(Photo: John Disney/ALM)

Squire Patton Boggs has opened its 17th European location with the launch of an office in Geneva, Switzerland.

Commodities & Shipping group co-head Kate Sherrard will lead the office, which will focus on commodities and shipping, international trade, international dispute resolution, government investigations and sanctions. the firm said.

Having joined in early 2021 from Clifford Chance, she will be moving to Switzerland from Singapore, where she has been based since 2007.

"The world's leading commodities houses are in Geneva, which makes for a natural initial focal point for us, given the synergies with our extensive international practice in this space," Sherrard said. "We are already in discussions with recruits in complementary areas and our expectation is to grow in accordance with our strategy."

A Squire spokesperson told Law.com International that the Geneva office will initially focus on expanding its commodities and shipping practice as well as on existing clients. But in the medium term, the aim is to expand into international disputes and government investigations.

"Switzerland is an important global hub for commerce, policy and international disputes where we already have many existing relationships," firm chair and global CEO Mark Ruehlmann said.

The Geneva launch continues an expansion strategy that has seen the firm open new offices in Amsterdam and Dublin, double its size in Madrid and Paris, and add to its head count in the U.K., Milan and Germany, the firm said.