How to find an English-speaking lawyer in Switzerland
Which lawyer or notary you need, how to check a registration, what first advice costs and where disputes start, with a primary source for every rule.
In short
To find an English-speaking lawyer in Switzerland, pick one who practises the area of law you need in your canton; expat-services.ch lists English-speaking lawyers and notaries for employment, family, tenancy and property law, each checked by hand. Then confirm the lawyer is on a cantonal register and ask how they bill before the first meeting.
Which kind of lawyer do I need?
Match the lawyer to the problem: employment law for a dismissal or unpaid salary, family law for separation and divorce, tenancy law for rent and termination, immigration law for permits, and inheritance law or a notary for wills. Swiss court cases run in the canton’s official language, so an English-speaking lawyer can explain each step to you.
Proceedings are held in the official language of the canton that hears the case. Cantons may allow English only in international commercial disputes, and only if all parties ask for it (CPC, checked ).
- Employment law: dismissal or unpaid salary. See employment lawyers.
- Family law: separation, divorce, children and marital property. A marital agreement is valid only as a public deed (CC, checked ). See family lawyers.
- Tenancy and property law: rent increases, termination, deposits and buying property. A contract to sell land or a house is valid only as a public deed (CO, checked ). See property and tenancy lawyers.
- Immigration law: permit refusals, family reunification and appeals. See immigration lawyers and our guide to B, L and C permits.
- Wills and inheritance: a will is valid if you write it entirely by hand, date it and sign it, or if a notary makes it as a public deed with two witnesses (CC, checked ). See notaries.
Only lawyers admitted under the Lawyers Act may represent you in every kind of court proceeding; cantons can allow other qualified representatives before conciliation authorities and tenancy and employment courts (CPC, checked ).
How do I check that a lawyer is registered?
Each canton keeps a register of lawyers who have an office there and may represent clients in court, and anyone can ask whether a lawyer is on it or barred from practising. Zurich and Geneva publish their registers online, and the Swiss Bar Association links to the cantonal registers. Registered lawyers must mention their registration in business communications.
The register is kept by the canton’s supervisory authority for lawyers, not by a bar association. A lawyer on any cantonal register may represent clients before courts throughout Switzerland without further approval (Lawyers Act, checked ).
- Zurich: the High Court’s supervisory commission publishes the register, a list of EU/EFTA and UK lawyers, and a directory of lawyers who only give advice. All three are updated monthly (Zurich courts, checked ).
- Geneva: the Bar Commission runs an online database of lawyers that you can search by name (Geneva judiciary, checked ).
- Other cantons: the Swiss Bar Association (SAV/FSA) links to the cantonal registers on one page (SAV/FSA, checked ).
Bar association search and specialist titles
The Swiss Bar Association’s lawyer search filters by canton, town, language and field of activity, so you can look for lawyers who work in English (SAV/FSA, checked ). It also awards a specialist title (Fachanwalt SAV, avocat spécialiste FSA) in seven fields, including employment, family, inheritance and tenancy law (SAV/FSA, checked ).
Registered lawyers are bound by professional confidentiality, must carry professional indemnity insurance of at least CHF 1 million a year, and must keep client money separate from their own (Lawyers Act, checked ).
Before you hire a lawyer
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What does a first consultation cost and is there free legal advice?
Lawyers must explain how they bill when they take on your case, so ask about the cost of a first meeting in advance. Low-cost help exists: the Zurich Bar Association runs free legal information services, and Geneva’s bar offers consultations for CHF 60. If you lack the means and your case has a chance, apply for legal aid.
Under the Lawyers Act, a lawyer explains their billing principles when taking on a case and tells you the amount due periodically or on request. They may not agree to take a share of what you win instead of a fee, or promise to waive the fee if you lose (Lawyers Act, checked ).
Free and low-cost advice
- Zurich: the district court of Dietikon gives free legal information on family, tenancy and employment law to people with a link to the district, in German, for up to 15 minutes, and only while no case is pending. The Zurich Bar Association (ZAV) helps people find a suitable lawyer and runs free legal information services (Dietikon district court, checked ).
