Criminal Defense Emergency Service

Who can approach the Criminal Defense Emergency Service?

Arrested persons and their relatives, friends, and acquaintances.

The Emergency Service makes it possible at almost any time to get in touch with a criminal defense attorney.

Persons taken into pretrial custody have the right to consult the Criminal Defense Emergency Service.

What does the Criminal Defense Emergency Service undertake?

The attorney who is stand-by for the Emergency Service immediately gets in touch with the prosecuting authority, reviews the file (as much as legally possible), visits the detainee, clarifies whether the order for pretrial custody is permissible, and represents the arrested person in all aspects of the arrest order proceeding.

Rights of the Suspect

Every suspect has the right to remain silent, to appoint an attorney at any time, and to place a request for release at any time.

Organization and Support

The Criminal Defense Emergency Service is a private association. It exists under the patronage of the Zurich Bar Association and the Democratic Jurists of Zurich. Its members are practicing attorneys who regularly undertake criminal defense.

How to contact the Criminal Defense Emergency Service

Telephone	+41 (0)44 291 42 22
Fax	+41 (0)43 443 01 09
Office hours	weekdays 7:30 -12:00 a.m. and 1:00-6:00 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Mailing address	Pikett Strafverteidigung c/o Wyss & Partner zH. RA lic. iur. Johannes Helbling Postfach 1281 8034 Zürich