Lenz & Staehelin - Employment and Pensions

Lenz & Staehelin has more than twenty years of experience in employment and pensions, and is ranked by "PLC Which Lawyer?" as the leading law firm in this area in Switzerland. Thanks to its outstanding track record, our firm has been chosen to be the representative of Ius Laboris, a global network of law firms – not more than one per country – with outstanding expertise in human resources. Most other firms in the Ius Laboris network are boutiques specialized in HR issues.

In contrast to the boutiques, we can draw on in-house expertise covering the whole spectrum of business law including corporate, tax, tenancy, and intellectual property law. A full-service firm is particularly important given that the dividing line between employment, contract, equity and corporate law is increasingly blurred, for example during a restructuring, or when compensation includes share plans and stock options.

The Employment and Pensions practice group draws on Lenz & Staehelin’s long experience in all areas of private employment and public labor law, including litigation and arbitration. Our main activities cover the drafting of company rules and regulations, the legal aspects of executive compensation, and the complex issue of cross-border employee transfers to Switzerland. An understanding of the relevant social security systems is crucial, and for this we can call on the skills and experience of specialists trained in this area. We can also draw on an extensive network of leading foreign law firms. The Employment and Pensions practice group advises both employers and senior employees.

Lenz & Staehelin also advises clients on obtaining Swiss work permits for foreign nationals, a service underpinned by our firm’s tradition of maintaining good contacts with the national and cantonal immigration authorities.

Our work includes: