Contacts
Address
Contact details
Opening hours
Monday: 13h30-17h
Tuesday to Thursday: 8h30-12h / 13h30-17h
Friday: 8h30-12h
Telephone
Mailing address
Bibliothèque centrale du Pouvoir judiciaire
Place du Bourg-de-Four 1
1204 Genève
Head of the Department
Mr. Stéphane GIVKOVIC
Terms of access
The library is open to all members of the public, subject to compliance with the terms of access to the courthouse and copyright legislation.
- Free access to the collection
- On-site consultation, no loans for the external public
- Paid photocopies (photocopy cards available at the reception desk)
- 10 workplaces with electrical outlets and free wifi
- 2 PCs available for your research in the catalogue
Consult the library’s rules of use.
Services

Are you looking for legal documentation?
Our swisscovery catalogue allows you to browse through some 10'000 books and 450 periodical titles, and to access the collections of more than 470 academic and scientific libraries throughout Switzerland.
- As the Central Library of the Judiciary Power is a reference library, registration with the Swiss Library Service Platform is not necessary to use its resources. However, in order to use the services of the other libraries in the same network, you must be registered (free of charge), according to the following procedure: How to create your account in Swiss Library Service Platform.
- Consult the library’s plan to locate books on the shelves.
- Each document is classified according to the francophone legal classification, detailed in the classification plan of the collection.
- All services can be found in our user guide.
Some must-sees
The new acquisitions:
- Avril 2022 or directly in the catalogue swisscovery
- Mars 2022
- Février 2022
- Janvier 2022
- Décembre 2021
- Novembre 2021
- Octobre 2021
- Août-Septembre 2021
- Juillet 2021
- Juin 2021
- Mai 2021
The commentaries:
The memorial of the cantonal Parliament sessions of the Republic and canton of Geneva, in its entirety (1829 ->)
LexFind: search in all the legislation of the cantons and the Confederation. Access to old versions of laws.
The case-law reports (complete collections):
- Arrêts du Tribunal fédéral (ATF)
- Semaine judiciaire (SJ)
- Journal des tribunaux (JDT)
List of all available journals.
Electronic resources available on site
- More than 70 E-Books
- Capitalisator software (accompanies the Stauffer, Schaetzle, Weber capitalization tables and programs, and permanently replaces manual calculation using these tables)
- Various other library catalogs
Themes
A Personal development corner proposes books related to occupational health, management and training for trainers. Consult the list of titles l (state: March 2020).
A Paralegal corner proposes a series of documentaries, novels, and fine books related to law or justice.
The service occasionally produces thematic bibliographies, in connection with current events or in the context of events within the Central Library or the Judiciary Power.
- Le numérique en question: bibliography (state: February 2020)
A selection of books to help legal professionals understand the digital transition.
- Premiers pas dans le monde de la justice: bibliography (state: October 2019)
A list of books to familiarize yourself with the world of law and justice.
- Zoom sur le droit des femmes: bibliography (state: June 2019)
June 14, 2019 was the day of the women's strike. Posters tracing the movement for women's rights in Switzerland, as well as a selection of books and articles were displayed in the pas perdus and in the Library.
- Zoom sur le droit de l'art: bibliography (state: April 2019)
The cross-border movement of works of art in Europe is constantly increasing and raises many questions. From expertise to the restitution of looted works, from the status of works coming from psychiatric circles to the free circulation of collections, from auctions to money laundering, many legal and practical aspects are involved. This bibliography offers a selection of works that address some of these issues.
Questions/answers
No, the case law of the Judiciary Power is not available at the Library. You have to contact directly the desk of the relevant instance. Part of the case law is also published on the website of the Judiciary Power.
No, the Library does not provide legal advice. You must contact a professional (e.g., a lawyer) or a legal advice service.
See Legal advice service and legal counsels’ page
Useful links
- Bibliothèque de la Faculté de droit de l'Université de Fribourg
- Bibliothèque de la Faculté de droit et de sciences criminelles de l'Université de Lausanne
- Bibliothèque de l'Institut suisse de droit comparé
- Bibliothèque de l'Université de Neuchâtel (inclut la Faculté de droit)
- Portail de droit de la bibliothèque de l'Université de Genève