- Geneva: the Bar Association’s Permanence offers daily consultations with volunteer lawyers, in person or by phone, for CHF 60. Once a year its members give free 20-minute consultations without an appointment (Geneva Bar Association, checked ).
- Geneva notaries: the Chamber of Notaries gives 30-minute consultations on notarial and tax questions every Thursday, without an appointment, for CHF 60 (Geneva Chamber of Notaries, checked ).
Legal aid
Anyone without sufficient means has a constitutional right to free legal advice and assistance, unless the case appears to have no prospect of success (Federal Constitution Art. 29, checked ). In civil cases, legal aid exempts you from advances, security and court costs, and the court can appoint a lawyer where needed to protect your rights (CPC, checked ).
- Apply to the court before or after the case starts, disclose your income and assets, and state your view of the case. You may name the lawyer you prefer (CPC, checked ).
- Legal aid does not cover the other side’s costs if you lose (CPC, checked ).
- You repay it once you can afford to; the canton’s claim lapses ten years after the case ends (CPC, checked ).
- Registered lawyers must take on legal aid cases in their canton (Lawyers Act, checked ).
Tenancy disputes: what is the conciliation authority (Schlichtungsbehörde) and is it free?
It is the cantonal body that tries to settle a dispute between tenant and landlord before any court case. It has a chair and equal numbers of tenant and landlord representatives, gives both sides legal advice, and charges no court costs in tenancy cases. Deadlines are short: 30 days to challenge a termination or a rent increase.
Every canton has conciliation authorities for tenancy disputes, and the Federal Office for Housing publishes their addresses (ch.ch, checked ) (FOH, checked ). In Zurich, they are attached to the district courts rather than to the justices of the peace (Zurich courts, checked ).
- Termination: challenge it within 30 days of receiving the notice. On an open-ended lease, ask for an extension within the same 30 days (CO, checked ) (ch.ch, checked ).
- Rent increase: challenge it within 30 days of receiving the notice (CO, checked ).
- Initial rent: challenge it within 30 days of moving in, if personal hardship or the local housing market forced you to sign, or if the rent is much higher than the previous rent (CO, checked ).
What happens at the hearing
You apply in writing or orally, and the hearing takes place within two months. You attend in person, but you may bring a lawyer or a person you trust; if you live outside the canton or abroad, you may send a representative instead. No party costs are awarded at this stage, so you do not pay the landlord’s lawyer (CPC, checked ).
Without an agreement, the authority can propose a decision in disputes about deposits, unfair rent, termination or extension. It becomes binding unless a party rejects it within 20 days. Otherwise the authority grants authorisation to proceed, and in tenancy cases you then have 30 days to go to court (CPC, checked ). Prepare with a property and tenancy lawyer; for deposits, see our rental deposit guide.
-
Challenge a termination
30 days
from receiving the notice, at the conciliation authority.
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Court costs at conciliation
None
in disputes over residential and business leases.
-
No agreement reached
30 days
to take a tenancy case to court after authorisation to proceed.
Notaries and apostilles: who notarises in which canton?
Each canton decides how public deeds are made. In Zurich, notary offices are state offices and notaries are state employees. In Geneva, notaries are public officers appointed by the cantonal government but are not state employees. An apostille comes from the canton where the document was issued: Zurich’s State Chancellery, or Geneva’s population office.
Some contracts are valid only as a public deed: buying land or a house, a marital agreement and a contract of succession (CO, checked ) (CC, checked ). The cantons regulate how public deeds are drawn up on their territory, including deeds in foreign languages (CC, checked ).
- Zurich: notary offices are run by the state; notaries and their staff are employed and paid by the canton. The offices also act as land registry and bankruptcy offices, and their fees go to the state (Zurich notary offices, checked ).
- Geneva: notaries are appointed by the Council of State and work in private offices. They are public officers but not agents of the state, and a supervisory commission oversees them (Geneva Chamber of Notaries, checked ).
