SWITZERLAND
Germany
France
Bern
Switzerland
Trends and Developments Contributed by: Giovanna Bonafede, Manuela Brenneis-Hobi, Prof Dr Annette Spycher and Vanessa Thompson Kellerhals Carrard
Italy
Kellerhals Carrard is one of Switzerland’s largest full-service law firms, with more than 560 employees including over 350 legal professionals and 75 part ‑ ners across offices in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Gstaad, Lausanne, Lugano, Sion and Zurich, plus representa ‑ tion offices in Shanghai and Tokyo. The firm is known for its entrepreneurial spirit, pragmatic approach, and understanding of business needs. The dedicated pri ‑ vate clients team of 36 specialists advises Swiss and international private individuals, families, entrepre ‑
neurs, executors, banks, and family offices on family law, inheritance law, estate planning, and related mat ‑ ters. The team includes four SBA-certified specialists and is co-led by Prof Dr Annette Spycher (University of Bern professor and IAFL member) and Ingrid Iselin (federal expert for Switzerland’s 2023 inheritance law reform). Through active participation in leading inter ‑ national networks and strategic partnerships world ‑ wide, the firm handles complex cross-border private client matters.
Authors
Giovanna Bonafede is an attorney at law and partner at Kellerhals Carrard’s Lugano office. With 30 years of experience, she advises clients in family and inheritance law, real estate, commercial and banking litigation. She
Manuela Brenneis-Hobi is an attorney at law, notary and partner at Kellerhals Carrard’s Basel-Binningen office. She specialises in notarial matters, including real estate transactions, matrimonial property
began her career in Rome, qualifying as an Italian attorney in 1991, and gained experience in notarial practice. In 1995, she joined a law office in Lugano, and in 2012 moved to Kellerhals Carrard in 2012, where she was promoted to partner in 2024. She is a member of both the Ticino Bar Association and the Swiss Bar Association and co‑authored the Manuale Pratico del Notaio (1997). She also serves on the Commission for the Bar admission exams in Ticino.
and inheritance matters (marriage contracts, wills, inheritance agreements), as well as corporate law matters. With several years of experience, she provides comprehensive legal and notarial services to private clients, investors, and construction companies. Manuela qualified as a notary in Canton Basel-Landschaft in 2015 and was admitted to the Bar in Canton Basel-Stadt in 2013. She is a member of the Bar Chamber of Basel-Stadt and the Basel- Landschaft Notary Association.
Prof Dr Annette Spycher is an attorney at law, partner (since 2003) and co-head of the private clients team at Kellerhals Carrard. With 30 years of experience, she advises high net worth clients on complex family
Vanessa Thompson is an attorney at law and senior associate at Kellerhals Carrard’s Geneva office, specialising in family law and inheritance matters. With over ten years of experience, she provides advisory and litigation
and inheritance matters, including cross-border divorces, prenuptial agreements, and succession disputes. She serves as titular professor of private law (family law) at the University of Bern, where she has lectured since 2002. She is a member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) and regularly publishes and lectures on family and inheritance law. She is ranked Band 1 by Chambers for Family/Matrimonial High Net Worth matters.
services in civil law disputes. She joined Kellerhals Carrard in 2019, having previously practiced at de Pfyffer Avocats in Geneva, where she completed her legal training between 2013 and 2015. Vanessa holds a bilingual Master’s in Law from the University of Fribourg and is admitted to practice in Canton Geneva. She is a member of the Swiss Bar Association, Geneva Bar Association, and Young Bar Association of Geneva.
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