Bär & Karrer Extends its Leadership with new Partners and Counsel

Bär & Karrer is pleased to announce the election of Matthias Bizzarro and Massimo Chiasera to the firm's partnership and Martina Athanas as counsel, effective as of 1 January 2023. With these appointments, the practice areas litigation, internal investigations, tax, private clients and white collar crime will be strengthened and benefit from the deep know-how and excellent reputation of these three lawyers.

Matthias Bizzarro is based in Bär & Karrer’s Lugano office. He advises corporate and private clients and represents them in court and in front of authorities in complex national and international tax matters. Furthermore, he is experienced in advising and representing private clients in civil legal matters, with a focus on estate and wealth planning, as well as relocations to Switzerland. He also advises in matters of general contract law, corporate and commercial law, regularly assisting clients on corporate transactions (including start-up financing rounds).

Massimo Chiasera focuses on white collar crime, internal investigations, domestic and cross-border litigation as well as international judicial and administrative assistance. He advises and represents clients in internal and regulatory investigations led by Swiss and foreign authorities, in complex compliance matters (including money laundering as well as anti-bribery and corruption) and in criminal proceedings. Massimo Chiasera has an in-depth knowledge of the financial services industry, based on his prior experience as a Litigation & Investigations Counsel at a major Swiss bank where he managed a wide range of internal investigations, white collar and whistleblowing proceedings.

Martina Athanas is a member of the firm's internal investigations, white collar crime and litigation practice groups. Her practice focuses on cross-border legal issues, including blocking statutes and data privacy laws. She has extensive experience in assisting multinational companies with complex cross-border document productions to the US and other foreign countries, supervising large review and redactions projects and the representation of clients in international legal and administrative assistance proceedings. Martina Athanas also regularly conducts and advises on all aspects of internal investigations into bribery, fraud and compliance, and supports clients in implementing the EU Whistleblowing Directive.

Susanne Schreiber, Senior Partner, commented: "I am delighted to welcome three remarkable and talented colleagues to the partnership. On behalf of all partners, I wish them a lot of success in their new roles."