Dr. Jana Essebier
Attorney at Law / Partner
Jana Essebier specialises in banking and finance law. She regularly advises Swiss and foreign financial market participants on regulatory law and insolvency and restructuring as well as on litigious matters. One focus of her work is FinTech innovations, such as crowdfunding, mobile payment and blockchain, as well as providing legal advice to start-ups. In addition, she advises both financial market participants and investors on derivatives, structured products and other financial instruments. Her experience working in-house at a large international bank has proven invaluable to her clients. Jana is recognized by the Regulatory Board of the SIX Swiss Exchange as representative of issuers. In addition to her activities as an attorney, Jana publishes and speaks regularly on current regulatory issues as well as being an active lecturer in banking and capital market law at EXPERTsuisse.
Languages
German, English, French
"I love to work especially with Jana Essebier and her team. Jana is always there when you need her, and her assistance is quick and accurate."
Legal 500 - 2026
"Jana Essebier is highly regarded for her strategic insight and commercially focused advice, offering innovative solutions that anticipate client needs."
Legal 500 - 2026
"Highly Recommended"
Lexology Index: Banking & Fintech - 2026
"Highly Recommended"
Lexology Index: Restructuring & Insolvency - 2026
"Recognized for Insolvency and Reorganization Law"
Best Lawyers Switzerland - 2025
"Leading Individual for Chambers Fintech Guide 2026"
Chambers FinTech Guide - 2025
"Jana is my go-to legal adviser when it comes to the Swiss regulatory framework, particularly when it comes to digital assets and other FinTech businesses."
Chambers FinTech Guide - 2025
"Jana Essebier has been a partner to us in every sense and has delivered immeasurable value to our business over its life-cycle."
Chambers FinTech Guide - 2025
"Jana Essebier is extremely perceptive and to the point."
The Legal 500 - 2025
"My points of contact are David Jenny and Jana Essebier. Both are extremely knowledgeable lawyers with broad experience - great to work with!"
The Legal 500 - 2025
"The team are very collaborative and act as an extension to our in-house team. They understand our business and are responsive with quick and commercial legal advice."
The Legal 500 - 2025
"Marc Princ is our key contact. He is knowledgeable of the law and fully understands our business and sector."
The Legal 500 - 2025
"Recommended for Insolvency and Reorganization Law"
Best Lawyers Switzerland - 2024
"Recognized as Highly Regarded Lawyer 2024"
IFLR 1000 - 2024
"Excellent in Banking & Finance Litigation"
Leaders League: Switzerland - Best Law Firms - 2024
"Excellent in Restructuring & Insolvency"
Leaders League: Switzerland - Best Law Firms - 2024
"Excellent in Fintech"
Leaders League: Switzerland - Best Law Firms - 2024
"Highly recommended in Banking & Finance"
Leaders League: Switzerland - Best Law Firms - 2024
"Jana Essebier shows a a true interest in their clients and thoroughly know what moves them."
The Legal 500 - 2024
"The team understands to bring regulatory experts and experts in IT law and data protection to the table, ensuring a holistic and consistent advice, acting as a one stop shop."
The Legal 500 - 2024
"A professional and very effective team, they know what they are dealing with and when facing a challenge, they resolve it in the outmost professional manner."
The Legal 500 - 2024
"Dedicated, responsive and professional. They do not waste your time and every exchange is effective and straight to the point."
The Legal 500 - 2024
"Jana Essebier is very smart and very easy to work with."
The Legal 500 - 2024
"The team is notable in being able to provide technical advice on highly complex areas of law while also remaining practical and keeping the client’s interests at heart."
The Legal 500 - 2024
"We have worked with Jana Essebier and found her to be highly experienced and detail oriented, but also able to communicate complex legal issues in a way that can be easily understood."
The Legal 500 - 2024
"Recommended for Insolvency and Reorganization Law."
Best Lawyers Switzerland - 2023
"Jana Essebier acts as liquidator during bankruptcy proceedings. She also assists with insolvency-related disputes"
Chambers Europe - 2023
"She is part of the generation of lawyers who are trying to grow the crypto practice and build bridges with traditional banking and finance." "I am impressed with her knowledge of the law in Switzerland that is applicable in a commercially useful way. We have very high regard for her. I think she is excellent all round."
Chambers FinTech - 2023
"She is a great person to work with because she has an eye for detail."
