Rechtsauskunft Anwaltskollektiv

Rechtsauskunft Anwaltskollektiv is a non-profit association (Verein) of practising lawyers that runs an open legal advice centre at Kernstrasse 8 in Zürich-Aussersihl, Switzerland. It traces its origins to the Anwaltskollektiv founded in 1975 by lawyers Susanne Leuzinger-Naef, Edmund Schönenberger and Bernard Rambert together with secretary Claudia Bislin, and was formally constituted as an association in 1981 in response to the heavy demand generated by the youth unrest of the early 1980s. The collective's founding ethos was explicitly egalitarian and socially oriented: equal pay for secretarial and legal staff, effective representation of the "weak against the strong", and open, low-threshold legal advice at very moderate prices alongside conventional legal practice. The association operates a walk-in advice service covering almost all areas of law. A half-hour consultation costs a flat CHF 70, including a phone call and a short letter if needed; short-notice cancellations (less than 24 hours before the appointment) are charged at CHF 35. Advice is offered in person at Kernstrasse 8, by telephone, or online via video conference, with office and consultation hours Monday to Friday from 12.30 to 18.30 and telephone availability Monday to Friday from 13.00–15.00 and 15.30–18.00. Documents may be sent by e-mail for telephone or online appointments, but no legal advice is given by e-mail and no file study is possible before the appointment. A dedicated migration and asylum law consultation takes place every Wednesday, staffed by a lawyer with extensive experience in asylum and foreigner law. Services are also available in twelve additional languages. Around 35 lawyers now serve in rotation, compared with roughly 22 at the time of the association's founding. Most members are also members of the Democratic Lawyers of Switzerland (Demokratische Juristinnen und Juristen der Schweiz). The name "Rechtsauskunft Anwaltskollektiv®" has been registered as a trademark since 2003. Members of the collective have shaped Swiss criminal defence practice, initiated the Zürich "Pikett Strafverteidigung" (criminal defence on-call service), and produced the only Swiss criminal-law guide for laypeople, "Strafuntersuchung – was tun?", first published in 1978 and in its fifth edition by the collective's 2011 anniversary. Alumni have gone on to careers in the judiciary and politics, including federal judge Susanne Leuzinger-Naef, cantonal judges, a National Council member and cantonal government ministers. The collective's left-wing origins brought it repeatedly under state surveillance; the Fichenskandal revealed numerous files kept on it, and the Federal Council's 2004 extremism report wrongly claimed the association had emerged from the "Rote Hilfe" or the Committee against Isolation Detention. On the association's complaint, the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner ordered the Federal Office of Police to correct the record, a decision upheld by the Federal Supreme Court.

The organisation's history begins with the Anwaltskollektiv founded in 1975 by lawyers Susanne Leuzinger-Naef, Edmund Schönenberger and Bernard Rambert together with secretary Claudia Bislin. Its structure and aims reflected the spirit of the political left of the time: equal pay for secretariat and lawyers, effective legal representation of the "weak against the strong", and open legal advice without prior appointment at very moderate prices alongside conventional legal practice, in order to lower barriers to access. Within weeks the original collective had to expand with new jurists because of strong demand; Barbara Hug joined at the beginning of 1976, and six years after founding the collective had grown to eleven lawyers. The countless enquiries arising from the youth unrest of the 1980s finally exposed the limits of the existing structure. An expansion became necessary, and in 1981 the existing collective and colleagues from its circle founded the association "Rechtsauskunft Anwaltskollektiv". From then on around 22 lawyers (today around 35) advised in rotation for a nearly symbolic fee. Almost all members of the Rechtsauskunft Anwaltskollektiv are also members of the Democratic Lawyers of Switzerland. Since 2003 the name "Rechtsauskunft Anwaltskollektiv®" has been registered as a trademark. Because of its originally very left-wing positioning, the collective repeatedly came into the focus of state security. The Fichenskandal revealed that many files had been created on the original Anwaltskollektiv and the later association. Even the Federal Council's extremism report of 24 August 2004 wrongly stated that the Rechtsauskunft Anwaltskollektiv had emerged in 1981 from the so-called Rote Hilfe or the Committee against Isolation Detention. On the association's complaint, the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner ordered the respondent (the Federal Office of Police) to take the steps necessary for the requested corrections. The Federal Supreme Court confirmed that decision, and the report was corrected accordingly. Lawyers of the original Anwaltskollektiv and of the Rechtsauskunft Anwaltskollektiv decisively shaped the development of criminal defence in Switzerland. In its 2011 anniversary year the association published the fifth edition of "Strafuntersuchung – was tun?", the only Swiss criminal-law guide for laypeople, which is consistently oriented to defence rights and explains how best to behave in a criminal investigation. When the first edition appeared in 1978, its author Barbara Hug was disciplined and fined for editing the brochure, since publishing such a guide was then regarded as improper for a lawyer. Lawyers of the Rechtsauskunft Anwaltskollektiv also provoked an important landmark decision of the Federal Supreme Court in the early 1980s clarifying the role of criminal defence. Members of the Anwaltskollektiv also initiated the Zürich "Pikett Strafverteidigung". A series of recognised specialised lawyers emerged from the collective's ranks, especially in family, employment, social insurance and migration law and victim representation alongside criminal defence. Other former active members later made careers in the judiciary and politics, for example federal judge Susanne Leuzinger-Naef, Zürich cassation judges Doris Farner-Schmidhauser and Matthias Brunner, Zürich administrative judge Peter A. Sträuli, National Council member Daniel Vischer, and government ministers Hanspeter Uster (Zug) and Regine Aeppli (Zürich).

• 2011

  Fifth edition of 'Strafuntersuchung – was tun?' published in the anniversary year.

• 2004

  Federal Council extremism report wrongly links the association to Rote Hilfe; later corrected after complaint.

• 2003

  'Rechtsauskunft Anwaltskollektiv®' registered as a trademark.

• 1981

  Association 'Rechtsauskunft Anwaltskollektiv' founded in response to demand from the youth unrest.

• 1978

  First edition of the criminal-law guide 'Strafuntersuchung – was tun?'; editor Barbara Hug is disciplined and fined.

• 1976

  Barbara Hug joins the collective; it grows to eleven lawyers within six years.

• 1975

  Anwaltskollektiv founded by Susanne Leuzinger-Naef, Edmund Schönenberger, Bernard Rambert and Claudia Bislin.

Non-profit, low-threshold legal advice by experienced practising lawyers, independent of origin and social class, at very moderate flat rates.

• Half-hour legal consultation

  Flat CHF 70, including a phone call and short letter if needed.

• Migration and asylum law consultation

  Every Wednesday, staffed by a lawyer experienced in asylum and foreigner law.

• Strafuntersuchung – was tun?

  The only Swiss criminal-law guide for laypeople, fifth edition 2011.

• Pikett Strafverteidigung

  Zürich criminal defence on-call service initiated by collective members.

1. 1Rechtsauskunft Anwaltskollektiv official websiteanwaltskollektiv.ch
2. 2Rechtsauskunft Anwaltskollektiv – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
3. 3Wikidata Q1740268wikidata.org