The new base will be led by former Novartis group general counsel Thomas Werlen and will advise on litigation and arbitration of complex financial disputes, white collar and corporate investigations, regulatory investigations and resolution of M&A disputes.

Quinn Emanuel started looking at opening in Zurich around 18 months ago; under Swiss rules the office will sit independently from the firm. Its other European offices are in London, Brussels, Hamburg, Mannheim, Moscow, Munich, and Paris.

Representing Fifa

The new office will enable the firm to strengthen its existing relationship with Fifa, which is headquartered in Zurich and for which it has been acting as lead counsel during US and Swiss-led investigations into allegations of corruption.