Areas of practice
Banking and Finance
Avocats Associés has a long experience in advising banks, investment entities, assets managers, investment funds managers and traders.
Our Law Office is in contact with financial and banking regulators and advises clients for the granting of banking licenses and conformity of financial products with regulations and anti-laundering provisions.
Avocats Associés also advises clients of banks and financial entities concerning their banking relationships, bank accounts, investment management mandates, categories of investments, investors profiles, investments in all types of products, like shares, bonds, structured products, intermediated securities, investment funds and collective investment schemes, ETFs or OTCs.
Avocats Associés also advises and represents clients before courts in any banking and financial litigations.
Business law and contracts
Since its setting up, more than one century ago, our Law Office has an important practice with commercial and international, but also local clients and advises them all along their existence, from the setting up to business development, management, negotiation of contracts and protection of their rights and interests, when difficulties arise in their commercial activities.
Avocats Associés negotiate and draws up, for leading companies but also SMEs, all types of contracts, like partnerships, work and services contracts, agency contracts, sales, loans, leases, employment contracts, and takes part in their implementation.
Our Law Office also represents its clients in commercial litigation before courts and arbitration courts.
Companies law
Avocats Associés advises clients for the setting-up of all types of companies, like limited companies, limited liability companies, cooperative companies, partnerships, limited partnerships and simple partnerships.
Our Law Office prepares the articles of association for all types of companies and partnerships, drafts all related contracts and leads with the best notaries public all required proceedings with trade registrars.
Avocats Associés also advises these companies and partnerships during their existence in respect of particular regulations applicable to these entities, and our attorneys-at-law can be members of executive committees or be elected as members of the executive board of directors, when asked by clients.
Associations and Foundations law
Avocats Associés advises clients for the setting-up of all types of non-profit entities, like associations, or charities and other types of foundations.
Our Law Office prepares the articles of association for all types of associations and foundations, drafts all related contracts and leads all proceedings with trade registrars when required and, concerning foundations, proceeds to registration and granting of the authorisation from Survey authorities, and follows up annual reviews with them.
Avocats Associés also advises these associations and foundations during their existence in respect of particular regulations applicable to these entities, and our attorneys-at-law can be members of executive committees of these associations or be member of the board of Foundations and Charities, when asked by clients.
Liability and insurance
A human being is liable for all his acts, consciously or not.
Be it as a result of a traffic accident, a medical act, an act committed by a third person for whom one is accountable (for example parents for their minor children), a criminal offence or the conclusion of a contract, the civil liability ties everyone towards a third person, independently of his social status and in all aspects of his daily life.
If the legal principles, which are at the base of the reparable damage, are well known by the insurances companies, who dispose of important financial and human resources to fulfill their work, it is however not the case for the party suffering prejudice. Often helpless, not understood and with no knowledge of their rights, the party suffering prejudice will have to deploy a considerable energy to obtain full, complete and just reparation of their prejudice. As their first preoccupation will be to recover their health in case of corporal damage, they are often simply dismissed, when claiming their rights.
Assisting the parties suffering prejudice and patients victims of medical errors, AVOCATS ASSOCIÉS will advise you and, if necessary, will conduct all necessary legal procedures for the defense of your rights.
Our law office will also advise you in case of any litigation with insurances companies, for example in case of coverage refusal, disagreement on the insured amounts or on the insurance indemnities or on the due allowances, in case of termination of your contracts or of refusal by the insurance to terminate the latter or of any other litigation.
Social insurances Law
Do you have a dispute with your health or accident insurance company ?
Your insurance company refuses to pay your treatment or refuses to pay you a daily indemnity or refuses to pay you the allowance you are entitled to ?
The disability insurance refuses to consider your request for an allowance or has revised unfavorably your allowance ?
Are you unable to work following an illness or an accident but your disability insurance company refuses to consider your application ?
You need help.
Contact us. Our law office will assist you, will put all necessary questions to your physician, will oppose all negative decisions and will initiate any necessary legal action in order to protect your rights.
Labour law
Labour law is a vast and fascinating field.
Governing the relations between an employer and his employee, it constitutes the cement of a necessary social cohesion, as one is nothing without the other.
Our law office guides and advises you in establishing your labor contracts and internal procedures. Whether you are employer or employee, our lawyers inform you about your rights and obligations. Armed with their experience, they will assist you in case of conflict and will undertake for you all necessary legal procedures to enforce your rights.
Lease
For many years Geneva has suffered from a great housing shortage. This situation naturally creates some serious tensions between lessors and tenants, needing the intervention of the Justice on numerous occasions.
Our legal system regulates the rights of the parties on the lease contract in a particularly strict manner; even thus, it is often difficult to assert one’s rights without the assistance of a professional.
Therefore, we have the pleasure to provide our clients with a follow-up adapted to every situation, whether they are lessors or tenants. We negotiate and elaborate lease contracts and we represent our clients before the courts in the case of a dispute or litigation.
