Marcel Meinhardt Partner, Head of Competition
Dr. iur., Attorney at Law, LL.M.

Marcel Meinhardt

Partner, Head of Competition
Dr. iur., Attorney at Law, LL.M.
+41 58 450 80 00
marcel.meinhardt@lenzstaehelin.com
Zurich
Brandschenkestrasse 24
CH-8027 Zurich
www.lenzstaehelin.com
  • Expertise

    Dr. Marcel Meinhardt is a partner and leading expert in competition law. Based at our firm’s Zurich office, he heads up the Competition and Regulated Market practice group and specialises in all areas of Swiss and European merger control work and competition law. His practice spans sectors including postal services, insurance, banking, automotive, green energy, media, retail, construction, pharma, ticketing and IT. He also advises on regulatory issues in the electricity, environmental and gas industries. Over the years, Marcel has acted in many high profile cases including numerous phase I and phase II merger notifications to the Swiss Competition Commission – most recently in the context of infrastructure joint ventures in the electric car industry. He has also co-ordinated multi-jurisdictional merger filings. 

    Marcel was named "Lawyer of the Year – Competition & Antitrust" at the Legalcommunity Awards Switzerland 2023. He was elected as one of Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers 2022, which lists independently rated lawyers. He was recognised again as Lawyer of the Year 2022 by Best Lawyers in the categories of Antitrust/Competition Law, Energy Law and Regulatory Practice. In 2020 he was awarded the Client Choice Award in the category Competition & Antitrust Switzerland. He has also been recognised by Chambers and Partners as a leading lawyer in the field of Competition/Antitrust. Marcel is listed in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame as one of only four Swiss Competition lawyers to have received constant praise by clients for continued excellence and for reaching 'the pinnacle of the profession'. In Chambers 2021, he was listed as an outstanding practitioner with market-leading expertise.

  • Practices

  • Professional Experience and Education

    and Education

    2002Partner, Lenz & Staehelin
    1996Joined Lenz & Staehelin
    1996University of Zurich (Dr. iur.)
    1995College of Europe (LL.M.)
    1994New York University School of Law (LL.M.)
    1992Swiss Bar Admission
    1990University of St.Gallen (lic. iur.)
  • Specialist Areas

    Competition, General Contract and Corporate, Energy and Regulated Markets, Litigation, Public Procurement, Telecoms & Media, Internal Investigations
  • Languages

    German, English, French
  • Memberships

    Swiss Association for Competition Law (ASAS), Zurich Bar Association (ZAV), Swiss Bar Association (SAV), Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht eV., International Bar Association (IBA), American Bar Association (ABA)
  • SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

