Home / People / Jérôme Levrat
Portrait ofJerome Levrat

Jérôme Levrat

Partner
Head of Private Equity & Commercial Geneva

CMS von Erlach Partners Ltd
Esplanade de Pont-Rouge 9
PO Box 1875
1211 Geneva 26
Switzerland
Languages French, English, German, Bulgarian

Jérôme Levrat specialises in corporate law, private equity, venture capital, M&A and commercial matters.

He regularly advises funds and companies (including in the industrial, distribution, health care and life sciences, finance and energy sectors) in international and national M&A and private equity transactions, and routinely represents investors and start-ups in venture capital investments and financial rounds.

Jérôme also has solid experience in regard to commercial contracts, including joint ventures and shareholders agreements, with a particular focus on distribution contracts, and in corporate restructurings and relocations (headquarters transfers, cross-border mergers, split-ups, transformations, asset transfers, etc.).

Jérôme Levrat studied law at the Universities of Fribourg and Berlin (FUB, Germany). After graduating magna cum laude, he worked as a teaching assistant in the Department of Contract Law at the University of Fribourg. Afterwards he completed a traineeship with the Court of Justice of the canton of Geneva and then with a leading Swiss arbitration law firm. Admitted to the bar in 2008 (ranked third), he worked for five years in a prominent business law firm in Geneva before joining CMS as a Senior Associate in January 2015.

more less

"You guys have been incredibly helpful through this whole project dating back to the beginning of the year. Definitely one of the best advisors I have worked with thus far."

Jérôme Levrat, Client Feedback, 2015

Relevant experience

M&A & investment capital

  • SERCAB GROUP, the leader in the Swiss in the gemstone cutting and setting industry for the manufacturing of luxury consumer goods (watches and jewelry), in a tri-partite strategic merger, including the shareholders agreement and all other satellite agreements.
  • A global leader in the manufacturing of home and professional appliances, on the Swiss-law aspects of the spin-off of its professional appliances business to its shareholders and the subsequent listing of the newly created parent company.
  • SNCF Mobilités, the main French rail operator, on the acquisition of a 45% stake in BLS Cargo AG, a major player in the Swiss rail freight market.
  • A major French bank, on several stake acquisitions in Swiss or foreign groups, particularly in the sector of watchmaking technology.
  • MICHELIN, a world leader in the tire industry, on the acquisition of a minority stake in the German group A.T.U., a service provider in the automotive sector owned by the Mobivia Group.
  • A French hotel group, on the acquisition of a historic hotel in the city of Geneva.
  • A global leader in security inks for banknotes and sensitive documents on various M&A and refinancing transactions.
  • INEOS, a world leader in the pharmaceutical industry, on the acquisition of FC Lausanne-Sport, a historic club of the Swiss Football Championship.
  • The founders of My-Store SA, online store leader in Western Switzerland, on the sale of a majority stake to the Ringier Group.
  • Several start-ups, particularly in the perfume, jewelry, food-processing and new technologies industries, on the establishment of the structure and profit-sharing plans, the financing and the participation to capital, shareholders agreements and related agreements (distribution, supply, sale, etc.).

Restructuring and relocation & Corporate law

  • An American multinational, world leader in the aerospace industry, on several domestic restructuring operations and corporate law issues.
  • A French commodities dealer, relocating its Swiss trading activities to France.
  • A global blockchain player on the relocation of shareholding structure in Switzerland and the intellectual property rights.
  • A French industrial group, leader in the motorisation and automation of housing and building openings, on relocation operations (headquarters transfer), restructuring and corporate law issues.
  • A French group, leader in the production, processing and distribution of materials, on a cross-border merger (to France) of a holding company.
  • A Swiss leader in outpatient surgery, on domestic restructuring and corporate law issues.

