Swiss Immigration Lawyer / Avocat(e) en droit de l’immigration suisse

Swiss Immigration Lawyer / Avocat(e) en droit de l’immigration suisse

Switzerland | Permanent | 80%–100% | Remote-first

Total compensation at target: CHF 132,000 at 100% FTE

Richmond Chambers Switzerland is seeking an experienced Swiss-qualified Avocat(e) to join our growing Swiss immigration practice.

This is a remote-first position. You may be based anywhere in Switzerland and will normally work from home, with occasional in-person collaboration at our office in Montreux and elsewhere where appropriate.

We are particularly interested in hearing from practising Avocat(e)s with meaningful experience of Swiss immigration law. We do not expect immigration to have been your sole area of practice. Relevant experience may have been gained alongside administrative law, employment law, taxation, corporate or commercial law, or private client work.

The successful candidate will have sufficient experience and technical confidence to advise clients from the outset, manage matters independently and provide clear, practical and commercially focused advice.

The role offers a high degree of professional autonomy, substantial flexibility and the opportunity to develop a recognised specialism within an established international immigration practice.

About Richmond Chambers Switzerland

Richmond Chambers Switzerland is the Swiss branch of Richmond Chambers LLP, a specialist immigration law firm headquartered in London.

From our Swiss office in Montreux, we advise private and corporate clients on immigration matters throughout Switzerland. Our clients include internationally mobile individuals, entrepreneurs, executives, families and businesses navigating the Swiss immigration system.

Our Swiss lawyers work closely with colleagues in London, combining the resources and experience of an established specialist immigration practice with the opportunity to contribute directly to the development of our growing Swiss operation.

We are a modern, technology-enabled law firm. We use cloud-based systems and digital tools extensively to support legal research, drafting, knowledge management, case management and client service. We are therefore interested in lawyers who are comfortable working independently in a modern professional environment and who are open to using technology where it can improve the quality and efficiency of legal practice.

We place particular emphasis on technical quality, sound judgement, clear and strategic advice, responsiveness and excellent client service.

The Role

You will join our Swiss immigration team in a permanent position on a flexible 80%–100% basis.

The role is principally home-based. Regular attendance at the Montreux office is not required, although there will be opportunities for in-person collaboration, meetings and professional development.

This is a client-facing role with a high degree of autonomy. You will take responsibility for your own clients and matters while working with colleagues on more complex cases and contributing to the continued development of the Swiss practice.

Your work may include:

• EU/EFTA and third-country residence and work permits;
• corporate immigration and work authorisation;
• family reunification;
• residence for entrepreneurs, executives, investors and financially independent individuals;
• private client immigration;
• settlement and C permits;
• Swiss citizenship and naturalisation;
• Schengen and national visas;
• cantonal and federal immigration procedures;
• administrative and contentious immigration matters; and
• immigration issues arising in connection with employment, taxation, corporate structures and private client arrangements.

You will be responsible for advising clients on Swiss immigration law, procedure and strategy; managing matters from initial instruction through to conclusion; preparing and reviewing applications, evidence, legal submissions and correspondence; liaising with cantonal and federal authorities; identifying practical solutions to complex or unusual cases; and maintaining high standards of legal analysis, drafting, case management and client care.

About You

We would be interested in hearing from you if you are:

• fully qualified as an Avocat(e) in Switzerland and admitted to a Swiss cantonal Bar;
• an experienced practising lawyer, typically with approximately 5–10 years of relevant professional experience;
• able to demonstrate meaningful practical experience of Swiss immigration law or immigration-related matters;
• experienced in dealing directly with Swiss cantonal and/or federal authorities;
• sufficiently experienced to advise clients independently and take responsibility for matters from the outset;
• a strong legal researcher and drafter with sound analytical judgement;
• confident dealing directly with private and corporate clients;
• organised, responsive and attentive to detail;
• pragmatic, commercially aware and solutions-focused; and
• committed to providing an excellent standard of professional service.

We do not expect candidates to have spent their entire career practising exclusively in immigration law.

We would particularly welcome applications from established Swiss Avocat(e)s whose practice has included immigration alongside another relevant area of Swiss law, including administrative law, employment law, taxation, corporate law or private client work.

This position is for a fully qualified Avocat(e). We are therefore unable to consider avocats stagiaires, candidates who are still completing their professional legal training or candidates who have not yet passed a Swiss Bar examination.

Languages

Professional fluency in French and English is essential.

German-language skills would be a significant advantage.

Additional languages are also welcome.

Right to Work in Switzerland

Applicants must already have the right to work in Switzerland.

We are unfortunately unable to sponsor or obtain new Swiss work authorisation for this position.

What We Offer

Salary and bonus: CHF 120,000 base salary plus a target annual bonus of CHF 12,000, based on realistic performance targets that are designed to be achievable. Total compensation at target is CHF 132,000 at 100% FTE.

In addition, we offer:

• a permanent position with flexible 80%–100% working arrangements;
• a genuinely remote-first working model, allowing you to work principally from home;
• flexibility over where in Switzerland you are based;
• access to our office in Montreux when required or preferred;
• substantial professional autonomy and direct responsibility for clients and matters;
• a varied, high-quality caseload involving both private and corporate clients;
• interesting and often complex international work;
• the opportunity to develop a recognised specialism in Swiss immigration law;
• a modern, cloud-based and technology-enabled working environment;
• opportunities to spend time at our London office for training, professional development and collaboration;
• support from experienced colleagues in Switzerland and the UK; and
• the opportunity to play a meaningful role in the continued growth and direction of Richmond Chambers Switzerland.

Why Richmond Chambers?

For the right lawyer, this role offers an unusual combination of professional autonomy, specialist work, international exposure and flexibility.

You will become part of an established specialist immigration firm while retaining considerable control over how and where you work.

You will have substantial responsibility for your own clients and matters, access to colleagues and resources across our Swiss and UK practices, and the opportunity to help shape the future development of a growing Swiss immigration practice.

For an experienced Swiss lawyer who would like to develop a specialist immigration practice without the requirement to commute to an office every day, this represents a particularly flexible opportunity.

How to Apply

If you are a fully qualified Swiss Avocat(e) with relevant immigration experience and would be interested in developing your practice within a specialist international immigration firm, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Please send your CV and a short covering letter to info@richmondchambers.ch, explaining your relevant professional experience, language capabilities and current availability.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and suitable candidates may be invited to interview at an early stage.

All applications will be treated in strict confidence.

Richmond Chambers Switzerland is committed to equal opportunities and to creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates from all backgrounds.

*Salary and bonus figures shown are for a 100% appointment and will be pro-rated where the role is undertaken at 80% or 90%.