Squire Patton Boggs (SPB) has debuted in Switzerland with the launch of an office in Geneva.

The office – the firm’s 17th in Europe – is led by financial services partner and commodities and shipping group co-head Kate Sherrard, who has relocated from Singapore. It will focus on building around the firm’s core strengths including commodities and shipping, international trade, international dispute resolution, and government investigations and sanctions.

“With a strong and diverse economy that dovetails with several core areas of our global practice, including chemicals, pharma and banking, Geneva fits naturally into our global network of offices,” said Steve Mahon, SPB’s global managing partner – clients and strategy. “Kate is a strong leader with extensive local business connections, and we are excited to hit the ground running.”

Sherrard specialises in the financing of maritime and offshore oil and gas assets. She also advises lenders and owners on shipbuilding contracts, time charters, bareboat charters, sale and purchase contracts and other commercial contracts, as well as problem loans, enforcement, restructuring and company re‑organisation.

She joined SPB in 2021 after nearly five years at Clifford Chance, before which she was a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright. Sherrard is currently the only full-time lawyer in the Geneva office, though an SPB spokesperson said that was expected to change soon. 

Sherrard commented: “The world’s leading commodities houses are in Geneva, which makes for a natural initial focal point for us given the synergies with our international practice in this space. We are already in discussions with recruits in complementary areas and our expectation is to grow in accordance with our strategy.”

The Geneva launch continues a European expansion strategy that in the past two years has seen SPB launch offices in Amsterdam and Dublin targeting corporate and private equity work, a push that also saw the firm pick up partner Norman Wasse and an associate in Frankfurt last September from McDermott Will & Emery. 

The firm said its European practice had grown at a double-digit pace over the last several years, with its Madrid and Paris teams doubling in size to around 50 and 60 lawyers respectively and new recruits joining this year in the UK and Italy. 

Among them was a quartet of partners that joined in May across London and Birmingham from rivals including Eversheds Sutherland and PwC to boost SPB’s finance, litigation and tax offerings, while in January M&A and energy partner Paolo Zamberletti moved to the Milan office the firm opened in 2020 from K&L Gates. 

SPB’s chair and global CEO, Mark Ruehlmann, highlighted Switzerland’s role as a global hub for commerce, policy and international disputes, adding the firm had “many existing relationships” in the country. 

“Our new Geneva office is an affirmation of our commitment to meeting the multi-jurisdictional needs of clients doing business in major international commercial centres,” he said. 

SPB was created a decade ago by the merger of Washington DC-founded Patton Boggs and Cleveland-founded Squire Sanders. It boasts around 1,450 lawyers in more than 40 offices globally and is also among the top lobbying firms in Washington. 

The firm brought in revenue of $1.24bn in 2023, according to data from The American Lawyer, while profit per equity partner stood at just over $2m.