Distribution and other contracts

  • A European franchiser active in the distribution of world leading brand sports products, in connection with various questions relating to Swiss-law governed franchise contracts.
  • The wealth management - global property fund of a world leading investment bank, on complex Swiss law-governed questions regarding the legal and contractual relationships between fund's investors (including certain investors identified as designated persons for the purpose of US, UK and other sanctions regimes) and an entity of the bank as the investors' nominee.
  • A world leader in the production and distribution of beverages, on different contracts for distribution, franchise and license matters, particularly on customer compensation issues.
  • An American multinational, on setting up a joint venture in Asia for the manufacture and distribution of baby care products.
  • A global leader in the luxury goods and perfume industry on international distribution contracts.
  • A major car manufacturer on the implementation of framework agreements related to maintenance.
  • An American multinational based in Switzerland, world leader in the manufacture and distribution of consumer goods, on various aspects of international distribution contracts (contract law, competition and private international law).
  • A joint venture between a global leader in leasing and management of industrial wagons and containers and an asset management company. 

Competition

  • Diffulivre, a Swiss company and member of the Hachette Group, in its successful appeal before the Swiss Supreme Court brought against the 2019 judgment by the Swiss Administrative Court regarding the distribution of French language books in Switzerland.
  • A large publishing and content distribution group, for the merger clearance in connection with the sale of its press distribution and new products activities to a Swiss player.
  • A global group of delivery services, on antitrust matters as part of a sponsorship agreement with an international sports federation.
  • Public producers and suppliers of electricity, on mergers in the energy sector and as part of a request for provisional measures based on alleged abuse of dominance.
  • A European private equity fund, for the merger clearance in connection with the acquisition of a major international sports marketing company based in Switzerland.
more less

Memberships & Roles

  • Geneva Business Law Association
  • Swiss Association of Competition Law (ASAS)
more less

Awards & Rankings

  • Global Law Experts (GLE) | Venture Capital, Switzerland, 2022 | Global Law Expert
  • Global Law Experts (GLE) | Corporate law, Switzerland, 2022 | Global Law Expert
more less

Publications

  • La société anonyme, Guide pratique des personnes morales et des sociétés, Geneva/Zurich 2022 (with Xavier Oulevey)
  • The Venture Capital Law Review, Chapter Switzerland, The Law Reviews, since 2021 (with Vaïk Müller)
  • Introduction générale au droit commercial suisse, Commentaire Romand du Code des obligations II, Helbing Lichtenhahn 2017 (2nd ed.) (with Pierre Tercier)
  • Le contrôle des concentrations d'entreprises dans le secteur de l'électricité, Pratique de la Commission de la concurrence, Jusletter, 27 october 2014 (with Pascal G. Favre)
  • Les perquisitions en droit de la concurrence, Bulletin SEV/AES (electrosuisse et Association des entreprises électriques suisses), 7/2010 (with Pascal G. Favre)
  • Merger control in Switzerland, Competition & Cartel Leniency Multi-jurisdictional Guide 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014/15 (with Pascal G. Favre)
  • Restraints of trade and dominance in Switzerland, Competition & Cartel leniency Multi-jurisdictional Guide 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014/15 (with Pascal G. Favre)
  • Cartel leniency in Switzerland, Competition & Cartel Leniency Multi-jurisdictional Guide 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014/15 (with Pascal G. Favre)
  • Introduction générale au droit commercial suisse, Commentaire Romand du Code des obligations II, Helbing Lichtenhahn 2008 (with Pierre Tercier)
  • Romania and Switzerland, A Comparative Study on the Implementation of the acquis communautaire, Romanian Journal of International Law 3/2006, pp. 130 ss (with Ionut Raduletu)
more less

Lectures list

  • Association des entreprises électriques suisses (VSE/AES)
  • Le droit de la concurrence – Défis pour la branche, Lausanne, April 2010
  • Association des entreprises électriques suisses (VSE/AES)
  • Les conditions générales, validité et mise en œuvre par les acteurs du marché suisse de l’électricité, aspects contractuels et de droit de la concurrence, Lausanne, October 2009
more less

Education

  • 2008 – Bar exam
  • 2003 – Universities of Fribourg (Switzerland) and Berlin (Germany)
more less
12/05/2022
10 key aspects of the revised EU competition law in the field of distribution...
The new Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (VBER) and the new accompanying Vertical Guidelines (VGL) were published on 10 May 2022. The new VBER will enter into force on 1 June 2022 and apply for the next twelve years. The new VBER/VGL introduce sev
19/09/2019
CMS Switzerland advises in a strategic freight railcars partnership
CMS Switzerland advises in a strategic freight railcars partnership Dr Pascal Favre and his Geneva-based M&A team advised PRIO SA, a Swiss joint venture company in which SIG-i Capital AG, a private markets...
20/11/2017
CMS SWITZERLAND ADVISES INEOS
The acquisition of FC Lausanne-Sport CMS Switzerland has advised INEOS, one of the world's largest manufacturers of chemicals and oil products, on the acquisition of FC Lausanne-Sport, a Swiss historic...

