Dr. Christoph Mettler

Christoph is a specialist in business law, offering both advisory and litigation services with a particular focus on private banking law. Before joining Wartmann Merker, he earned a doctorate in civil procedure law and gained valuable experience as a law clerk at the District Court of Meilen and as a trainee lawyer at an international business law firm. In 2022 and 2025, Christoph further enriched his expertise through secondments of three months each at two Swiss banks.
Education
University of Zurich, Dr. iur. (2022)
Swiss Bar Admission (2019)
University of Zurich, MLaw (2015)
Professional Career
Associate (2021–2024) and Senior Associate at Wartmann Merker (since 2024)
Research Assistant and Doctoral Candidate at the Chair of Civil Procedure and Private Law, Prof. Ulrich Haas, University of Zurich (2019–2021)
Law Clerk at the District Court of Meilen (2016–2017)
Trainee Associate at Baker McKenzie in Zurich (2015–2016)
Recent Cases
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Assisting a foreign bank to recover over USD 225 million in assets that were unlawfully misappropriated.
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Representation of a Swiss bank in its defence against an EUR 18 million claim involving alleged errors in a margin call.
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Representation of an employee asserting claims based on personal injury and the Gender Equality Act.
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Defended a Swiss bank against a former client claiming USD 40 million for allegedly unauthorised transactions.
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Representing a Swiss bank in a liability insurance claim concerning unauthorised transactions carried out by an employee.
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Defense of Swiss asset managers against client claims for the restitution of retrocessions.
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Pursuit of a bank's' claims arising from lease agreements.
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Advised a number of banks on the revision of contracts, including account opening documents and general terms and conditions.
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Advice on the interpretation of Anti Money Laundering (AML) regulation and related compliance measures in the banking sector.
Memberships
Zurich Bar Association
Swiss Bar Association
Online Commentary Association
Swiss Debt Collection and Bankruptcy Law Association (SchKG Association)
Publications
Art. 106-109 SchKG, in: Heinzmann/Pasquier (Hrsg.), Onlinekommentar zum SchKG, 2023
Der Anscheinsbeweis im schweizerischen Zivilprozess, Diss., Zürich 2022
Schiedsgerichtliche Streitigkeiten an der Schnittstelle zwischen Arbeits- und Vereinsrecht, in: Müller/Rudolph/Schnyder/von Kaenel/Waas (Hrsg.), Festschrift für Wolfgang Portmann zum 65. Geburtstag, Zürich 2020, S. 237 ff. [zusammen mit Ulrich Haas]
Presentations
"Retrocessions and requirements for a valid waiver" [in German], Zurich, November 2024 [together with Andrea Roth]
"Information Rights of Bank Clients: Scope and Limits," presentation for the Banking Law Section of the Zurich Bar Association on June 11, 2024 [together with Peter Reichart]
Languages
German
English
Contact
P+41 44 212 10 11 F+41 44 212 15 11
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"Wartmann Merker houses strong advocates who insist on our positions and are very engaged and reliable. They produce work on time and are responsive."Chambers Global 2025
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"The team gives excellent legal advice, is extremely reliable and is always coming up with the most pragmatic solutions."Chambers Global 2024
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"Personable, commercially minded lawyers who are goal-focused."Legal 500 2024