IFLR 1000 - 2023
"‘Markus Guggenbühl, Adrian Dörig, Jana Essebier, Christian Oetiker and Thomas Weibel are just great lawyers – very accessible, highly skilled, most experienced.’"
Legal 500 - 2023
"‘Jana Essebier has an excellent understanding of finding pragmatic solutions, very much hands-on and very responsive.’"
Legal 500 - 2023
"‘Jana Essebier: industry experience, subject matter expertise, service mindedness’"
Legal 500 - 2023
"‘Jana Essebier is a standout regulatory attorney. Knowledgeable, creative, practical, and a pleasure to work with.’"
Legal 500 - 2023
"‘Jana Essebier is an excellent communicator; she makes it easy for clients to understand complex legal issues allowing clients to reach decisions based on her advice.’"
Legal 500 - 2023
"Jana Essebier acts as liquidator during bankruptcy proceedings. She also assists with insolvency-related disputes. She is noted for "her good knowledge of restructuring law.""
Chambers Europe - 2022
"She is a great person to work with because she has an eye for detail."
IFLR 1000 - 2022
"Highly recommended in Fintech - 2022"
Leaders League: Switzerland – Best Law Firms - 2022
"Excellent in Fintech"
Leaders League: Switzerland – Best Law Firms - 2022
"Jana Essebier has extensive experience working on cryptocurrencies, mobile payments, crowdfunding and complex financial instruments. She is regularly consulted by regulators for her expert opinion at roundtable discussions. One interviewee enthuses: "Jana is somebody you think of when it comes to blockchain and cryptocurrency.", "She's active on projects around distributed ledger technology for the government," says a leading peer; "she's really been focusing on FinTech for a long period of time now.""
Chambers FinTech - 2021
"“Very knowledgeable about banking and insolvencies, extraordinarily structured and pragmatic approach.” "Very knowledgeable about capital markets & banking industry; extraordinarily structured and pragmatic.""
IFLR 1000 - 2021
"The VISCHER team has a notable sweet spot in public takeovers and proxy solicitations but also assists issuers and underwriters with the listing of securities at the SIX Swiss Exchange. The group is sought after by clients from the life sciences and pharmaceutical sectors in particular, but also acts for banks, securities dealers, insurance companies, hedge funds, and asset managers. Adrian Dörig leads the team, which also includes key practitioners Markus Guggenbühl, Jana Essebier and counsel Peter Kühn."
Legal 500 - 2021
"The team at VISCHER acts for creditors and debtors in a range of matters; it assists in insolvency disputes, voluntary liquidation and extracting funds, as well as in the freezing of assets. Its members also act as liquidators and administrators. The practice is led by David Jenny in Basel, who also has corporate expertise. Jana Essebier's expertise includes bankruptcy proceedings of banks."
Legal 500 - 2021
"Jana Essebier often acts as a liquidator during bankruptcy proceedings. One interviewee praises her for being "a very analytical lawyer who you can be sure to spot all the small points," adding: "She is a great person to work with because she has an eye for detail.""
Chambers Europe - 2020
"The team at VISCHER is led by Basel-based David Jenny, who has extensive experience in assisting governing bodies of companies and creditors and in acting as liquidator. The team is also involved in bank bankruptcy proceedings. Another key member is Jana Essebier; her practice includes dispute resolution and regulatory law. Markus Guggenbühl and Thomas Weibel in Basel are also noted."
Legal 500 - 2020
"VISCHER advises on a broad spectrum of capital market matters, including IPOs (where it is particularly active in the life sciences industry), bond issues and regulatory matters. The client portfolio is similarly diverse with national and foreign banks, hedge funds, and companies, among others, instructing the team. Team leader Markus Guggenbühl focuses on debt financing, capital market transactions and public takeovers, while Jana Essebier is well versed in structured products and other financial instruments. Basel-based Matthias Staehelin and Robert Bernet are other key practitioners."
Legal 500 - 2020
"VISCHER's team handles asset tokenisation and international blockchain disputes, as well as providing legal compliance training to start-ups and drafting their set-up agreements. Mobile payments and crowdfunding expert Jana Essebier heads the practice, which has acted as a main adviser to the Interchain Foundation on all fintech-related issues, assisted Vreo with the set-up of an in-game video advertising platform, and aced for Bank CIC (Schewiz) AG on the development of its mobile payment processes. Stefan Grieder and Basel-based Christian Wyss are other names to note."
