01 · Legal opinion
A formal Swiss-law opinion, fixed-fee.
Short opinions up to 5 pages at CHF 1,900. Comprehensive multi-issue opinions at CHF 4,900. Reliance language available. Signed firm letterhead, structured citations, clear conditional reasoning where required.
02 · Three opinion tiers
Short, comprehensive, reliance.
Short opinion
Up to 5 pages. Single legal question with focused analysis. CHF 1,900 fixed. Typical use: enforceability of a clause, applicability of a specific Swiss-law rule, regulatory threshold check.
Comprehensive opinion
Multi-issue analysis with structured legal reasoning, citation of relevant articles, and conclusions. CHF 4,900 fixed. Typical use: cross-border financing, M&A clean-opinion, FINMA regulatory positioning, complex tax-ruling support.
Reliance opinion
Issued for use by a third party (counterparty, bank, regulator) who may rely on it. Comprehensive opinion + reliance language + signed firm letterhead. Quoted on request, typically CHF 5,900–7,900 depending on reliance scope.
03 · Pricing
Flat fee per scope. Hourly above the comprehensive cap.
| Service | Our fee | Market range |
|---|---|---|
| Legal opinion (short, up to 5 pages) | CHF 1,900 | CHF 2,000–5,000 |
| Legal opinion (comprehensive) | CHF 4,900 | CHF 5,000–15,000 |
| Hourly rate (above flat-fee scope) | CHF 250 / hour | CHF 250–550 |
04 · What every opinion contains
Structure, citations, conclusions, signed letterhead.
- Structured legal reasoning citing the relevant Swiss statutes and articles
- Identification of factual assumptions on which the opinion rests
- Conclusions stated with explicit qualifications and reservations
- Signed firm letterhead, addressed to the recipient on the brief
- One round of clarification questions before final issue
- Translation into English (or German/French if requested) at no extra cost
05 · Process
Brief → draft → clarification → final.
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01
Brief
Send the legal question, factual background, and the recipient. We confirm whether short or comprehensive scope applies.
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02
Drafting
Short: 5 working days. Comprehensive: 10–15 working days. Includes research and citation verification.
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03
Clarification round
You receive a draft for review. One round of factual corrections / scope clarifications included in the flat fee.
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04
Final issue
Signed letterhead version, dated, addressed to the recipient. Reliance language added if requested at brief stage.
06 · FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
When do I need a Swiss legal opinion versus general legal advice?
A legal opinion is a formal written document that a third party can rely on. Counterparties, banks, regulators or auditors often request one to confirm a Swiss-law point before they accept a transaction or filing. General legal advice is informal — a memo or call between you and your lawyer. If a third party will read and rely on the analysis, you need an opinion.
What is a "reliance opinion"?
An opinion expressly addressed to and intended to be relied upon by a named third party. The third party can sue the issuer for negligent advice if the opinion is wrong. Because of the additional liability we charge a small premium and confirm coverage with our professional indemnity insurer before issue.
Can you opine on foreign-law questions?
No. Swiss bar rules and our professional indemnity scope cover Swiss-law opinions only. For foreign-law questions we coordinate with referral counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. The Swiss-law portion of a multi-jurisdictional opinion remains within our scope.
How long is an opinion valid for?
An opinion is dated and reflects the law at that date. Material legal change after issue can affect its validity. For matters where validity needs to extend over time (e.g., long-term financing or licence support), we add an "as of [date]" anchor and offer refresh opinions at 30–50% of the original fee depending on scope.
Do you provide tax opinions?
Limited tax opinions yes — Swiss withholding-tax positions, participation-exemption confirmations, and similar discrete points. For full tax-structuring opinions involving multi-step planning we coordinate with a tax-specialist firm. See /services/tax-ruling/ for cantonal tax-ruling support.
What if the answer is "it depends"?
We say so, with explicit conditional reasoning. A good opinion identifies which factual or legal contingencies drive different conclusions. Many fact-dependent matters are appropriately addressed with conditional opinions — that is what the comprehensive scope is built for.
07 · Get started
Send the question and the recipient.
One-paragraph brief: the legal question, the factual background, and who will read the opinion. We confirm scope (short or comprehensive), reliance status, and timeline within the same business day.