With offices in Geneva, Zurich and Lausanne, Lenz & Staehelin has built itself a solid presence in the cantons of Zurich, Geneva and Vaud with German and French representation. Furthermore, the firm controls a healthy portion of the market in Geneva and this is a salient point because many of the top end firms have a limited presence in Geneva, if any at all....
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With offices in Geneva, Zurich and Lausanne, Lenz & Staehelin has built itself a solid presence in the cantons of Zurich, Geneva and Vaud with German and French representation. Furthermore, the firm controls a healthy portion of the market in Geneva and this is a salient point because many of the top end firms have a limited presence in Geneva, if any at all. "They are [among] the leading firms in Switzerland," one partner says.
The firm advises on all aspects of banking and finance with a penchant for various securitisation transactions, structured and collateralised finance, lease finance and structured secured acquisition financings. "Stefan Breitenstein from Lenz, he is the head of banking and he is an outstanding person. He is out in the front and visible," one partner says. One highlight saw the firm advise export credit agencies and lenders on the €7.4 billion financing of the Nord Stream (a Swiss based company) gas pipeline project. The pipeline will link Russia to Germany by way of the Baltic Sea. The firm is also very active in capital markets work and advised Sateri Holdings in its $430 million IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
In M&A, the firm is proficient in domestic and cross-border private and public transactions. Lenz & Staehelin has also displayed its abilities for private equity work. The firm was involved in the leading private M&A transaction of the previous year when it advised TDC (Tele Danmark), who had entered into an agreement for investment funds with CVC Capital Partners (advised by CVC) to acquire Sunrise Communications for SFr3.3 billion (€2.9 billion). Rudolf Tschäni's peers have been full of praise for him. "Tschäni from Lenz belongs to the Zurich magic circle," one peer says.
The firm's restructuring and insolvency capacity continues to move from strength to strength as it regularly advises individual and corporate creditors in enforcing their rights in Swiss insolvency proceedings. The firm has amassed wide ranging skills in national and cross-border corporate and debt restructuring to advise companies seeking to avoid financial collapse. "The Lenz people are clearly leaders here," one partner says. This year, the firm has acted for many of the major creditors and financial institutions in the insolvency proceedings of Lehman Brothers in Switzerland. Importantly, the ongoing insolvency of Lehman Brothers Finance will eventually become the first landmark bank insolvency case under the new bank insolvency law.
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