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Ticino · Family law
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Lawyer in Lugano
Verified lawyers and legal advisers in Lugano, including advice in English – with the Ticino authorities that handle your case.
- No practitioner registered in the canton
Lugano lies in the Lugano District, in the canton of Ticino.
Lugano lies in the Lugano District, in the canton of Ticino.
The local picture
Lugano
Lugano is the largest city in Ticino and a business and financial centre close to the Italian border. For civil and family matters from the Lugano district, the court of first instance is the Pretura di Lugano, which also hears employment disputes above the justice of the peace’s limit. Criminal investigations are led by the Ministero pubblico, and a tenancy dispute starts before the Uffici di conciliazione in materia di locazione. Hearings are held in Italian.
Many people come from Italy to work in Lugano as cross-border commuters, and many companies have ties across the border. Questions about employment contracts, company law or tax are therefore common. On ora. every practitioner lists the languages they speak, so you can find advice in English, Italian, German or French. Every lawyer is checked against a cantonal bar register, and you see the fee before you book.
Practitioners
Lawyers in Lugano
No practitioner is registered in the canton of Ticino yet. Those below meet clients by video call, anywhere in Switzerland.
Nearest first: offices in Lugano, then the district and the canton, then those who meet by video call in your language.
See all practitionersBy video call, anywhere in Switzerland1 practitioner
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Justice in Lugano
Which authority for which dispute?
Before you consult, it helps to know who decides. These are the competent authorities for Lugano, each with its official website.
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), swisstopo
- Tenancy
- Work
- Family
- Criminal
- Legal aid
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), swisstopo
Tenancy
Tenancy: the Uffici di conciliazione
A dispute over rent, a defect, the deposit or a notice to quit normally starts in Ticino before the Uffici di conciliazione in materia di locazione, the tenancy conciliation offices. They try to bring the parties to an agreement. If that fails, the case can go to the district pretura. Proceedings are conducted in Italian, and time limits for challenging a notice are short, so a tenancy lawyer helps with the application.
- Official website
Competent authority
Uffici di conciliazione in materia di locazione
Serves: the whole canton
Related situations
Work
Employment: justice of the peace or pretura
Ticino has no separate employment tribunal. Small employment claims are decided by the justice of the peace (giudice di pace); above that limit, the ordinary district pretura is competent, such as the Pretura di Lugano or the Pretura di Bellinzona. Locarno and Mendrisio each have two preture. An employment lawyer checks the dismissal, your wages and the deadlines before you act.
- Official website
Competent authority
Pretura di Lugano
Serves: Lugano District
Related situations
Family
Family: the district pretura
Protective measures, separation, divorce, custody and maintenance are decided at first instance by the pretura of your district, in Italian. Often an agreement can be reached that the court then only has to approve. If you do not speak Italian, you can look for a practitioner who advises you in your language and conducts the proceedings in Italian; on ora. every profile lists the languages spoken.
- Official website
Competent authority
Pretura di Lugano
Serves: Lugano District
Related situations
Criminal
Criminal law: the Ministero pubblico
A complaint, a summons to an interview or a penalty order: the investigation is led by the Ministero pubblico, Ticino’s public prosecutor. Depending on the seriousness of the charge, the case is then decided by the Pretura penale or the Tribunale penale cantonale. The time limit for objecting to a penalty order is very short, so consult a criminal lawyer without delay; they can be at your side from the first interview.
- Official website
Competent authority
Ministero pubblico
Serves: the whole canton
Related situations
Legal aid
Legal aid
If you cannot afford proceedings and your case is not without prospects, you can apply in Ticino for Assistenza giudiziaria e gratuito patrocinio – legal aid. It can exempt you from advances and court costs and allow a lawyer to be appointed for you. The application is made in Italian. A practitioner can tell you whether your situation qualifies and help you with the form.
- Official website
Competent authority
Assistenza giudiziaria e gratuito patrocinio
Serves: the whole canton
Areas of law
Areas covered in Lugano
One panel for each area in which verified practitioners work in the canton of Ticino. Other areas remain available by video call.
No practitioner in the canton of Ticino yet
Nobody in the canton is registered for these areas yet. Practitioners from elsewhere can meet you by video call.
- Family law
- Employment law
- Commercial law
- Contract law
- Property law
- Landlord and tenant law
- Criminal law
- Immigration law
- Succession law
- Intellectual property law
- Insurance law
- Tax law
- Debt enforcement law
- Administrative law
- Data protection law
- Arbitration
Common situations
The questions that come up most
Six common situations in the areas where most practitioners work in the canton of Ticino.
Pricing on ora.
Two lines, never one total
Each practitioner sets their own fees and shows them on their profile before you book. You pay ora., which collects on the practitioner’s behalf; ora. charges its service fee on a separate line.
- Practitioner's feeSet by the practitioner, paid out to the practitioner
- ora. service fee (non-refundable)A separate line, paid to ora.
- You choose an appointment
- You pay ora., which collects for the practitioner
- The work takes place
- If you disagree, ora. mediates
Cantonal registers checked by hand
- Geneva
- Vaud
- Neuchâtel
- Fribourg
- Valais
- Jura
We keep the name of the register and the date of every check.
Frequently asked questions
Your questions in Lugano
Local answers, checked against official sources. A practitioner can look at your situation in detail.
See all questionsWhich court is competent in Lugano?
In civil and family matters, the court of first instance is the Pretura di Lugano, which also hears employment disputes above the justice of the peace’s limit. Criminal investigations are led by the Ministero pubblico; depending on seriousness, the case is decided by the Pretura penale or the Tribunale penale cantonale. Administrative appeals go to the Tribunale cantonale amministrativo.
I commute across the border to Lugano: which law applies?
If you usually work in Lugano, your employment is as a rule governed by Swiss law, and you can usually sue where you work, so before the Pretura di Lugano or, for small claims, the justice of the peace. Tax and social insurance follow special rules for cross-border commuters. A practitioner checks your contract, wages and deadlines.
How much does a lawyer cost in Lugano?
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.
Can I be advised in English in Lugano?
Yes, if the practitioner speaks English; every profile on ora. says so, and you can filter by it. Proceedings before the Pretura di Lugano or another Ticino authority are, however, conducted in Italian. A bilingual lawyer explains everything to you in English and represents you in Italian.
Next step
Find your practitioner in Lugano
Choose an area of law: the directory opens on the practitioners who work near you.
- Video consultation
- Online booking