Every lawyer in the directory is checked against their cantonal register.
See howLaw, simply.
Say what you need, compare verified lawyers in French-speaking Switzerland, and agree a price before anything begins.
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, before you make contact. Start with an area of law and compare.
No account is needed to look at rates.
How ora. is paidChoose the shape of the mandate
Two ways of working with a lawyer, both agreed before anything begins.
One-off consultation
For a single, well-defined need
One precise question, one answer, a price fixed in advance.
Find a lawyerThe consultation includes:
- Scope written down and accepted before work starts
- Fixed price, known in advance
- Video meeting from inside the platform
- Documents exchanged with encryption
- Funds paid to the lawyer when you confirm
- Most common
Ongoing mandate
For ongoing work over time
A matter that runs on, billed hourly, followed line by line.
Describe my matterEverything in the consultation, plus:
- Hourly billing, itemised by piece of work
- Every hour recorded is visible inside the matter
- Continuous messaging with your lawyer
- Invoices and receipts gathered in one place
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.
Funds held until you confirm
Money is held by the platform and paid to the lawyer when you confirm the work is done.
Fees kept separate
The lawyer's fee and the ora. fee are two separate line items with two separate recipients. Never one total that gets 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 clients say
Every review is published by somebody who actually instructed the lawyer through ora., fourteen days after the mandate ends.
I was dismissed on a Friday evening and had no idea where to start. I found a lawyer in Lausanne on the Saturday, we spoke on the Monday, and the scope was agreed before I paid anything.
The register check matters to me. I knew the person opposite me was genuinely admitted, and I did not have to verify it myself.
The money stayed held until I confirmed. For a first mandate with somebody I did not know, that was exactly what I needed.
What we commit to
- Cantonal registersChecked by hand
- Professional secrecyLLCA art. 13
- Revised FADP2023 compliance
- HostingZurich, Switzerland
- Funds heldReleased on confirmation
- FeesAgreed in advance
- Open directoryNo account needed
Find the lawyer you need
The directory is open and searching is free. You only create an account on the day you want to write to somebody.
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 or write to a lawyer, not before.
How do I book an appointment?
From the lawyer's profile, you choose a service, then 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 describe your situation in a few lines, 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 it held is released and what you paid is returned to you, the lawyer's fee and the service fee included.
How much does it cost?
The price of the service is on the lawyer's profile, in francs, before any contact. ora.'s service fee is added to it, shown separately before you book: the lawyer receives their fee in full, and ora. charges for its own service under its own name, never one total split afterwards. Searching, comparing and writing to a lawyer cost nothing.
When is the lawyer paid?
You pay when you book. The funds are held by the platform and paid to the lawyer once the consultation has taken place and you have confirmed the work. On a time-based mandate, only the time you approved is paid out; what is left becomes a credit on your account, to use on a future mandate or to have paid out to you.
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 refunds the lawyer's fee and the service fee in full, between 24 and 2 hours before by half, and nothing under 2 hours. 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, the fee and the service fee are refunded in full.
Who can see my file?
Only the lawyer you chose. Your request 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.