Profile

Valerie Meyer Bahar advises and represents clients in commercial and corporate litigation, with a focus on shareholder and employment litigation; in international and national arbitration; and in all aspects of corporate employment law. Valerie Meyer Bahar is the firm’s Hiring Partner and a member of NKF’s executive committee.

Experience

Valerie’s litigation practice focuses on corporate and commercial disputes, with a particular focus on shareholder litigation and contractual claims. She regularly represents Swiss and international clients before Cantonal courts and the Federal Court. She acts as arbitration counsel and arbitrator.

Valerie also advises on all aspects of employment law, e.g. on the drafting and implementation of employment agreements; staff and time regulations; compensation matters; terminations; and the transfer of employees in M&A transactions and restructurings, including mass dismissals. She regularly handles employment litigation relating, inter alia, to wrongful termination and bonus claims.

2007 Harvard Law School, LL.M.
2005 University of Lucerne, PhD, summa cum laude, recipient Walther Hug-Preis 2006
2004 Harvard Law School, Visiting Researcher
2004 Admitted to the Bar, Rechtsanwältin
2001 Universities of Zurich and Lausanne, lic. iur., summa cum laude
Best Lawyers 2021 – 2025
Chambers Europe 2021 – 2024
The Legal500 EMEA 2024 – Leading Individual
Lexology Index – Switzerland 2024
The Legal500 EMEA 2023 – Next Generation Partner
Lexology Index – Future Leaders 2019 – 2023
Lexology Index – Switzerland 2023
The Legal500 EMEA 2022 – Next Generation Partner
The Legal500 EMEA 2021 – Next Generation Partner
THE LEGAL500 EMEA 2018 – 2020 – RECOMMENDED
  • ASA Swiss Arbitration Society
  • IBA International Bar Association
  • IusAlumni – Member of the board of the Alumni association of the University of Zurich Law School
  • Swiss Bar Association
  • Zurich Bar Association
2016 Partner, Niederer Kraft Frey (as of 2021 Head of HR and member of the NKF executive committee)
2010 Senior Associate, Niederer Kraft Frey
2005 Associate, Niederer Kraft Frey
2001 Clerk with the District Court of Horgen

German

English

French

Deals & Cases

09.07.2024

Software AG sells Technology Platform Businesses to IBM for EUR 2.13 bn

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07.10.2021

Ardian’s portfolio company Frulact acquires business unit of IFF

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24.03.2021

Swiss Steel Holding successfully completes contested CHF 247m capital increase

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Market Perception

«Valerie Meyer Bahar and Livia Keller are responsive, transparent with legal fees and truly understand the commercial sensitivities when working with us to find a solution to a dispute/challenge we may be facing. They are both a pleasure to work with” and “very strong in employment disputes.»
Legal 500 2024 – Employment
«‘Valerie Meyer Bahar is very solution-oriented and provides pragmatic legal advice’. ‘Valerie is a strong expert professional with deep knowledge of employment law matters’. ‘Valerie is very good at looking at the bigger picture and the logistics. She gives high-level advice. Her level of sophistication is very strong, as are her commercial awareness and vision. Her client service and general level of her service are also very strong’.»
Chambers 2024 – Employment
«Valerie Meyer Bahar has excellent expertise for employment cases. She is pleasant and helpful to work with. She is responsive and has very good legal skills. She has a very strong level of sophistication and very strong commercial awareness and vision. Her client service and general level of service are very strong.»
Chambers 2023 – Litigation
«Valerie supported us in a challenging situation with outstanding legal advice and dedication. She has a very keen grasp of employment law and provides pragmatic guidance as well as excellent legal advice, which we highly appreciated. Valerie is very responsive and impressed us with her dedicated support and quick turnover of all our requests, also at short notice.»
Chambers 2023 – Employment
«We experienced Dr. Valerie Meyer Bahar as an exceptionally skilful employment lawyer and litigator who provided highest quality advice which she is able to deliver very comprehensibly. We can recommend Dr. Valerie Meyer Bahar in every respect as an outstanding professional.»
Legal 500 2023 – Employment
«She is particularly good at navigating high-profile employment disputes, remarks one client, adding: She vigorously defends our interests in court. »
Chambers Europe 2022
«In employment and litigation matters, we regularly work with Valerie Meyer. In our view, they are clearly a tier-1 team, with a very pragmatic and business-minded approach. »
Legal 500 2022
«Valerie Meyer is an experienced employment lawyer, as well as a skillful litigator. She is particularly good at navigating high-profile employment disputes – she vigorously defends our interests in court, but also knows how to broker a settlement, if this the preferred outcome. We trust her with our high-profile cases. »
Legal 500 2022
«We very much appreciate her work, which stands out for its thorough legal analysis and attention to detail, as well as her procedural experience and guidance in tactical and strategical matters. She is very responsive and easy to work with, combining strong analytical skills with an understanding of the needs of our business. »
Chambers 2022

Events

05.07.2018

NKF supports education event of 100 Women in Finance

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Firm News

25.03.2024

NKF presents its new Executive Committee

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23.03.2021

NKF announces its new executive committee and strengthens its business services

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01.01.2016

Niederer Kraft Frey appoints four new partners

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In the Media

26.04.2019

NKF partners Valerie Meyer Bahar and Christina Rinne mentioned in “Best Lawyers 2019” edit…

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29.01.2019

The balancing act between family and a career as a lawyer

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Publications

10.12.2024

Notice of Termination (Switzerland)

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10.12.2024

Fixed-Term Contracts (Switzerland)

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18.10.2023

Fixed-Term Contracts (Switzerland)

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Speaking Engagements

24.04.2020

COVID-19 Swiss Government Measures Supporting Business

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23.09.2016

Valerie Meyer Bahar interviewed by Universum Top 100

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30.10.2012

Aktuelle Rechtsfragen rund um den Bonus

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Newsletters & Alerts

29.01.2021

Aktuelles aus dem Arbeitsrecht

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26.03.2020

Coronavirus COVID-19: Employment Law: Short Time Work and Compensation for Loss of Earnings

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04.03.2020

Coronavirus COVID-19: Legal issues

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