Swiss Immigration Lawyer / Swiss Immigration Avocat

Switzerland | Permanent | 80%–100% | Hybrid Working

Richmond Chambers Switzerland is looking for an experienced Swiss-qualified Avocat with approximately 5–10 years’ professional experience to join our growing Swiss immigration practice.

We are particularly interested in hearing from practising Avocats who have practical experience of Swiss immigration law, although we do not expect immigration to have been the sole area of practice. Relevant experience may combine immigration with areas such as administrative law, taxation, employment law, corporate or commercial law, or private client work.

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

This is an opportunity to join an established international immigration practice while playing an important role in the continued development of our Swiss team.

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

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

Our Swiss team works closely with colleagues in London, giving our lawyers the opportunity to work within an established international immigration practice while contributing directly to the development of our growing Swiss operation.

We are a modern, technology-enabled law firm, operating through cloud-based systems and making extensive use of digital tools and artificial intelligence to support legal research, drafting, knowledge management, case management and client service. We are interested in lawyers who are comfortable working in a technologically advanced professional environment and who are open to using new tools where they can improve the quality and efficiency of legal practice.

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

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

Our Swiss office is in Montreux, but the successful candidate may be based elsewhere in Switzerland. We particularly welcome applicants within reasonable reach of a major centre such as Geneva, Lausanne, Bern or Zurich.

The role offers significant flexibility and a combination of remote working and in-person collaboration.

You will manage your own matters with a high degree of autonomy, work alongside colleagues on more complex cases and contribute to the continued development of the Swiss practice.

This is a client-facing role. You will be expected to take responsibility for advising clients and progressing matters from the outset, rather than working primarily in a supporting capacity.

Our Swiss immigration practice covers matters throughout Switzerland and across all cantons, including:

• EU/EFTA and third-country work and residence permits;
• corporate immigration and work authorisation;
• family reunification;
• residence for entrepreneurs, 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; and
• immigration appeals and other contentious matters.

Many of our cases involve wider questions of Swiss administrative law, taxation, employment or business structures, so experience in one or more of these areas can be particularly valuable.

Your responsibilities will include:

• advising private and corporate clients on Swiss immigration law, procedure and strategy;
• managing immigration matters from initial instruction through to conclusion;
• providing clear and practical advice directly to clients from the outset;
• preparing and reviewing applications, supporting evidence, legal submissions and correspondence;
• advising on work authorisation, residence rights, family migration, settlement and citizenship;
• identifying the immigration implications of corporate, employment, tax and private client arrangements;
• liaising with cantonal and federal authorities;
• advising on Swiss administrative procedures and, where appropriate, contentious immigration matters;
• identifying practical solutions to complex or unusual immigration issues;
• keeping up to date with developments in Swiss immigration law, policy and administrative practice;
• maintaining high standards of drafting, case management and client care; and
• contributing to the continued development and growth of Richmond Chambers Switzerland.

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

• a Bachelor's and/or Master's degree in Swiss law;
• full qualification as an Avocat in Switzerland and admission to a Swiss cantonal Bar;
• approximately 5–10 years of relevant professional experience;
• practical experience advising on Swiss immigration law or immigration-related matters;
• experience dealing directly with Swiss cantonal or federal authorities;
• sufficient technical experience to advise clients and take responsibility for matters from the outset;
• strong legal research, analytical and drafting skills;
• the ability to manage matters independently and exercise sound professional judgement;
• excellent organisational skills and attention to detail;
• strong interpersonal and client-facing skills;
• a pragmatic, commercially aware and solutions-focused approach; and
• a strong commitment to providing a high standard of client service.

This position is for a fully qualified Avocat. We are not considering applications on this occasion from avocats stagiaires, candidates who are still completing their professional legal training, or candidates who have not yet passed the relevant Swiss Bar examination.

We do not expect candidates to have spent their entire career practising exclusively in Swiss immigration law. We would be particularly interested in hearing from established Swiss Avocats whose practice has included meaningful immigration experience alongside another relevant area of Swiss law.

Experience in Swiss administrative law, taxation, employment law, corporate law or private client work would be particularly relevant.

• Fluent English is essential.
• Fluent French is essential.
• Strong German-language skills would be a significant advantage, and Swiss German would be particularly welcome.
• Additional languages are also welcome.

Applicants must have an unrestricted right to work in Switzerland at the time of application.

Unfortunately, we are not able to consider candidates who require sponsorship or new Swiss work authorisation for this position.

• CHF 100,000–120,000 gross per annum at 100%, depending on experience, with salary adjusted pro rata for part-time working;
• opportunities for additional performance-related remuneration and bonus payments;
• a permanent position with flexible 80%–100% working arrangements;
• hybrid working and flexibility over where in Switzerland you are based;
• a modern, cloud-based working environment with extensive use of technology and AI to support efficient, high-quality legal practice;
• access to our office in Montreux;
• a varied and high-quality caseload involving both corporate and private clients;
• significant autonomy and direct client responsibility;
• the opportunity to work on interesting and often complex international matters;
• the opportunity to develop a specialist Swiss immigration practice;
• opportunities to attend our London office for training, professional development and collaboration with colleagues across the wider firm;
• ongoing professional development and support from experienced colleagues in Switzerland and the UK; and
• the opportunity to contribute directly to the growth and direction of our Swiss practice.



For the right person, this role offers more than simply joining an existing legal team.

You will join the Swiss branch of an established specialist immigration law firm, with the resources, expertise and international perspective of our London head office combined with the opportunity to help shape a growing Swiss practice.

You will have substantial responsibility for your own clients and matters, considerable flexibility in how you work, and the opportunity to contribute to the future development of Richmond Chambers Switzerland.

The role offers a combination of high-quality legal work, professional autonomy, modern working practices, international exposure and genuine scope for progression, together with the opportunity to develop a recognised specialism within a growing practice.

If you are a fully qualified Swiss Avocat with relevant immigration experience and are 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 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.