Legal Fields

General Terms and Conditions Content Reviews - How are companies affected?

On 1 July 2012 the revised Art. 8 UWG will enter into force. The law considers general terms and conditions to be unfair under certain circumstances.

 

Revision of the Real Estate Law - Overview of the Most Important Changes

This article covers the revision of real estate law which came into force on 1 January 2012.

 

The precautionary order and the inheritance dispose of the statutory share according to the new adult protection legislation

The existing guardianship legislation shall be replaced by the new adult protection legislation which will enter into force on 1 January 2013.

Order publication

German and French versions of the publication entitled "Chancen und Risiken rechtlicher Neuerungen 2011/12" may be ordered from Schulthess Verlag.

Legal

Legal problems are almost invariably part of a wider context.