HISTORY

Python was founded in Geneva in 1981. The first offices were set up at Rue François-Bellot where more than half of the facilities are still located. In order to handle a rapidly growing volume of activity, additional premises became necessary and were found only a few blocks away, in the historic and elegant area of the “Quartier de l’Eglise russe” near the Old Town of Geneva.

DEVELOPMENT

Realising the growing importance of the economic area around Lake Geneva, Python opened branches in Lausanne/Pully (Canton of Vaud) as well as in Sion (Canton of Valais). The firm also has an office in Switzerland’s bilingual capital of Berne (seat of most of the Federal authorities) as well as a representative office in Zug.

 In 1998, Python accentuated its already close links to Asia by opening an office in Tokyo as the first Swiss law firm to be accredited by the Tokyo Bar. In order to have a link to the EU, a liaison office was also established in Brussels.

In 2016, Python became the first ever Swiss law firm to launch an office in Tehran, its eighth after those in Switzerland, Belgium and Japan, all of which opened in direct response to client needs.

Effective July 1 2016, Python & Peter became Python, reflecting the evolution of the firm’s identity in the marketplace, already commonly referred to as “Python”.

PROFILE AND PHILOSOPHY

Python is one of the major Swiss firms in terms of size and resources, having the know-how and facilities to enable it to play a significant role on the Swiss and international scene.

High quality, efficiency, responsiveness and flexibility are our guiding principles. Clients also appreciate our independence, creativity and entrepreneurship.

Within this professional framework, a personal and confidential relationship with our clients remains one of our highest priorities.

We strive to be at the forefront of modernity and efficiency. It is in this regard significant that the firm was instrumental in launching and developing the first Swiss legal database which has since evolved into an autonomous company under the name of Swisslex.

ATTORNEYS

Our firm has over 80 multilingual Swiss and foreign qualified attorneys. All highly qualified, they routinely advise clients in 11 languages: English, Farsi (or Persian), French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian. Many of them have gained experience in another professional environment and/or have worked abroad. Their theoretical backgrounds and practical approaches make them particularly suited for corporate and private clients seeking specific legal advice on matters where cross-border and interdisciplinary expertise are required.

SERVICES

The firm offers services in all areas of the law, with particular emphasis on business law. The firm’s goal is to offer nationwide and global legal services of high quality to both private and institutional clients in Switzerland and abroad.

At the same time, the firm’s fields of expertise are (in alphabetical order):

• Arbitration
• Banking and Finance
• Commercial Contracts
• Corporate and M&A
• Intellectual Property, IT and Telecom
• International Legal Assistance and Criminal Law
• Litigation and Insolvency
• Private Clients
• Real Estate and Construction
• Tax

For larger cases, Python is able to set up teams of partners, senior associates and other lawyers elaborating the best suitable solution for our clients. This is increasingly important in cross-border matters, and larger cases in particular in international arbitration cases, tax, mutual assistance cases as well as M&A transactions.