    • Meinhardt Marcel, Merkt Benoît, Waser Astrid, Merger Control 2024 - Switzerland, in: Getting the Deal Through, May 2023
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Lenggenhager Fadri, Bribery & Corruption 2023 - Switzerland, in: Global Legal Insights, 10th edition, December 2022, 230-240
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Walz Claudia, New agreement boosts cooperation between Swiss and German competition authorities, in: Kluwer Competition Law Blog, 10 November 2022
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Waser Astrid, Merkt Benoît, Weber Ueli, The Dominance and Monopolies Review 2022 - Switzerland, in: The Law Reviews, 10th edition, June 2022, 387-405
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Swiss Foreign Investment Control on the Horizon - Federal Council Issues Preliminary Draft Legislation, in: Kluwer Competition Law Blog, 27 May 2022
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Waser Astrid, Merkt Benoît, Süslü Sinem, Cartels 2022 - Switzerland, in: The Legal 500 Country Comparative Guides, April 2022
    • Merkt Benoît, Meinhardt Marcel, Competition Inspections in 21 Jurisdictions - A Practitioner's Guide - Switzerland, in: Jalabert-Doury (ed.), Concurrences, Antitrust Publications & Events, 267-282
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Waser Astrid, Travaglini Sandro, Kommentierung von Art. 10 KG, in: Amstutz/Reinert (eds.), Basler Kommentar, Kartellgesetz, 2nd edition, Basel 2021
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Merkt Benoît, Waser Astrid, Cartels 2021 - Switzerland: Trends & Developments, in: Chambers Global Practice Guides, July 2021, 2-8
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Waser Astrid, Joho Damian, Telecoms & Media 2019 - Switzerland, in: Getting the Deal Through, June 2019, 200-206
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Merkt Benoît, Waser Astrid, The Cartels and Leniency Review 2019 - Switzerland, in: The Law Reviews, 7th edition, February 2019, 281-289
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Merkt Benoît, Waser Astrid, Cartel Regulation 2017 - Switzerland, in: Getting the Deal Through, November 2016, 265-272
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Waser Astrid, Cabalzar M., Global Antitrust Compliance Handbook - Switzerland, in: Multi-Jurisdictional Guide, Oxford University Press, 1st edition, Oxford 2014
    • Waser Astrid, Meinhardt Marcel, Kern R., The Government Procurement Review 2014 - Switzerland, in: The Law Reviews, 2nd edition, London 2014
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Bremer F., The Swiss ComCo closes proceedings without further action against a Swiss individual with a formerly controlling stake in companies investigated for a possible abuse of a dominant position, in: e-Competitions Bulletin November 2013, art. no. 64052
    • Waser Astrid, Meinhardt Marcel, Konzerne und Wettbewerbsrecht, in: Entwicklungen im Gesellschaftsrecht VIII, Bern 2013
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Bischof J., Zusammenschlussverbot Orange/Sunrise - Fehl- oder Leitentscheid der schweizerischen Wettbewerbskommission?, in: Wirtschaft und Wettbewerb WuW, issue 11, 4 November 2011, 1089
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Schwibs N., Standardisierte Verträge im Stromhandel - der EFET-Rahmenvertrag, in: Stromhandel, Zurich 2007, 103-119
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Ahrens J.-M., Wettbewerbsrecht und Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit in der Schweiz - Eine Würdigung des Entscheids des Bundesgerichts vom 8. März 2006, in: SchiedsVZ Zeitschrift für Schiedsverfahren, 4/2006
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Nachfragemacht nach revidiertem Kartellrecht, in: Jusletter 17 October 2005
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Organisation des Einkaufs, in: Geiser/Krauskopf/Münch (eds.), Schweizerisches und Europäisches Wettbewerbsrecht - Handbuch für die Anwaltspraxis, Basel 2005
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Waser Astrid, The Revised Swiss Competition Law, Direct Fines, Leniency and Notification, in: European Competition Law Review 2005, 48
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Kommentierung von Art. 5, 6, 22 FusG (Commentary on Certain Articles of the Merger Act), in: Watter/Vogt/Tschäni/Daeniker (eds.), Basler Kommentar zum Fusionsgesetz, Basel 2004
    • Meinhardt Marcel, Die Beschränkung nationaler Immaterialgüterrechte durch Artikel 86 EG - Vertrag unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der essential facilities doctrine, Doctoral Thesis Zurich, Bern 1998
  • Other Activities

    • Board member of the Swiss Association for Competition Law (Swiss member of the International League of Competition Law)

    • Regular speaker at Swiss and international competition law conferences

    • Non-Governmental Advisor for the Swiss Competition Commission within the International Competition Network (ICN)

  • Contact Details

  • Other Activities

    • Board member of the Swiss Association for Competition Law (Swiss member of the International League of Competition Law)

    • Regular speaker at Swiss and international competition law conferences

    • Non-Governmental Advisor for the Swiss Competition Commission within the International Competition Network (ICN)

  • References

    Marcel Meinhardt is extremely bright, smart, fast, clever, strategy-oriented. He has huge know-how and experience – genial.

    Legal 500, 2021

    He is a very quick and smart thinker; he is pragmatic and thorough.

    Chambers, 2021

    He is probably one of the most competent specialists for competition and antitrust law in Switzerland.

    Legal 500, 2020

    Marcel Meinhardt is just brilliant. Collaboration with him is a pleasure.

    Legal 500, 2020

    He is very good at managing the whole case on behalf of the client.

    Chambers, 2020

    Highly qualified, quick, technically and socially competent, co-operative, engaged

    Legal 500, 2020

    A 'go-to lawyer' and 'excellent communicator'.

    Who's Who Legal, 2020

    Very quick and smart thinker with great analytical skills

    Client Choice, 2020

Marcel Meinhardt is extremely bright, smart, fast, clever, strategy-oriented. He has huge know-how and experience – genial.

Legal 500, 2021

He is a very quick and smart thinker; he is pragmatic and thorough.

Chambers, 2021

He is probably one of the most competent specialists for competition and antitrust law in Switzerland.

Legal 500, 2020

Marcel Meinhardt is just brilliant. Collaboration with him is a pleasure.

Legal 500, 2020

He is very good at managing the whole case on behalf of the client.

Chambers, 2020

Highly qualified, quick, technically and socially competent, co-operative, engaged

Legal 500, 2020

A 'go-to lawyer' and 'excellent communicator'.

Who's Who Legal, 2020

Very quick and smart thinker with great analytical skills

Client Choice, 2020

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