Commission du barreau

In this context, the Commission du barreau is responsible in particular for:

• Ensuring that lawyers fulfil all the legal requirements authorizing them to practice their profession
• Ensuring that lawyers abide by the professional rules governing their activities and, if necessary, to sanction violations of these rules attributed to them

The Commission du barreau is administratively attached to the Judiciary Power which provides it with the administrative and logistical means necessary to accomplish its mission.

The Commission du barreau exercises the powers vested in the lawyers’ supervisory authority pursuant to the Attorneys-at-Law Act, of 23 June 2000 (LLCA), as well as the Legal profession Act, of 26 April 2002 (LPAv), the implementation of which is defined by the provisions of the Regulation under the Legal profession Act, of 7 December 2010 (RPAv).

It is responsible for:

• Keeping the cantonal register of lawyers and trainee lawyers
• Keeping the register of foreign qualified lawyers, nationals of a Member State of the European Union qualified to practise as a lawyer in his/her home Member State, and having a professional address in Geneva
• The disciplinary supervision of lawyers, trainee lawyers and foreign lawyers authorized to practice in Geneva
• The appointment of a substitute for lawyers who are unable to practice
• Examination of requests for exemption from ex officio appointment (art. 8 LPAv) by a member of the legal profession who is bound by professional secrecy.
• The lifting of professional secrecy for lawyers
• The supervision of the lawyer's duty (the organization of which has been entrusted to the Lawyers' Association, in accordance with art. 8A LPAv)
• The management of company identification numbers in application of the Federal Act on the Business Identification Number of 18 June 2010