FBT Avocats SA

What FBT Avocats SA does

FBT Avocats SA is a multidisciplinary law firm founded in 1993, headquartered in Geneva with a second office in Paris, and operating with approximately 42 employees across both locations. The firm is organized into seven practice areas: Banking and Finance, Tax, Corporate and Commercial, Litigation and Arbitration, White-Collar Crime, Labour and Social Insurance, and Family Estate, with an explicit cross-border Switzerland-France focus. Its core offering is professional legal advisory and litigation services, not a technology product, and revenue is generated through fee-based engagements (hourly, fixed-fee, or retainer arrangements) billed to clients for matter-specific work.

The firm serves Swiss and international banks, asset managers, securities dealers, family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and corporations engaged in cross-border activity between Switzerland and France. Key service lines include regulatory compliance under FinSA, FinIA, and AML frameworks, international tax planning and regularisation, M&A and corporate structuring, civil and commercial dispute resolution, criminal defense in economic crime matters, and cross-border estate planning involving structures such as French SCI vehicles, Liechtenstein foundations, and the Pacte Dutreil regime.

Go-to-market is sales-led and reputation-driven, with client acquisition through professional referrals, conference participation (Swiss Banking Academy, ASG, Geneva Legal Week, UNIGE Tax Law Day), the annual Perspectives Newsletter, and a portfolio of 131 indexed legal publications. The firm is recognized across major legal directories, including Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA, IFLR1000, Leaders League, and Best Lawyers, with multiple individual lawyer rankings. The firm is privately held by its partners with no external equity or venture involvement, and is a founding member of the GILA (Geneva International Legal Alliance) network.

Name

FBT Avocats SA

Legal name

FBT Avocats SA

Website

https://fbt-avocats.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FBT Avocats SA is a Geneva- and Paris-based multidisciplinary law firm founded in 1993, serving financial institutions, family offices, HNW individuals, and corporations with cross-border Switzerland-France legal services across banking, tax, corporate, litigation, and private client practice areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Boutique Law Firm (Cross-Border Legal Services)

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-Border M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAH)

Keywords

• Cross-border legal services
• Banking and finance law
• Tax advisory services
• Private client law
• Corporate commercial law

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

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: FBT generates revenue through professional legal services billed to clients, including banking and finance law, tax law, corporate law, litigation, white-collar crime, labor law, and family estate law. Services are provided to private clients, financial institutions, corporations, and family offices across Switzerland and France.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FBT Avocats SA is a multidisciplinary law firm providing cross-border legal advisory services between Switzerland and France from offices in Geneva and Paris. The firm operates seven specialized practice areas covering banking and finance, tax, corporate and commercial, litigation and arbitration, white-collar crime, labour and social insurance, and family estate law, serving financial institutions, corporations, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals on Swiss-French cross-border matters.

Product overview

FBT Avocats SA is a multidisciplinary law firm founded in 1993, operating as a unified legal services practice across two offices in Geneva and Paris. The firm is organized into seven specialized practice areas: Banking and Finance, Tax, Corporate and Commercial, Litigation and Arbitration, White-Collar Crime, Labour and Social Insurance, and Family Estate. These practice areas work collaboratively through specialized groups that share information and expertise. The firm also publishes an annual newsletter called 'Perspectives' covering legal developments. FBT serves clients in financial, commercial, and niche sectors with predominantly cross-border dimensions between Switzerland and France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Banking and Finance Legal Services

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GILA - Geneva International Legal AlliancecoreOthersFBT Avocats SA is a founding member of GILA (Geneva International Legal Alliance), a network of Geneva-based law firms and legal professionals promoting Geneva as a center for international legal services. GILA organizes events including Geneva Legal Week and provides a platform for international legal cooperation and client referrals.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lenz & Staehelin: Largest Swiss law firm with offices in Geneva, Zurich, and Lausanne; overlaps with FBT across banking/finance, tax, and private-client work but at meaningfully greater scale and broader geographic reach.
• Homburger: Zurich-headquartered Swiss leader with deep banking/finance and capital markets expertise; comparable to FBT's banking and finance legal services offering but at substantially larger scale.
• Walder Wyss: Major Zurich-based full-service firm with a Geneva presence; overlapping banking/finance, corporate, and tax practices serve the same pool of Swiss and international financial institution clients as FBT.
• Bär & Karrer: Premier Swiss firm with strong banking/finance, M&A, and dispute-resolution capabilities across Zurich, Geneva, and Lugano; competes for the same French-Swiss cross-border matters as FBT but with materially larger partner bench.
• Baker McKenzie Geneva: Global Magic Circle firm with a Geneva office serving Swiss and cross-border banking, tax, and corporate matters; represents the international, full-service competitor that FBT up against on larger transfrontalier mandates.

Direct peers

• Python & Peter: Geneva-based cross-border law firm serving corporate and private-client mandates in the Swiss-French environment; matches FBT's boutique scale and Geneva location with overlapping banking/finance and private-client focus.
• Schellenberg Wittmer: Geneva/Zurich-based multidisciplinary Swiss law firm with a strong banking/finance, private-client, and cross-border practice, providing the closest like-for-like comparison in terms of size, geography, and premium-segment clientele served by FBT.
• Bonnard Lawson: Geneva-headquartered law firm with comparable practice mix in financial services, corporate, and dispute resolution; competes directly for Swiss-French cross-border mandates of similar boutique scale.
• Meyerlustenberger Lachenal (MLL): Swiss mid-sized law firm headquartered in Zurich with offices in Geneva and Lausanne; covers banking/finance, tax, corporate, and litigation—comparable in scale and practice breadth to FBT's Geneva-anchored offering.
• Niederer Kraft Frey (NKF): Zurich-based Swiss firm with a strong banking, finance, and corporate practice; cross-border transaction expertise between Switzerland and major financial hubs makes it directly comparable for shared banking/finance clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fbt-avocats

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 FBT Avocats SA