The lawyer’s fee
Each lawyer publishes an indicative hourly rate on their profile. The actual price is agreed with you before work starts, either fixed or hourly.
Pricing
One fee, stated in advance, never two
Two separate amounts, never one shared total. Here is why, and what each covers.
The lawyer’s feeCHF 220.00
Paid out to the lawyerDeducted: CHF 0.00
ora. service fee (15%)CHF 33.00
Invoiced by ora., non-refundable
Two amounts, two recipients, never added into one.
On the invoice
Two amounts, two recipients
Work done through ora. produces two separate amounts, which appear on two separate lines.
This is not a presentational choice: a Swiss lawyer may not share fees with a non-lawyer. A single amount that was afterwards split would create precisely the problem this separation avoids.
On the invoice
- The lawyer’s feesSet by the lawyer, agreed with you before the work.
- ora. service feeSet by ora., non-refundable, no VAT.
Never a single total divided up afterwards.
Paid out to the lawyerBy bank transfer, to their own account or their firm’s.
Invoiced by ora.For the use of the platform, and nothing else.
Clients pay
15%
15% of the lawyer’s fee, charged by ora. under its own name for use of the platform and paid on top of the fee. It is non-refundable.
Lawyers pay
CHF 0
ora. takes nothing from the fee. The client pays it to ora., which passes it on to the lawyer.
ora. is not VAT-registered: no VAT is added to the service fee.
The lawyer’s fee and ora.’s service fee are always shown as two separate amounts, in every proposal, invoice and receipt. ora. never quotes one total and splits it afterwards.
Pricing
What each one covers
ora.’s service fee
It pays for the platform: verifying lawyers, messaging, document storage, mediation in case of a disagreement and support. You pay it on top of the fee; it is non-refundable and carries no VAT: ora. is not VAT-registered.
Read the terms
VAT
If the lawyer is VAT-registered, the applicable Swiss VAT is added to their fee, on a line of its own. ora.’s service fee carries no VAT, as ora. is not VAT-registered.
Payment, in three steps
You pay ora., which collects on the practitioner’s behalf
The payment goes from the client to ora., which pays it on to the practitioner by bank transfer. ora. keeps only its service fee, on a separate line.
You book
You choose an appointment or accept an offer, with the price and the service fee in front of you.
You pay
By card, on ora. The amount is paid out to the practitioner; ora.’s service fee is shown separately.
The work begins
Any refund goes back to your card. If you disagree, ora. mediates.
Firms
When the practitioner works in a firm
If the practitioner you choose is a member of a firm verified by ora., their fees are paid out to the firm by ora. The mandate is still entered into with the practitioner you chose.
The same price
The fees are the ones agreed with the practitioner. If a colleague in the firm takes the mandate over, which happens only with your agreement, the price does not change.
Always two amounts
The fees, paid out to the firm, and the service fee, charged by ora., remain two separate amounts with two separate recipients.
The same payment
You pay ora. in the same way, whether the practitioner works alone or in a firm. Any refund goes back to your card.
Pricing
What is built in
Two amounts, never one
The lawyer’s fee and ora.’s service fee stay separate everywhere they appear, from the booking to the receipt.
Verification done by hand
An administrator consults the cantonal register the lawyer names, and we keep the name of the register and the date of the consultation.
Professional secrecy
A matter is visible to its client and to verified lawyers whose practice areas match it. There is no general administrative access to matter content in the product.
Questions people ask
What is the service fee?
What you pay ora. for the use of the platform: verifying lawyers, the calendar and booking, messaging, document storage, video calls and mediation in case of a disagreement. It is calculated on the lawyer’s fee, shown before any booking, paid on top of the fee and invoiced separately, under ora.’s name. It is non-refundable. As ora. is not VAT-registered, it carries no VAT; the lawyer’s VAT, if they are registered, appears on their own fee.
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 refunds me, if a refund is due?
ora. does, to your card, since ora. collected your payment on the lawyer’s behalf. ora. also mediates if you disagree. ora.’s service fee is non-refundable. On a time-based mandate nothing is paid in advance: you pay only for the time invoiced each week.
How is a lawyer verified?
Every lawyer names the cantonal bar register they are registered with, and every legal practitioner (juriste) submits their Swiss law degree. An administrator checks the register or the diploma by hand, and we keep what was consulted and the date of the check. A profile only becomes visible to clients once that check is done.
Who sees what I write?
Only the lawyer you chose. There is no call for bids: your request is neither published nor passed to other lawyers, other clients and visitors cannot see it, and no ora. employee accesses it in the normal course of business.
Nothing to pay before you book
Looking for a lawyer and comparing profiles cost nothing. ora.'s service fee and the lawyer's fee are shown to you separately before any booking.