Feed

12/04/2023
CMS Switzerland recommended by The Legal 500 EMEA 2023
Rankings of CMS Switzerland in The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 Edition
17/01/2023
"La société anonyme" co-authored by Jérôme Levrat
We are pleased to announce and congratulate our Geneva Partner, Jérôme Levrat, on the recent publication of his book "La société anonyme" ("The limited company"), which he co-authored with Xavier Oulevey (Schulthess Médias Juridiques SA, January 2023). According to the 2018 statistics of the Federal Statistics Office, the limited company is the most common form of legal entity in Switzerland. It is not specifically "tailored" to fit only large or small structures, but is suitable for both, multinational corporations as well as SMEs. It is therefore of considerable practical importance. This book aims at providing economic actors (entrepreneurs, investors, board members, etc.) and practitioners with a practical approach to the law on the limited company. It incorporates the new legislation which came into force on 1st January 2023 and pays particular attention to the sometimes complex legal actions in this area of law.
06/10/2022
The Venture Law Review | 2022
Switzerland Chapter | 2022 Edition
13/09/2022
CMS advised Diffulivre
Diffulivre's successful appeal before the Swiss Supreme Court in the French language books case
22/07/2022
CMS Switzerland advises in a tri-partite merger in the gemstone cutting...
SERCAB SA, Proserto SA and VAL'HEURE SA – Swiss leading companies active in the gemstone cutting and setting industry for over 30 years – merged by way of absorption giving origin to a new SERCAB GROUP SA, based in Geneva, with more than 200 employees. This strategic merger aims at consolidating the position of the three companies in the Swiss market of gemstones cutting and setting for the industry of luxury watches and jewelry. CMS Partner, Jérôme Levrat, assisted the three companies and their shareholders in this complex tri-partite merger, and handled all aspects of the transaction, including the shareholders agreement and all satellite agreements.
08/10/2021
The Venture Capital Law Review: Switzerland
In recent years, the Swiss start-up scene has developed strongly and the international perception of Switzerland as a start-up and investment location has significantly increased. While the number of...
21/09/2021
Impact of Commission's Q&A Guidance on SFDR disclosures for Swiss Fund...
On 26 July 2021, the European Commission published its Q&A guidance (Guidance) on the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). In this Law-Now, we provide a practical view on how SFDR disclosure...
25/03/2020
Q&A | Force majeure under Swiss law - Requirements and consequences
Force majeure under Swiss law - Requirements and consequences Questions and answers in relation to COVID-19 in Switzerland  Is there legislation on force majeure in Switzerland? Under Swiss law, there...
09/01/2020
New partner at CMS
CMS von Erlach Poncet is delighted to announce Me Jérôme Levrat’s promotion to partner from 1 January 2020Jérôme Levrat is a member of our Corporate/M&A department in Geneva. His main areas of...
19/09/2019
CMS Switzerland advises in a strategic freight railcars partnership
CMS Switzerland advises in a strategic freight railcars partnership Dr Pascal Favre and his Geneva-based M&A team advised PRIO SA, a Swiss joint venture company in which SIG-i Capital AG, a private markets...
19/02/2018
CMS advises Michelin in the acquisition of a minority stake in A.T.U (Auto-Teile-Un­ger)
Michelin, world leading tire manufacturer, has entered into a partnership with Mobivia, the European leader in multi-brand vehicle servicing and parts, which has led to the acquisition by Michelin of...
20/11/2017
CMS SWITZERLAND ADVISES INEOS
The acquisition of FC Lausanne-Sport CMS Switzerland has advised INEOS, one of the world's largest manufacturers of chemicals and oil products, on the acquisition of FC Lausanne-Sport, a Swiss historic...