Every lawyer in the directory is checked against their cantonal register.
See howLaw, simply.
Compare verified lawyers in French-speaking Switzerland, see their hourly rate and book a first appointment straight into their calendar.
Cantonal registers checked by hand
- Geneva
- Vaud
- Neuchâtel
- Fribourg
- Valais
- Jura
We keep the name of the register and the date of every check.
Find a lawyer for every area of law
Sixteen areas, all covered by lawyers entered on a cantonal register.
Lawyers and legal practitioners
Not every legal question needs a lawyer
On ora. you will find bar-registered lawyers and qualified legal practitioners. For a contract to review, a letter to send or a negotiation to run, a legal practitioner does the work — often at a lower rate.
A lawyer
Registered with a cantonal bar and checked against the register. For a matter that is going, or might go, to court.
A legal practitioner
A university degree in Swiss law, checked by us. To advise, draft and negotiate.
What does a lawyer cost in French-speaking Switzerland?
Every profile shows the lawyer’s hourly rate, in francs, and an appointment costs that rate for the minutes you book. Start with an area of law and compare.
No account is needed to look at rates.
How ora. is paidHow a mandate works
First an appointment with a verified lawyer, then whatever your matter needs.
- Start here
A first appointment
Where every mandate begins
You book a slot in a verified lawyer’s calendar. The price is their hourly rate for the time you book.
Find a lawyerThe appointment includes:
- The lawyer’s hourly rate, for the minutes booked
- Paid by card when you book, or by TWINT and digital wallet where available
- A video meeting from the platform, or as you agree
- Secure messages and documents in the mandate, once it is paid
- An account created when you book, not before
If your matter continues
A proposal from the lawyer, which you accept or not
In the mandate’s conversation, the lawyer proposes a fixed price or hourly work. You accept or decline.
How it worksThe proposal can include:
- A fixed price agreed in advance, for a written scope, paid on acceptance
- Or hourly work, with every entry of time recorded line by line and visible in the mandate
- On hourly work, a budget ceiling if you set one
- An invoice every Monday, payable by link or by automatic charge to your card
- Follow-up appointments, proposed and paid one at a time
Why these profiles can be trusted
A directory of lawyers is worth exactly what its verification is worth. Here is what we check, and what we do not.
Checked against the register
Every registration is checked by hand against the cantonal register of lawyers. We keep the name of the register consulted and the date.
Professional secrecy
The content of your matter belongs to the lawyer–client relationship. No member of ora. staff reaches it in the normal course of events.
Payment on ora.
You pay by card on the platform: an appointment when you book, a fixed price when you accept it, hourly work by weekly invoice. If you disagree, ora. mediates.
Fees kept separate
The lawyer’s fee and ora.’s service fee are two separate lines, with two recipients. Never one total that is split afterwards.
Data held in Switzerland
Your data and your documents are hosted in Zurich. We work to the revised Federal Act on Data Protection.
No advice from us
ora. is not a law firm. We give no legal advice and we never place ourselves between you and your lawyer.
What we commit to
- Cantonal registersChecked by hand
- Professional secrecyLLCA art. 13
- Revised FADP2023 compliance
- HostingZurich, Switzerland
- PaymentBy card, on ora.
- FeesRate shown in advance
- Open directoryNo account needed
Find the lawyer you need
The directory is open and searching is free. You only create an account when you book an appointment.
Common questions
What people ask us before they book. If your question is not here, it is probably answered on our pricing or terms pages.
How are lawyers verified?
Every registration is checked by hand against the cantonal register of lawyers the lawyer names. We keep the name of the register consulted and the date of the check, and we show both on the profile. A profile appears in the directory only once that check is done.
Do I need an account to look for a lawyer?
No. The directory is open and searching is free. You create an account when you book an appointment, not before.
How do I book an appointment?
From the lawyer’s profile, you choose the length of the appointment, within the limits the lawyer sets, and a start time in their calendar. The price is the lawyer’s hourly rate, prorated to the length. You can describe your situation in a few lines, you name the parties involved and sign the consultation terms. With instant booking, your payment confirms the appointment; on approval, the lawyer accepts your request first and you pay afterwards. The consultation takes place by video call on ora., and you can add the appointment to your calendar.
Why am I asked for the names of the parties?
A lawyer cannot act against someone they already represent. Before anything is confirmed, the names you give are checked against the lawyer’s other matters and those of their firm. If there is a conflict of interest, the booking is refused, the time slot becomes available again and the fee you paid is refunded to your card. ora.’s service fee is non-refundable.
How much does it cost?
The lawyer’s hourly rate is on their profile, in francs, before you book anything, and the price of an appointment follows from the length you choose. ora.’s service fee is added to it, shown separately before you book and non-refundable: the fee goes to the lawyer, and ora. charges for its own service under its own name, never one total split afterwards. If the lawyer is VAT-registered, VAT appears on a line of its own; ora. is not VAT-registered. Searching for a lawyer and comparing profiles cost nothing.
How does payment work?
You pay by card, or by TWINT and digital wallet where available, when you book an appointment or when you accept a fixed-price proposal. The lawyer’s fee and ora.’s service fee appear on two separate lines, never as one total split afterwards. For hourly work, every Monday you receive the invoice for the previous week, which you pay by link within seven days or by automatic charge to your card, which you can switch off at any time.
Can I cancel or move an appointment?
Yes, from your mandate, and the amount is shown before you confirm. Cancelling more than 24 hours before the appointment gets the lawyer’s fee back to you in full, between 24 and 2 hours before half of it, and nothing under 2 hours. The refund goes to your card. ora.’s service fee is non-refundable. Moving the appointment is free more than 24 hours before, and once inside that window; after that, the lawyer has to accept the new time. If the lawyer cancels or does not show up, their fee is refunded to you in full; ora.’s service fee is not.
Who can see my file?
Only the lawyer you chose. Your booking is neither published nor passed to other lawyers, and the contents of the file belong to the lawyer-client relationship: no ora. employee accesses it in the normal course of business, and any exceptional access leaves a permanent trace. Your data and documents are hosted in Zurich under the revised Federal Act on Data Protection.
Can ora. advise me on my case?
No. ora. is not a law firm and gives no legal advice. The mandate is concluded directly between you and the lawyer you choose; we never stand between the two of you.
What does the firm shown on a profile mean?
A firm brings verified practitioners together under one name. Only a lawyer or a legal practitioner verified on ora. can found one, and the ora. team checks it before it appears on profiles. Three things change for you: the conflict-of-interest check covers the whole firm; the fees may go to the firm rather than to the practitioner, with ora.’s service charge still a separate amount; and your mandate can pass to a colleague in the firm only with your agreement, at the same price. Your matter, your messages and your documents are not shared with the other members.