Lawyer in the canton of Ticino

The official language of the canton is Italian, and proceedings before Ticino courts and authorities are conducted in Italian. Your advice can still be in another language: on ora. every practitioner lists the languages they speak, and you can filter by English, German, French or others.

On ora., every lawyer is checked against a cantonal bar register, and every legal adviser holds a Swiss law degree. You filter by area of law, language and place – from Bellinzona to Locarno or Lugano – and compare profiles and fees. You book a meeting at the office or by video.

In civil and family matters, the court of first instance is the district pretura, such as the Pretura di Bellinzona or the Pretura di Lugano; the Locarno district has the Pretura di Locarno-Città and the Pretura di Locarno-Campagna. Criminal cases go to the Pretura penale and the Tribunale penale cantonale, administrative appeals to the Tribunale cantonale amministrativo.

The Ordine degli avvocati del Cantone Ticino is the professional association of lawyers in Ticino. Membership is not the same as being entered in the cantonal bar register, which is what allows a lawyer to represent clients in court. That register entry is what ora. checks before publishing a lawyer’s profile.

Each practitioner sets their own fees, and the rates of the lawyers available are shown live on this page and on every profile before you book. ora.’s service fee appears on a separate line and is never added into the fee, and you pay the practitioner directly. If your means are insufficient, you can apply for Assistenza giudiziaria e gratuito patrocinio, the canton’s legal aid.