A lawyer, a fiduciary or a therapist may describe their practice on their website, provided every statement is accurate and each title matches the wording of the diploma, register entry or licence. Each profession then has its own rules: the Lawyers Act and bar guidelines for lawyers, the federal vocational education act for federal diplomas, and cantonal health laws in Geneva and Vaud.
This article covers Geneva and the canton of Vaud, based on texts consulted on 6 October 2026. For each profession, a table turns the rules into parts of a website: titles, team page, logo, fees, links and ads. The Geneva and Vaud texts are in French; where Fedlex or the publisher offers an English version, I link to it.
What advertising may a lawyer put on their website?
What does the Lawyers Act say?
The Federal Act on the Free Movement of Lawyers (Lawyers Act) allows advertising within a clear limit. Under Art. 12(d), lawyers “may advertise their services, provided the advertising remains objective and meets a public need for information.” Art. 11(2) adds that “in business communications, they shall indicate that they are entered on a cantonal roll.”
The English version on Fedlex is a translation for information, dated 23 January 2023; the French text in force is dated 1 July 2025 and keeps the same rules.
The Swiss Code of Professional Conduct of the Swiss Bar Association (SBA/FSA) states in Art. 25 that advertising “shall be truthful, in a reasonable context with the professional activity and shall respect professional secrecy.” Lawyers must not permit third parties to advertise on their behalf in breach of these principles, and must ensure compliance whenever advertising is made, directly or indirectly, on their behalf. Copy that a web developer writes for a law firm falls under this rule: the lawyer checks it before it goes live.
What do the Geneva and Vaud bars require?
In Geneva, the 2021 Us & Coutumes of the Geneva Bar Association restate these principles in French. Their Art. 27 requires advertising to be compatible with the dignity of the profession, to concern objective and true facts and to respect professional secrecy. Art. 28 applies the same requirements to social media.
In the canton of Vaud, the Vaud Bar Association directive of 21 March 2023 devotes its section 3 to websites and blogs, which must contain information that matches reality (s. 3.1). Section 3.2 lists required details, s. 3.3 sets conditions for optional ones and s. 3.4 covers organic and paid search. The Usages du Barreau vaudois, in their April 2026 version, make the Swiss Code of Professional Conduct binding on lawyers (Art. 1).
| Rule | What the website may say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Objective facts and public need | practice areas, background and services, described in a way that can be checked | Lawyers Act, Art. 12(d) |
| Truthful advertising and secrecy | true information related to the practice, revealing nothing covered by professional secrecy | Swiss Code of Professional Conduct, Art. 25; Us & Coutumes GE, Art. 27 and 28 |
| Required details (Vaud) | postal and email addresses, phone numbers, a full list of the firm’s lawyers with the title under which each practises (“avocat au barreau”, “avocat-conseil”), cantonal register, membership of the Vaud Bar Association and the SBA, and the business name and legal form of a company | Vaud directive, s. 3.2 |
| Titles and specialisation (Vaud) | academic titles or diplomas from a university or authority recognised in Switzerland, with a precise name; the SBA specialist title only for its holders; “specialist” only if the lawyer can show training or proven competence in the field | Vaud directive, s. 3.3 |
| Logo (Vaud) | a logo or acronym that does not mislead, without official emblems or the Swiss flag | Vaud directive, s. 3.3 |
| Fees (Vaud) | fees and the method of calculating them, stated truthfully, up to date and reliably | Vaud directive, s. 3.3 |
| Services (Vaud) | a truthful description, with no superlatives, no comparison with a named competitor, no client names without express consent and no names of opposing parties | Vaud directive, s. 3.3 |
| Links (Vaud) | links related to the lawyer’s profile and practice, without suggesting that the lawyer is the recommended adviser of a company or association | Vaud directive, s. 3.3 |
| Paid search (Vaud) | ads marked as such, for example with the word “annonce”, and no keyword pointing to another lawyer | Vaud directive, s. 3.4 |
| The word “permanence” (Vaud) | not used for advertising purposes | Usages du Barreau vaudois, Art. 10(2) |
For the firm’s organic search work, the Geneva local SEO checklist goes through the steps for a local business one by one. In Vaud, the keywords chosen must also respect s. 3.4 of the Vaud directive, whether they serve organic or paid search.
Which titles may a fiduciary firm display?
Who may use a protected title?
Under Art. 36 of the federal act on vocational and professional education and training (LFPr), only holders of a diploma from initial or higher vocational education may use the title set by the relevant regulations. In the wording in force since 1 October 2026, Art. 63 makes it an offence, punishable by a fine, to use a protected title without having passed the corresponding examination, or to use a title that gives that impression. The links lead to the French text in force.
