Membership

Fill out your application online or send the following documents to the head office of the Zurich Bar Association:

• application form
• detailed CV including degrees and career path
• Two letters of recommendation from two active members of the Zurich Bar Association (in two different law firms and on their official paper). Please send us the letters of recommendation directly or make sure they get sent to the head office of the Zurich Bar Association.

Attorneys with a Swiss license to practise as an attorney

• Copy of one of the following documents, which may not be older than six month:
  order about the registration in the attorneys register of the Canton of Zurich, or
  disciplinary certificate of the Aufsichtskommission über die Anwältinnen und Anwälte des Kantons Zürich.

Attorneys with a foreign lisence to practise as an attorney

• nationals of EU- / EFTA-Countries
  Copy of one of the following documents, which may not be older than six month:
  • order about the registration in the attorneys register of the Canton of Zurich, or
  • order about the registration in the list according to Art. 28 BGFA, or
  • disciplinary certificate of the Aufsichtskommission über die Anwältinnen und Anwälte des Kantons Zürich
  • In case there is no registration in the attorneys register or the list according to 28 BGFA it is necessary to provide a confirmation of the attorney qualification from the country of origin.
    
    
• other countries
  According to the Zurich Supervisory Commission (Aufsichtskommission), attorneys from other countries are not subject to the personal scope of application of the BGFA and the Attorneys Law  (ZR 110/2011, p. 152, no. 57), the Board of Directors of the Zurich Bar Association only accepts such attorneys if they work together with registered members.
  Copy of the following document, which may not be older than six month:
  • certificate of qualification as an attorney in the country of origin

The board of directors have monthly meetings at which they decide about the new membership applications. After the meeting, in case you were admitted to the Zurich Bar Association, you will receive a letter from the president of the Zurich Bar Association as well as various documents.

For the year of 2025 the yearly membership fee has been set by the winter assembly as follows:

The cost for the active membership is age-dependent.

• up to the age of 35 the yearly fee is CHF 200 
• above the age of 35 the yearly fee is CHF 300

Upon admission to the Zurich Bar Association, there will be an additional admission fee which is CHF 100. 

The yearly membership fee for the Swiss Bar Association which is CHF 190 is not included in the prices listed above.

The yearly fee for our passive membership is CHF 60.

To change your law firm or your contact details, you can send your new contact details and information to sekretariat@zav.ch or by post to the Head Office.

Once you are no longer a practicing attorney in the Canton of Zurich, your membership must be adapted.

You can either become a passive member of the Zurich Bar Association or terminate your membership. You can fill out the form below and send it to sekretariat@zav.ch or by post to the Head Office.

As a passive member who resumes their work as an attorney in the Canton of Zurich, you are required to adapt your membership status. Once you are registered in the attorneys register of the Canton of Zurich, you can send the order about the registration and your new law firm together with the corresponding e-mail address to sekretariat@zav.ch.

I am opening an office together with another attorney who is a member of the Zurich Bar Association. Do I have to become members of a Bar Association too?
As soon as someone in your law firm is a member of the Zurich Bar Association, the other attorneys must also become members of a Cantonal Bar Association (§ 3 Abs. 2 Statuten).

I plan to open an office together with an economist who is not a licensed attorney. Can I do that as a member?
Members can form partnerships with professionals who are not attorneys, as long as their services are in close connection with those of the attorney (§ 3 Abs. 2 Statuten).

I recently passed the Bar Exam and I am starting a job in the legal department of a bank. Can I become a member of the Zurich Bar Association?
No. Only attorneys who practice law in the Canton of Zurich either on their own or as employees of attorneys who are themselves members of the Zurich Bar Association can become members. Attorneys, even though licensed as attorneys, who serve as legal counsel or consultants for a business do not meet these requirements.

I am admitted to a foreign bar. Can I become a member of the Zurich Bar Association?
Yes, if you have a business domicile in Zurich or are employed by a Zurich law firm and in addition, are registered in the list as per art. 28 BGFA or registered in a cantonal attorneys register.