BGPartner | Attorneys-at-law

What BGPartner | Attorneys-at-law does

BGPartner is a Swiss boutique law firm founded in 1988, headquartered in Bern with a second office in Zurich, employing approximately 24-27 staff. The firm specializes in business law and negotiation, offering five core practice areas: Corporate and Commercial Law, M&A and Private Equity Advisory, Construction and Planning Law, Litigation and Arbitration, and Negotiation Services. Its differentiator is integrated negotiation expertise, anchored by lawyers who are World Negotiation Challenge champions and by academic research partnerships (e.g., Negotiation Academy Potsdam) that produce scientific studies on negotiation behavior.

The firm operates on a traditional professional services revenue model, generating fees through hourly billing, retainers, and transaction-based fees. Client acquisition is relationship-driven and reputation-based, with marquee mandates including the USD 1.1 billion Araris Biotech / Taiho Pharmaceutical acquisition and multiple biotech Series A-D financings (Windward Bio, Alentis Therapeutics, Noema Pharma, Numab Therapeutics, GlycoEra, Memo Therapeutics) on behalf of repeat life sciences investors such as Forbion, Novo Holdings, OrbiMed, Jeito Capital, and HBM Healthcare Investments. Cross-border capability is supported through membership in the LAWorld international legal network (1,000+ lawyers) and LegalDesk.ch for all Swiss language regions.

The firm is privately held by its partners with no external institutional investment. Recent strategic momentum includes the Thomas Gysin partner promotion (effective 1 July 2026), consecutive Best Workplaces Switzerland recognition (13th in 2025, 2nd in 2026), the Law Firm of the Year – Healthcare, Life Sciences, Pharma award, and the 2024 World Negotiation Challenge championship. No technology platform, proprietary AI/ML capabilities, or software products are offered; the firm is a pure-play human-capital professional services business.

Name

BGPartner | Attorneys-at-law

Legal name

BGPartner Ltd

Website

https://bgpartner.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BGPartner is a Swiss boutique law firm founded in 1988 with offices in Bern and Zurich, specializing in business law and negotiation, serving corporate, M&A, life sciences, and litigation clients across Switzerland and internationally through the LAWorld network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Advisory Services: Traditional law firm revenue model based on professional legal services including corporate law, M&A, private equity, construction law, litigation, and arbitration. Revenue is generated through hourly fees, retainers, and transaction-based fees for major deals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BGPartner is a Swiss business law firm founded in 1988 with offices in Bern and Zurich that provides legal advisory, transactional, contentious, and negotiation services to companies, entrepreneurs, and organizations. The firm operates with 24 to 27 employees and serves clients across corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, construction and planning law, litigation and arbitration, and dedicated negotiation engagements.

Product overview

BGPartner is a Swiss law firm offering a unified portfolio of legal services rather than a software product platform. The core offerings consist of Corporate and Commercial Law, M&A and Private Equity Advisory, Construction and Planning Law, Litigation and Arbitration, and Negotiation Services. These services are delivered by attorneys through traditional legal advisory engagements, with negotiation expertise serving as a distinctive differentiator and specialty area. No modular software products or technology platforms are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate and Commercial Law Ongoing corporate and commercial legal advisory for Swiss companies and entrepreneurs, covering corporate governance, contracts, and day-to-day business law matters.
• M&A and Private Equity Legal advisory on mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions for Swiss businesses, entrepreneurs, and investors.
• Construction and Planning Law Legal advisory on construction and planning law matters for Swiss clients in real estate, infrastructure, and development projects.
• Litigation and Arbitration Representation in court litigation and arbitration proceedings for Swiss businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Negotiation Services Partner-led negotiation advisory and representation services, designed to support clients in deal-making and dispute-resolution scenarios beyond purely legal advice.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advised on USD 1.1 billion transaction (Araris Biotech acquisition)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LAWorldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational legal network with over 1000 lawyers. BGPartner was previously affiliated with LAWorld leadership (Michael Bader served as Global Chairman 2018-2020) and maintains active membership for accessing legal expertise across language regions in Switzerland and globally.
• LegalDesk.chcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss legal network affiliation providing access to specialists in all language regions of Switzerland. Strong affiliation for domestic coverage.
• Negotiation Academy Potsdam (NAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership conducting scientific studies on negotiation behavior and strategies across countries and cultures. BGPartner collaborates with NAP on research studies including 'How do Swiss executives negotiate?' published in 2023 with over 350 executives surveyed.
• Kiwi Fondue TeamminorOthersPartner of the Swiss Kiwi Fondue team in 'World's Toughest Row' - a rowing competition across the Pacific Ocean (4,500 km from California to Hawaii). Kiwi Fondue won the race and broke world records. BGPartner provided sponsorship support.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Niederer Kraft Frey: Zurich-based Swiss law firm with a strong corporate, M&A and finance practice serving listed and PE-backed companies. Directly comparable peer in the Swiss business-law market with similar client mix.
• Bär & Karrer: Swiss law firm with a leading corporate, M&A and tax practice and a recognized life sciences sector focus. Direct peer in the same boutique-to-mid-size tier of Swiss business law firms serving PE and biotech clients.
• Lenz & Staehelin: Largest Swiss law firm with offices in Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne and a strong international M&A and disputes practice. Direct peer competing for high-end Swiss corporate, life sciences and cross-border transactions.
• Pestalozzi: Swiss law firm with strong corporate, finance and dispute resolution practices, serving listed and PE-backed clients. Comparable in size, geographic focus, and transactional practice mix.
• VISCHER: Zurich/Basel/Geneva-headquartered Swiss law firm with established corporate, IP, and life sciences practices. Direct peer offering comparable services to technology, biotech, and PE clients in Switzerland.
• MLL Meyerlustenberger Lachenal: Swiss law firm with offices in Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne offering corporate, finance and disputes services. Comparable boutique-to-mid-size Swiss competitor with similar cross-border mandate profile.
• Homburger: One of Switzerland's leading full-service law firms headquartered in Zurich with a strong corporate, M&A and capital markets practice. Directly comparable as a top-tier Swiss business law firm competing for the same life sciences and PE mandates.
• Walder Wyss: Major Swiss law firm with leading corporate/M&A, finance, and life sciences practices. Directly comparable as a full-service Zurich-headquartered competitor serving PE/VC and corporate clients in similar transaction types.

Broad incumbents

• Baker McKenzie (Zurich): Global full-service law firm with a major Zurich office serving Swiss corporates and multinationals. Comparable via overlapping corporate, M&A and PE practices, but with significantly broader geographic and service reach than BGPartner.

Emerging players

• Stiefel Rechtsanwälte: Smaller Zurich-based commercial law firm with a corporate/M&A focus serving SMEs and entrepreneurs. Comparable as a Swiss boutique competitor in a similar size tier, though with a less prominent life sciences practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCuWzQqp_MP8b60cUtPjgcXQ/featured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bgpartnerag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BGPartner | Attorneys-at-law