The Unfair Competition Act also targets anyone who uses “incorrect titles or professional designations that are likely to give the impression that they hold special qualifications or skills” (UCA, Art. 3(1)(c)). Finally, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) keeps a public register of the names of holders of a federal certificate or diploma (LFPr, Art. 43(3)): every title on the team page can be checked there before going live.
Can you write “Professional Bachelor” without the protected title?
Art. 44a LFPr creates two title supplements: “Professional Bachelor” for a title earned through a federal professional examination (the federal certificate) or a federally recognised college of higher education programme, and “Professional Master” for one earned through an advanced federal professional examination (the federal diploma). They may only be used together with the protected title.
The SERI FAQ, published in French, explains that since 1 October 2026 all holders may use the supplement, whatever year they obtained their diploma. The supplement must come after the protected title, in an official language, separated from it by a comma. Using it is optional.
For pages in English, the act provides a simplified English translation of the title, set in the examination regulations: the profession’s name in English, a comma, then “Professional Bachelor” or “Professional Master” (Art. 44a(2) and (3)). If you are preparing an English version of your website, your team’s titles follow this structure.
What does the “Membre de FIDUCIAIRE|SUISSE” label mean?
According to the Geneva section of FIDUCIAIRE|SUISSE, a fiduciary company must go through a selection procedure before it may carry the “Membre de FIDUCIAIRE|SUISSE” quality label.
The association’s code of ethics regulation of 26 November 2022 prohibits unfair canvassing for mandates (s. 9(2)). Its members undertake to ensure that their employees and agents comply with these rules (s. 2): a developer who writes a member’s website works within that framework. The website creation for fiduciary firms page shows where these titles and this label fit on a firm’s website.
| Rule | What the website may say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Protected title | the federal certificate or diploma title, only for the people who earned it | LFPr, Art. 36 and 63 |
| Public register | titles your clients can check in the SERI register | LFPr, Art. 43(3) |
| Title supplements | “Professional Bachelor” or “Professional Master” after the protected title, separated by a comma, never on its own | LFPr, Art. 44a; SERI FAQ |
| Incorrect titles | no title or designation that suggests a qualification the person does not hold | UCA, Art. 3(1)(c) |
| Label | “Membre de FIDUCIAIRE|SUISSE”, once the selection procedure has been passed | FIDUCIAIRE|SUISSE, Geneva section |
| Canvassing | no unfair canvassing for mandates, including in copy written by an agent | Code of ethics regulation, s. 2 and 9 |
What advertising rules apply to therapists in Geneva and Vaud?
This part covers health professions that require a licence, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists and osteopaths, governed by the federal act on health professions (LPSan, Art. 2), and psychotherapists, governed by the federal act on psychology professions (LPsy). Doctors and complementary therapies are not covered here.
What does federal law say?
Art. 16(e) LPSan and Art. 27(d) LPsy use the same wording, in French: professionals must refrain from any advertising that is not objective, does not meet the public interest, is misleading or is intrusive.
Geneva: what does the health professions regulation allow?
The Geneva Health Act (LS) allows professionals entered in the registers to publish the announcements needed for their practice, within limits set by the Council of State (Art. 87). Those limits are in Art. 13 to 17 of the regulation on health professions (RPS). The regulation covers announcements in the media or made through signs, posters, leaflets, circulars, press releases or other similar means (Art. 13); it does not name websites, which may fall under that last phrase.
Under Art. 14, all advertising must state titles or status exactly as they appear in the licence, and may mention specialisations and titles recognised at federal level. Information on services, membership of associations or opening hours must be objective, and training within recognised training centres may be described. Art. 15 prohibits any other content and any advertising that is untrue, misleading or encourages excessive use of medical care. Patient testimonials are not among the information listed in Art. 14. If advertising breaks these rules, the authority may require its withdrawal (Art. 17).
Vaud: what does the Public Health Act provide?
Art. 82 of the Vaud Public Health Act (LSP) requires health professionals to refrain from any advertising that is not objective and does not meet the public interest; it must neither be intrusive nor misleading (para. 1). Mentioning special equipment or particular treatment methods is prohibited unless the cantonal department agrees (para. 4). Any advertising is prohibited for people who do not hold a licence to practise (para. 6).
