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The simple answer to this question is yes; you should purchase legal insurance in Switzerland. <br>Legal insurance in Switzerland protects the financial security of your family in the event of a lawsuit.
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The simple answer to this question is yes; you should purchase legal insurance in Switzerland. Legal insurance in Switzerland protects the financial security of your family in the event of a lawsuit. You can become a defendant in the blink of an eye following a second of inadvertence in your car or elsewhere. Failure to purchase legal protection would mean that you’re fully exposed financially in the scenario that you have to defend a case in court.
Legal protection insurance in Switzerland isn’t only useful to potential defendants. As a claimant, it’s always advisable to be protected legally as the cost of getting your case heard in court is extremely high. Failure to win your case will result in you receiving no compensation from the defendant or the justice system.
You’ll need to comply with the procedures set down by your insurance company to be adequately protected and compensated. Advice from the Expat-Experts.ch AFA certified insurance professional will help you fully understand and make informed decisions with regards to legal insurance in Switzerland.
It is important to note that Swiss Legal Insuranceis split into two distinct modules. The first covers the policyholder as a road user and driver, the second covers the policyholder in their everyday private life for contractual and non-contractual litigation. We highly recommend subscribing to the combined road-user and private life package because you never know the origin of the type of litigation you or your family might need to confront.
Swiss legal insurance is set up to minimize spending in court proceedings, whether you are the claimant or defendant. Individuals without legal protection insurance in Switzerland often find themselves in debt after one litigation case. The benefits that combined legal insurance policyholders enjoy include:
Legal advice on how to handle litigation • Legal correspondence in the case that you’re a defendant or claimant • Compensatory contractual and non-contractual damages • Legal advice, correspondence and dispute resolution on motor vehicle related issues
Combined legal insurance in Switzerland covers compensatory or actual damages in the following situations: • Employment litigation • Property and landlord related litigation • Anonymous third party litigation • Litigation with insurance providers • Litigation with car rental companies • Litigation following road-user motor vehicle tax issues, driving license suspensions or fines • Criminal law litigation
Legal insurance in Switzerland does not cover: • Litigation that began before the legal insurance contract was subscribed to • Litigation that begins in the first three months following the purchase of the legal insurance contract
After the three month waiting period compensatory or actual damages are not covered in the following situations: • Family affairs, including disputes related to divorce, inheritance and bankruptcy • Tax litigation • Offences that are committed by intent • Litigation related to personal investment strategies concerning funds, securities and bonds • Litigation related to betting and gaming
Consult your advisor to see if the provider he or she recommends offers legal advice on any of the above in their legal insurance contract.
How much does litigation cost in Switzerland and what is the cost of legal insurance?
The average hourly rate for an attorney in Switzerland is CHF 500.- This amount can go as high as CHF 800.-, so the first thing to check is does your legal insurance put a cap on the hourly rate they compensate for? The cost of litigation is so high in Switzerland because a ten hour retainer fee is always requested to take a case. The claimant or defendant then needs to add an advance on court fees. Once all of the above has been paid legal advice and procedures can begin. Without legal insurance it is understandable that it is not easy to go to court in Switzerland as proceedings start at more than CHF 5’000.-
If one just requires legal advice and correspondence to try and avoid a case going to court one will also need, on average, four hours of an attorney’s time, so even the cost of advice remains prohibitive without legal insurance. A good combined legal insurance in Switzerland costs between CHF 300 and 400.- per year or roughly CHF 30.- per month. You amortize this investment if you have one litigation in 15 years, so we consider it to be a worthwhile and necessary insurance coverage in Switzerland.
Paul is being put under unbearable pressure, receiving pressing remarks and unpleasant treatment from his superior. The situation has come to a point that it is affecting his sleep and concentration, as well as his relationship with his family. It is a typical case of mobbing, his employer is trying to push him to resign.
Paul opens a claim with his Swiss legal insurance who advise him to see a Doctor. The Doctor puts Paul on sick-leave so he has the time to recuperate and prepare litigation to defend his case. This operation only cost Paul his visit to the Doctor and enabled him to put the situation into perspective. He also got essential insights into the Swiss employment laws, rules and regulations. If Paul did not have legal insurance he would not have been able to afford this procedure. As a result he would either have most certainly resigned or suffered a burnout.
Advise from an expert in English Contact Charles, the English speaking Expat Experts certified insurance expert to help you protect the financial security of your family with the best Swiss legal insurance contract. We also recommend consulting the Expat-Experts.ch guide to legal insurance in Switzerland for further information.
