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Criminal Law

Personal Law

Deepfakes and the right to one’s own image: How you can protect yourself

A group photo on Instagram, a photo of an employee at a company party, a video manipulated using AI: Such situations are commonplace today, and the legal issues they raise are anything but trivial. Every person has the right to determine what happens to their image, whether it be a...

Inheritance Law

The Need for Regulation Regarding Digital Estates

As digitalization advances, people today leave behind not only traditional assets but also a wealth of digital content and traces on the internet, in IT systems, and on storage media. Digital estates are not limited to personal data but encompass a wide range of digital assets and accounts. Since settling...

Intellectual Property Law

Grounds for Refusal in Trademark Law (Switzerland)

Trademarks have become indispensable in everyday business: they are signs used to distinguish the goods or services of one company from those of others (Art. 1 para. 1 TmPA). Trademarks thus serve both a function of indicating origin and distinguishing products. However, anyone seeking to register a trademark will not...

Capital Markets Law

Contract Law

Mergers & Acquisitions

Stach Rechtsanwälte recognised as a leading law firm

Stach Rechtsanwälte AG was recognised in the 2026 rankings in the practice area of "Private Equity, Venture Capital and Corporate Law" We are absolutely delighted to receive this award and would like to thank our clients and partners for their loyalty and the trust they have placed in us.

Criminal Law

Speeding offences: an overview of classification and legal consequences

Speeding offences are among the most common traffic violations in Switzerland. Even minor speeding infringements may result in financial penalties, while more serious violations can lead to criminal sanctions and the revocation of the driving licence. This article provides an overview of the legal classification, the sanctioning system, and the...

Litigation

Real Estate Law

The Blocking Period for Termination in Tenancy Law

Landlords involved in a tenancy dispute with a tenant should be aware of the consequences of an amicable settlement: a settlement—whether reached before the conciliation authority, before a court, or out of court—generally triggers a three-year blocking period for termination to the detriment of the landlord. Overlooking this results in...

Litigation

Real Estate Law

Eviction of tenants from the landlord’s perspective

If a tenant does not vacate the rental property after a valid termination of the lease, landlords often take matters into their own hands by, for example, changing the locks. However, such measures are unlawful and frequently result in civil and criminal proceedings. Therefore, the landlord’s claim for the return...

Compliance

Disruptive Technologies & FinTech

Planned revision of the Financial Institutions Act (FINIG) – introduction of two new licence categories

The planned revision of the Financial Institutions Act (FINIG), which is expected to come into force in 2027, provides for the introduction of two new licence categories for payment institutions and crypto institutions. These consist of crypto-loans, which enable the development and harmonisation of tokenisation standards through new asset classes,...

Criminal Law

Police stop: Obligations of the person concerned

A police stop (police power to stop) is a key tool used by the police to investigate criminal offences. It serves to establish any possible link between the person stopped and a criminal offence. The legal basis for this is set out in the Swiss Criminal Procedure Code (StPO), specifically...

Compliance

Real Estate Law

Revised Anti-Money Laundering Legislation – Implications for Real Estate Brokers

With the partial revision of the Anti-Money Laundering Act adopted on September 26, 2025, Switzerland is expanding the scope of application of anti-money laundering regulations. Certain professional consulting activities in connection with real estate transactions may now also fall under the scope of the law. This may affect real estate...

Compliance

Corporate Governance

Sustainability Reporting in Transition: What the EU Omnibus Package Means for Swiss SMEs

On February 24, 2026, the Council of the European Union formally adopted the so-called Omnibus I Package. With this step, the EU is making a noticeable course correction in sustainability reporting — with consequences that extend well beyond the EU's borders. At its core, the package concerns the obligation of...

Real Estate Law

Building contractor’s lien: Partial revision as of January 1, 2026

On January 1, 2026, a major revision of the Swiss Civil Code (CC) came into force in the area of building contractor's liens. The amendment to the law aims in particular to clarify the requirements for the provision of substitute security. It is now expressly clarified that substitute security must...

Inheritance Law

Interaction between Hotchpot (Advancement) and Reduction in the Case of Gratuitous Lifetime Gifts

With the inheritance law reform that entered into force on 1 January 2023, the system of compulsory shares was significantly restricted or, in part, abolished. A central principle of the revised law is that the statutory compulsory portions may not be infringed by a will, a marriage or inheritance contract,...

Insolvency, Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law

Right to inspect according to Art. 8a DEBA

According to Art. 8a para. 1 Federal Act on Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy (DEBA), any person who can credibly demonstrate an interest may inspect the records and registers of the debt enforcement and bankruptcy offices and obtain extracts from them. According to Art. 8a para. 2 DEBA, such an interest...