Criminal law
Our firm is active in all areas of criminal law (general criminal law, economic criminal law, victims of crime law, juvenile criminal law).
The lawyers of our firm are able to take in charge both the defense of the individuals and as counselors for victims. Our law firm support the clients throughout the procedure from the investigation stage till the judgment hearing. Our lawyers are also involved in the mater of execution of sentence (conditional release, measures).
Asset Recovery, debts collection and bankruptcy
Avocats Associés assists clients in Asset recovery, attachment orders for goods and assets, debts collection and legal proceedings of enforcement in Switzerland and abroad.
Our Law Office has long experience in enforcement law, financial and legal reorganization of companies and enterprises, bankruptcy proceedings and winding-up arrangements.
Avocats Associés assists clients for financial reorganization and receivership proceedings of companies and assets.
Our Legal Office also assists clients in recognition and enforcement of foreign judgements and decisions in Switzerland, but also abroad, through its network of correspondents.
Procurement contracts
The procurement contract procedure allows the different economic operators to have access to public authorities’ tenders at a local, regional, national and international level. The market type (construction, supplies or services) and the estimated amount of the latter define the applicable procedure.
The tendering procedures of the procurement contracts are complex, both for the bidder and for the procuring party.
Our office provides personalized guidance and ensures the defense of your interests, whether you are a public entity or a tendering company.
Dispute resolution, litigation and arbitration
AVOCATS ASSOCIÉS advises his clients, negotiates and lead all legal proceedings and commercial arbitrations to protect its client’s interests, locally, or abroad thanks to its network of correspondents.
Our expertise includes private or commercial matters, bank and finance disputes, as well as civil or criminal cases, attachment orders or bankruptcy proceedings, enforcement of foreign judgments, employment or lease matters and administrative matters.
Family
The litigations in family law can consist both in divorces or separations, as well as in disputes related to the parental rights and obligations, which can appear within the married as well as the unmarried couples.
In this eminently emotional area, we are committed to providing our clients with quality legal expertise, as well as with a personalized support, in order to elaborate solutions aiming to the appeasement of the relations.
In this regard, we will give priority, if possible, to the reaching of an agreement, while firmly defending the interests of our clients when they are at risk.
Adult welfare law
In principle, an individual should be able to safeguard their own interests, especially those linked to their economy. However, in some occasions due to age or to health problems, certain people need assistance or protection.
In this regard, the Civil Code provides a series of protection measures aiming to ensure the assistance and the representation of those individuals partially or totally unable of acting in defense of their interests.
Concerned by the people in such situations, we accept protection of vulnerable adults duties which we carry out essentially for the wellbeing of the person placed under protection measures.
Immigration
AVOCATS ASSOCIÉS advises private clients and commercial companies to get a residence and work permit, i.e. L permit, which is valid for up to 120 business days per year, one year but renewable B permit, C permit allowing permanent residence, and G permit, for people living across the border but working in Switzerland. Our Law Office is in contact with local authorities and will help you to get a permit for yourself or for the employee you want to hire.
Our law office also leads all proceedings to hire qualified employees from abroad and get them suitable permit for residence and working in Switzerland.
AVOCATS ASSOCIÉS will also help you to set up a suitable company or legal entity, as well as to negotiate lump-sum taxation with competent authorities.
Successions and inheritance
AVOCATS ASSOCIÉS advises you for estate planning and transmission of your assets or business to your relatives, heirs or successors, through wills, legacy, testamentary pacts, donations, foundations and trusts, or any other type of agreement.
Or law office will also advise you concerning all estate litigations and will lead all Swiss or international related legal proceedings, and will search inheritance assets you are entitled to.
Real estate / Construction
The real estate law is particularly complex in Switzerland and brings forth a great deal of legal and administrative obligations to the owners.
The construction of real estate implies long procedures and needs a full knowledge of the applicable rules in the area, as well as different authorities in charge of supervising the projects.
We assist our clients throughout these procedures and we provide them with an adequate support from a strictly legal point of view, and also in the negotiations with the different competent authorities, as well as in the case of a litigation brought before the competent jurisdictions.
French Law and International Family Law
The geographical proximity of Geneva and France as well as the international character of the entire region necessarily generate family situations with implications on both sides of the border, or even beyond.
These are then different laws which can find application before French, Swiss or elsewhere Courts.
Whether it concerns divorce or separation, questions relating to parental authority, alimony, children’s residence but also matrimonial regimes, wealth planning or successions, our office will be able to provide you with the advice necessary to understand the international aspects of your situation.
We are committed to providing our clients with quality legal expertise as well as personalized support, in order to develop solutions aimed at calming relationships.
From this perspective, we favor, if possible, the search for compromise, while resolutely defending the interests of our clients when they are threatened.