Real Estate Law

Who's Who Legal

“A team that thinks in an entrepreneurial, proactive way.”

Chambers Europe

“Distinguished in the field of real estate finance, with a very hands-on, direct and punctual approach.”

Who's Who Legal

“Long-standing reputation for advising high-profile domestic and global clients.”

Legal 500

“Very responsive, meets deadlines and provides service focused to the client’s needs.”

Who's Who Legal

“Highly proficient, praised for speed, diligence and thorough understanding of the sector.”

Chambers Europe

“Very good for complicated real estate acquisition or property maintenance matters.”

Practice Group

Schellenberg Wittmer’s Real Estate Law Group has top-tier expertise in real estate matters covering all Switzerland. The team shows a particularly high degree of specialisation and knowledge, not only from a transactional side, but also in disputes in state courts and domestic and international arbitration. We are therefore able to provide our clients with cutting-edge, yet comprehensive advice in all types of real estate matters in Switzerland.

Expertise

Experience

Our real estate lawyers act as counsel in the following non-contentious matters:

  • Sale and purchase of commercial buildings (office, industrial and retail buildings, shopping centres, hotels and resorts)
  • Sale and purchase of residential properties
  • Sale and purchase of development sites and all legal aspects in relation to such developments
  • Sale and purchase of real estate portfolios
  • Sale and leaseback transactions
  • Real estate acquisitions through share deals
  • Advice to bidders at public and private auctions
  • Negotiation and drafting of complex commercial and retail leases
  • Advice to buyers and banks on the financing of real estate transactions

Our real estate team assists clients in due diligence reviews and in drafting, negotiating, implementing and enforcing all types of real estate contracts. We advise on real estate-related matters such as construction, environmental law, tax and administrative matters, mortgage rights and encumbrances on properties, and real estate owner’s liability. We have extensive experience

throughout the Swiss real estate sector in both the commercial and the residential property markets.

We represent clients in contentious matters such as:

  • Adjudication, conciliation and mediation proceedings pertaining to post-closure disputes
  • Litigation of post-closure disputes
  • Litigation and arbitration of lease disputes
  • Litigation of statutory liens disputes
  • Counsel to a large Swiss developer of office buildings, logistic centres and shopping centres, for the acquisition of an office property, and the negotiation, drafting and signing of the main lease with the Geneva branch of an international bank
  • Counsel to BASF in the sale of 120,000 m2 of development land in the city of Basel to Swiss Life in a complex two-tier auction process
  • Counsel to a large private bank for the sale of two office properties in canton Geneva
  • Counsel to Bouygues Construction in its acquisition of Alpiq Engineering Services for a purchase price of CHF 850 million
  • Counsel to a Chinese investor for the acquisition of an office and retail property in Geneva for more than CHF 30 million

 

 

  • Counsel to the Parker Hannifin group for the sale of its industrial contaminated site in Carouge, Geneva
  • Advise to Barana Group in the sale of the landmark building ‘Airgate’ in a multi-tier auction process to the city of Zurich for CHF 128 million
  • Counsel to SV Group AG on the conclusion of several lease agreements for hotel projects in several German and Swiss cities

Awards & Recognitions

The group and leading practitioners are highly ranked among leading law firms across international directories and publications:

  • Chambers Europe in Real Estate
  • Legal 500 in Real Estate & Construction
  • WWL Switzerland and across WWL Construction international guides
  • WWL Switzerland Firm of the Year Construction & Real Estate

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