What is OAV and FSA and why is it important that your lawyer is a member of these organizations?
OAV or “Ordre des Avocats Vaudois” is a private organization of lawyers admitted to the Bar of canton Vaud, in other words association of professionals licensed to practice law in canton Vaud. At the same time these lawyers (attorneys-at-law) are members of the Swiss Federal Association of lawyers, FSA.
These professional organizations monitor and aim to assure the highest ethical standards, as well as other conditions for practising law, such as solvency, liability insurance, good reputation in community, just to name a few.
How to prepare the initial meeting with your lawyer?
You can expedite your lawyer’s work starting at the first meeting. Your assistance will save time and the cost. Be prepared. Bring along all documents relevant to your case, ideally organized chronologically and make short written summary of the facts and issues you’d like to put forward. Let the lawyer guide the consultation, he or she knows what information is most important to analyse your case from the legal perspective, therefore answer the lawyer’s questions.
Remember to be honest, your conversation is confidential, even if you don’t hire the lawyer. He or she can’t help you if you don’t provide accurate information, so always be honest. At the first meeting, it is also important to establish the preferred way of communicating with your lawyer: by e-mail, mail, telephone as well as discuss the financial aspect of the process.
What about the lawyer’s fees and other legal costs?
Depending on the complexity of the issue a typical hourly rate at our firm starts at chf 350-., plus value added tax and costs of administrative work - such as copying, emailing, etc…The hourly rate also depends on the nature of the mandate, litigious value of the case, situation of the customer and the outcome of the case.
Would I have possibility to access legal procedure if experiencing financial difficulties and couldn’t pay the fees and other legal expenses?
Yes. Financing legal procedure could prove overwhelming for the persons of modest means and under certain conditions, canton Vaud could provide financial legal assistance.
The legal costs and fees will be payed, but, should your financial situation improve in the future, you would be obliged to reimburse the cost back to the canton Vaud, typically through schedule of monthly payments. Hourly rate provided by legal assistance differs from our regular fees (180.- chf per hour for attorney-at-law or 110.-chf for the hour of trainee’s work).