Apostilles and legalisation
A foreign authority usually wants the notary’s signature confirmed. In Zurich, apostilles and other over-certifications come from the State Chancellery (Zurich notary offices, checked ). In Geneva, the population office (OCPM) legalises only signatures and documents from Geneva; documents from another canton or from abroad go to their own authorities. An apostille costs CHF 30, and a private signature must first be legalised by a Geneva notary (Canton of Geneva, checked ).
An apostille is enough for countries that are party to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961; other countries require a further legalisation by their embassy or consulate (Zurich notary offices, checked ) (Federal Chancellery, checked ). The Federal Chancellery legalises signatures of federal offices and cantonal chancelleries and lists the competent cantonal offices (Federal Chancellery, checked ). Find a notary in our directory.
Zurich and Geneva compared
| Zurich | Geneva | |
|---|---|---|
| Notaries | State offices; notaries are employed by the canton | Appointed by the Council of State; not state employees |
| Apostille from | State Chancellery | Population office (OCPM) |
| Lawyers’ register | Published by the High Court’s supervisory commission | Online database of the Bar Commission |
Sources: the cantonal sites listed below.
Employment disputes: how do conciliation and labour courts work?
An employment case normally starts with a conciliation hearing, then goes to the cantonal civil or labour court. Up to a value of CHF 30,000, no court costs are charged at either stage and a simplified procedure applies. If you think a dismissal is unfair, object in writing before your notice period ends.
Raise the problem with your employer in writing first. If that fails, the cantonal civil court decides, and you can ask a lawyer or a union for advice (ch.ch, checked ). You may ask for the reasons for a dismissal in writing (CO, checked ).
Unfair dismissal
- Send your employer a written objection before the end of the notice period (CO, checked ).
- If you cannot agree, file the claim within 180 days of the end of employment (CO, checked ).
- The court sets the compensation, up to six months’ salary (CO, checked ).
Zurich and Geneva
In Zurich, the justice of the peace of each municipality holds the conciliation hearing in employment cases before the case can go to the district court (Zurich courts, checked ). In Geneva, the Tribunal des prud’hommes hears all private employment disputes, whatever the amount. Its conciliation stage is free, and the court charges nothing up to CHF 75,000 (Geneva judiciary, checked ).
The Geneva court cannot give legal advice; you may be assisted by a relative, a lawyer or another qualified representative such as a union secretary (Geneva judiciary, checked ). See employment lawyers.
-
No court costs
Up to CHF 30,000
in employment disputes, at conciliation and in court.
-
Object to a dismissal
Notice period
object in writing before it ends to keep a compensation claim.
-
File the claim
180 days
after employment ends, if you objected in time.
Where do I find an English-speaking lawyer near me?
Start with the area of law and your canton. On expat-services.ch you can browse English-speaking lawyers and notaries by field and city, including Zurich and Geneva. The Swiss Bar Association’s search also filters by language. Then check the cantonal register and compare two or three lawyers on experience, language and fees.
Browse all lawyers and notaries, or go straight to English-speaking lawyers in Zurich and in Geneva.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. For your own case, ask a registered lawyer or one of the advice services above.
Lawyers and notaries
Advokatur & Mediation Pfander, Alder, Lehmann, Schneider
General & private client · BaselBasel law and mediation office for private clients covering family, employment and tenancy law, inheritance and contracts, with notarial deeds in Basel-City and Basel-Country.
Listed from public information. The business hasn’t checked it yet.
Is this your business?Advokatur Notariat Lemann, Walz & Partner
General & private client · BernBern law and notary firm advising private individuals on family, inheritance, contract and property matters, with notaries for matrimonial, estate and real estate deeds.
Listed from public information. The business hasn’t checked it yet.
Is this your business?AH4 Family Law Experts
Family law · ZürichZurich boutique dedicated to matrimonial and family law, including divorce, international family matters and related inheritance questions. English website.
Listed from public information. The business hasn’t checked it yet.
Is this your business?What else do people ask about lawyers in Switzerland?