Legal 500 - 2020
"At VISCHER, the team is active in financing transactions, banking-related dispute resolution, insolvencies and fintech. The broad client portfolio includes a mix of domestic and foreign banks, funds, insurance companies, securities dealers and asset managers. The team is jointly led by Markus Guggenbühl, who is also well versed in financial market regulations, and Adrian Dörig, who specialises in structured finance transactions. Jana Essebier is noted for her expertise in financial instruments, including derivatives and structured products, and is also active in fintech-related matters, where she advises on crowdfunding, mobile payments and blockchain. Stefan Grieder in Basel and senior associate David Weber are further key contacts."
Legal 500 - 2020
"Jana Essebier is well respected for her involvement in insolvency matters. She advises on contentious matters and is experienced in acting as liquidator."
Chambers Europe - 2019
"VISCHER provides 'top advice, which is clearly above the market standard'. The team has core strengths handling bankruptcies in the financial sector, having been involved in the Lehman Brothers insolvency as liquidator's counsel. In recent work, Adrian Dörig represented indenture trustee Wilmington Trust in the bankruptcy of Toys'R'Us. 'Truly knowledgeable and profoundly experienced practitioners' David Jenny and Thomas Weibel are also recommended, while Jana Essebier is another name to note."
Legal 500 - 2019
"A banking and finance lawyer by background, Jana Essebier heads Vischer's FinTech initiatives. Essebier is heavily involved in policy-making and political initiatives in Switzerland, including recent financial regulatory changes and the potential new FinTech licence still to be approved by the Swiss parliament. She also has substantial expertise in dealing with cryptocurrencies, mobile payments and crowdfunding. Peers say: "She is a brilliant lawyer, no doubt," while clients report that "she had really profound knowledge of not only the law, but also FINMA. She gave us all that knowledge, and told us how to approach them. She was really hands-on.""
Chambers Fintech - 2018
"Vischer is known for its expertise in liquidation and bankruptcy proceedings revolving around banks. The practice successfully defended PwC in its role as liquidator of Lehman Brothers Finance in court proceedings brought by two companies of the Klaus Tschira group. Clients also include Weidenareal Metall and LoneStar. Team lead David Jenny, Markus Guggenbühl, Jana Essebier and Christian Oetiker are the key advisers."
Legal 500 - 2018
"Vischer has 'a very strong financing practice' that is 'pro-active, forward-looking and creative in generating solutions'. The team advised an international bank who acted as a lender in relation to a credit facility granted to an oil and gas company. Practice head Markus Guggenbühl is an 'outstanding strategic thinker', while insolvency expert Jana Essebier is also recommended. The 'service-oriented' Benedict Christ and Christian Oetiker are the key contacts for banking M&A and litigation."
Legal 500 - 2018
"Vischer is 'extremely well connected on an international level and has unique market expertise to deal with complex derivatives and financial instruments'. The practice advised Bâloise and Basler Leben on their CHF288m acquisition of majority shares in Pax Anlage, followed by a public takeover offer for the remaining shares; and also supported CRISPR Therapeutics during its $92m IPO on NASDAQ Global Market. The 'solution-oriented' Markus Guggenbühl and Jana Essebier are recommended, as is the 'responsive' Benedict Christ."
Legal 500 - 2018
"Selected as one of the world’s leading young restructuring and insolvency specialists."
Global Restructuring Review' "40 Under 40" - 2017
"A partner of the firm since January 2015, Jana Essebier holds Swiss and German qualifications and specialises in financial services regulation, restructuring and insolvency."
Chambers Global - 2016
"[The firm is] extremely professional, quick, and always available - even on short notice from our side.""[The capital markets team is] extremely thorough and able to grasp highly complex financial transactions very quickly.""[Jana Essebier is] very clever and quick to grasp complex issues."
IFLR - 2016
"German-qualified Jana Essebier is regularly called on to advise on mandates involving Germany. She covers banking and finance, regulatory and restructuring matters and is recommended for her 'efficient and to-the-point advice.'"
Chambers Global - 2015
"Senior associate Jana Essebier is qualified to practise in Germany and Switzerland. She is experienced in handling transactions between the two countries."
Chambers Global - 2014