Leading Swiss firm Bar & Karrer has hired a partner from a London-based rival to become the third Swiss firm to open up in the City.
The office, which aims to service existing corporate and banking clients, as well as attracting new ones, will be headed by Gianpaolo Arrigoni, who has joined the firm from the four-lawyer London office of Froriep Renggli.
The other Swiss firm with a presence in London is Secretan Troyanov, which has a representative office staffed by one associate.
Bar & Karrer's new office will be staffed by Arrigoni and an associate – but expansion has not been ruled out. The London venture will only offer assistance on Swiss legal issues, with an emphasis on banking, financial and capital markets and M&A work.
Bar & Karrer has a referral relationship with a variety of City firms.
"We have come to London because it is such an important centre for our UK, US and European clients," said Arrigoni, who previously spent 18 months at the London office of Froriep Renggli.
"We also want to have a physical presence here to develop new clients," he added.
Bruno Boesch, Froriep Renggli's London managing partner, said of Arrigoni: "He is a very good lawyer. He learned his trade with us in London and then made a move."
Bar & Karrer has offices in Zurich, Zug and Lugano and plans to open in French-speaking Geneva.