Can a Swiss court case be held in English?
Generally not. Proceedings use the official language of the canton. Cantons may allow English only in international commercial disputes, and only if all parties ask for it.
Can a lawyer registered in Zurich represent me in Geneva?
Yes. A lawyer on any cantonal register may represent clients before courts anywhere in Switzerland without further approval.
Do I need a lawyer for a conciliation hearing?
No. You must attend in person, but you may bring a lawyer or a person you trust. In tenancy cases the conciliation authority itself gives legal advice to both sides.
Can I write my own will in Switzerland?
Yes. A handwritten will is valid if you write all of it by hand, date it with day, month and year, and sign it. You can also make a will as a public deed before a notary and two witnesses.
Sources
Last checked by the expat-services.ch editorial team
- Fedlex, SR 935.61 Lawyers Act (BGFA/LLCA), Art. 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 and 13: cantonal registers, information on registration, fees, insurance and confidentiality (opens in a new tab)
- Fedlex, SR 272 Civil Procedure Code (ZPO/CPC), Art. 68, 113, 114, 117 to 119, 123, 129, 197, 198, 200 to 204, 209 to 211 and 243: representation, costs, legal aid, language, conciliation and the simplified procedure (opens in a new tab)
- Fedlex, SR 220 Code of Obligations (OR/CO), Art. 216, 270, 270b, 273, 335, 336a and 336b: land sales, rent challenges, termination and unfair dismissal (opens in a new tab)
- Fedlex, SR 210 Civil Code (ZGB/CC), Art. 184, 498, 499, 505 and 512, and Final Title Art. 55: marital agreements, wills and public deeds (opens in a new tab)
- Fedlex, SR 101 Federal Constitution, Art. 29 para. 3: right to free legal advice and assistance (opens in a new tab)
- Swiss Bar Association (SAV/FSA) Find a lawyer: search by canton, town, language and field of activity (opens in a new tab)
- Swiss Bar Association (SAV/FSA) Certified specialist SBA: the seven fields (opens in a new tab)
- Swiss Bar Association (SAV/FSA) Attorney registry: links to the cantonal lawyers’ registers (opens in a new tab)
- High Court of the Canton of Zurich Supervisory commission for lawyers: register, EU/EFTA/UK list and directory, updated monthly (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Judiciary of the Canton of Geneva Lawyers database of the Bar Commission (in French) (opens in a new tab)
- District Court of Dietikon, Canton of Zurich Free legal information: family, tenancy and employment law, up to 15 minutes; Zurich Bar Association services (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Ordre des avocats de Genève Permanences: consultations for CHF 60 and a yearly free consultation day (in French) (opens in a new tab)
- Chambre des notaires de Genève The Chamber and its Permanence: 30 minutes for CHF 60, Thursdays (in French) (opens in a new tab)
- Chambre des notaires de Genève The notary: appointment by the Council of State, status and supervision (in French) (opens in a new tab)
- ch.ch Rental and leasing agreements: cantonal conciliation authorities and the 30-day deadline (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Office for Housing (FOH/BWO) Conciliation procedure in tenancy matters and addresses of the conciliation authorities (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Courts of the Canton of Zurich Conciliation procedure: justices of the peace, joint tenancy authorities at the district courts (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- ch.ch Workers’ rights: individual disputes and where to get advice (opens in a new tab)
- Judiciary of the Canton of Geneva Employee and employer disputes: Tribunal des prud’hommes, conciliation and costs, February 2025 edition (in French) (opens in a new tab)
- Notary offices of the Canton of Zurich About the Zurich notary offices: state notariat, land registry and bankruptcy tasks (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Notary offices of the Canton of Zurich Apostille and over-certification by the State Chancellery (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Canton of Geneva, Cantonal Population and Migration Office (OCPM) Legalising a document or signature for use abroad: apostille, conditions and CHF 30 fee (in French) (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Chancellery Legalisations: apostille for Hague Convention states and list of cantonal offices (opens in a new tab)