Art. 70a also prohibits anyone from advertising treatments without the department’s authorisation, subject to Art. 82.
| Rule | What the website may say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Objective advertising (federal law) | objective information that meets the public interest, with nothing misleading or intrusive | LPSan, Art. 16(e); LPsy, Art. 27(d) |
| Titles (Geneva) | titles or status exactly as they appear in the licence, plus specialisations and titles recognised at federal level | RPS, Art. 14(1) |
| Information (Geneva) | services, membership of associations, opening hours and training in recognised training centres, presented objectively | RPS, Art. 14(2) and (3) |
| Prohibited content (Geneva) | nothing untrue, misleading or encouraging excessive use of medical care | RPS, Art. 15 |
| Names displayed (Geneva) | on signs, plates and business stationery, only the names of people entered in the registers | RPS, Art. 16 |
| Equipment and methods (Vaud) | no mention of special equipment or particular treatment methods without the department’s agreement | LSP, Art. 82(4) |
| Licence (Vaud) | no advertising without a licence to practise | LSP, Art. 82(6) |
How I presented qualifications on the Eljadi WORKS fiduciary page
On 23 September 2026, I added a block titled “Your qualifications, worded exactly” to the websites for fiduciary firms page. It states that federal certificates, federal diplomas and memberships appear with their exact wording, that the “Membre de FIDUCIAIRE|SUISSE” label is only granted after a selection procedure, and that from 1 October 2026 holders of a federal certificate may add “Professional Bachelor”, and holders of a federal diploma “Professional Master”, after the protected title, separated by a comma. Three sources are shown with the block: the Geneva and Vaud sections of FIDUCIAIRE|SUISSE and the SERI FAQ.
Before every launch, I check that the site works, with no bugs or inconsistencies. I run penetration tests locally, in proportion to how sensitive the site is, and nLPD/GDPR leak tests: no data or request goes to an unauthorised server, and consent is respected. I always add a Lighthouse audit and a search for known vulnerabilities in the site’s dependencies and their own dependencies. I only publish when everything is green.
What this article does not replace
This article describes the texts consulted on 6 October 2026 for Geneva and the canton of Vaud. It is not legal advice: a practice’s advertising remains the professional’s responsibility, and their bar association, the cantonal health authority or their FIDUCIAIRE|SUISSE section can answer specific questions. The checks described above cover how the site works and handles data; they are neither a certified security audit nor a guarantee of legal compliance.
Several texts were not consulted for this article and may add detail to these rules:
- the Geneva cantonal health office directives provided for in Art. 14(4) RPS, and the Vaud department’s definitions provided for in Art. 82(2) LSP;
- the SBA regulation on specialist lawyers;
- the licensing of the Federal Audit Oversight Authority;
- the rules for doctors and for complementary therapies;
- the rules of other cantons.
A firm’s contact form also collects personal data. The article on Swiss data protection rules for websites covers that side.
Sources
- Fedlex, “Federal Act on the Free Movement of Lawyers (Lawyers Act, FMLA)”, SR 935.61, Art. 11 and 12, English translation status 23 January 2023 (French text status 1 July 2025), accessed 6 October 2026.
- Swiss Bar Association, “Swiss Code of Professional Conduct”, Art. 25, version of 1 July 2023, accessed 6 October 2026.
- Geneva Bar Association (ODAGE), “Us & Coutumes 2021”, Art. 27 and 28, in French, accessed 6 October 2026.
- Vaud Bar Association (OAV), directive on communication and advertising of 21 March 2023, section 3, in French, accessed 6 October 2026.
- Vaud Bar Association (OAV), “Usages du Barreau vaudois”, April 2026 version, Art. 1 and 10, in French, accessed 6 October 2026.
- Fedlex, federal act on vocational and professional education and training (LFPr), SR 412.10, Art. 36, 43, 44a and 63, French text status 1 October 2026, accessed 6 October 2026.
- SERI, FAQ on the higher vocational education package for diploma holders, in French, accessed 6 October 2026.
- FIDUCIAIRE|SUISSE, Geneva section, in French, accessed 6 October 2026.
- FIDUCIAIRE|SUISSE, code of ethics regulation of 26 November 2022, s. 2 and 9, in French, accessed 6 October 2026.
- Fedlex, “Federal Act on Unfair Competition (Unfair Competition Act, UCA)”, SR 241, Art. 3, status 1 January 2025, accessed 6 October 2026.
- Fedlex, federal act on health professions (LPSan), SR 811.21, Art. 2 and 16, French text status 1 July 2025, accessed 6 October 2026.
- Fedlex, federal act on psychology professions (LPsy), SR 935.81, Art. 27, French text status 1 July 2025, accessed 6 October 2026.
- Republic and Canton of Geneva, Health Act (LS), rsGE K 1 03, Art. 87, in French, accessed 6 October 2026.
- Republic and Canton of Geneva, regulation on health professions (RPS), rsGE K 3 02.01, Art. 13 to 17, in French, accessed 6 October 2026.
- Canton of Vaud, Public Health Act (LSP), BLV 800.01, Art. 70a and 82, version of 1 February 2025, in French, accessed 6 October 2026.
