Withers is opening an office in Geneva after recruiting two lawyers from Baker & McKenzie to run the new office. Baker & McKenzie’s Toro...

Withers is opening an office in Geneva after recruiting two lawyers from Baker & McKenzie to run the new office. Baker & McKenzie’s Toronto partner Francis Rojas will head the new firm, which will also employ David Hirsberg, who joins from Baker & McKenzie’s Zurich office. Mr Hirsberg is a specialist in US tax law and advises multinational families with US connections on trusts and tax planning. London tax partner Justine Markovitz will also move to Geneva to give the firm a launch team of three partners. The new office will cover UK, US and international tax law specifically for private client matters. "We have built a first-rate commercial approach to service delivery within the private client arena, which we can now provide in Switzerland,” said joint managing director of Withers Margaret Robertson, in a statement on the hires. “Many of our private clients' personal wealth exceeds that of several NYSE and LSE listed entities." Withers said that further hires in Geneva would be expected to follow. The UK law firm has an office in London, Milan and the US. According to its own promotional material, Withers’ international client base includes more than 15 per cent of Britain's wealthiest citizens (based on the Sunday Times Rich List), at least 10 per cent of the 50 wealthiest families based in Europe with US connections and a significant number of the Forbes 400 list of Richest Americans.