Family Law

Separation in cohabitation

Couples who live together without being married or in a registered partnership are said to be cohabiting (also known as non-marital cohabitation). Cohabitation is becoming increasingly common: since the 1950s and 1960s, the appeal of marriage has declined, while social acceptance of diverse family models such as cohabitation has increased....

Contract Law

Real Estate Law

Termination of a Lease Due to Urgent Need

The acquisition of a rented residential or commercial property regularly raises issues under tenancy law, particularly where the new owner intends to use the premises personally or to carry out structural alterations. A key question in this context is under which circumstances a lease may be lawfully terminated on the...

Criminal Law

Stalking: New Criminal Offence in Force Since 1 January 2026

Stalking – in statute referred as Nachstellung – was previously not an autonomous criminal offence in Switzerland. Individual acts could, depending on their nature, be subsumed under offences such as threat, coercion, unlawful entry into premises or other criminal provisions. Typical stalking constellations, however, frequently consist of a multitude of...

Real Estate Law

Photovoltaic systems in condominiums: resolutions and majority requirements

The installation of a photovoltaic system in a condominium raises a variety of legal questions, particularly with regard to the necessary resolutions and the required majorities. Since the roof and facade are part of the common areas of a building, only the condominium owners' meeting can decide on their use....

Labour Law

Summary Dismissal under Art. 337 CO

According to Art. 337 para. 1 of the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO), both the employer and the employee may terminate an existing employment relationship with immediate effect for good cause. In practice, however, it is usually employees who are affected by summary dismissal; therefore, the following discussion focuses on...

Litigation

Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in Switzerland: A comparison between the PILA and the Lugano Convention

The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in Switzerland depends on the origin of the judgment and is governed by either the Lugano Convention (Lugano Convention) or the Federal Act on Private International Law (PILA). While the Lugano Convention provides for a simplified procedure without exequatur for judgments from EU...

Corporate Law

Conversion of a limited liability company into a corporation: challenges and practical solutions

The conversion of a limited liability company into a corporation offers new growth opportunities and expanded capital procurement possibilities, but poses a financial and administrative challenge, especially for smaller companies. The conversion process includes the preparation of a conversion plan and report, a review by an auditing expert and a...

Corporate Law

Nullity of shell companies – Art. 684a and 787a CO

As of January 1st 2025, Articles 684a and 787a of the Swiss Code of Obligations declared avoidance transactions in connection with shell companies and organised company burials null and void. Shell companies that exist without any operational activity are often used to avoid liquidation costs and taxes. Organised company burials,...

Litigation

Revised Insurance Supervision Act

As a matter of principle, arbitration proceedings in civil disputes must be preceded by an attempt at conciliation (Art. 197 ZPO). The aim of such a conciliation hearing is, on the one hand, to relieve the burden on the courts and, on the other hand, to give the parties the...

Corporate Law

Inheritance Law

Company succession in inheritance law

Company succession under inheritance law often poses major challenges, as the current Swiss inheritance law does not recognise any special provisions for companies. This is why the Federal Council is proposing specific measures to facilitate company succession in its dispatch of 10 June 2022. The first amendments to the law...

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Focus

Deepfakes and the right to one’s own image: How you can protect yourself

The Need for Regulation Regarding Digital Estates

Grounds for Refusal in Trademark Law (Switzerland)

Stach Rechtsanwälte recognised as a leading law firm

Speeding offences: an overview of classification and legal consequences

The Blocking Period for Termination in Tenancy Law

Eviction of tenants from the landlord’s perspective

Planned revision of the Financial Institutions Act (FINIG) – introduction of two new licence categories

Police stop: Obligations of the person concerned

Revised Anti-Money Laundering Legislation – Implications for Real Estate Brokers

Sustainability Reporting in Transition: What the EU Omnibus Package Means for Swiss SMEs

Building contractor’s lien: Partial revision as of January 1, 2026

Interaction between Hotchpot (Advancement) and Reduction in the Case of Gratuitous Lifetime Gifts

Right to inspect according to Art. 8a DEBA

Separation in cohabitation

Termination of a Lease Due to Urgent Need

Stalking: New Criminal Offence in Force Since 1 January 2026

Photovoltaic systems in condominiums: resolutions and majority requirements

Summary Dismissal under Art. 337 CO

Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in Switzerland: A comparison between the PILA and the Lugano Convention

Conversion of a limited liability company into a corporation: challenges and practical solutions

Nullity of shell companies – Art. 684a and 787a CO

Revised Insurance Supervision Act

Company succession in inheritance law

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