Checklist: maintaining the linguistic asset of a Geneva institution

Set out in writing the institution’s language policy: working languages, languages of client documentation, languages of relations with the authorities.
Keep the onboarding and information documentation in a language that each client understands, and check the consistency of the versions.
Require of legal drafters a command of Swiss legal French, and have translations of contractual documents reviewed by a lawyer of the target language.
Organise compliance on at least a trilingual basis, with staff able to read sources in German, French and English, and provide for access to the languages of the clientele.
Fund training in French in the fields where the precision of the language is the substance of the profession, in particular law and taxation, and German training for functions dealing with the federal authorities.
Use qualified translators and interpreters for legal documents, certified translations and negotiations, and regulate the use of machine translation.
Communicate in French with the Geneva and French-speaking Swiss public on the questions that concern the financial centre, in addition to international communication in English.
Take part in French-speaking business and training networks in order to maintain the financial centre’s relationship with the French-speaking world.

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of September 2025.

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Dr Alexander Ressos, TEP

Rechtsanwalt/Attorney-at-Law

I am a Swiss attorney-at-law and also admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England & Wales, with almost 25 years of experience.

Together with my multilingual team, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian and French native speakers, I advise companies and their owners from around the world on the full range of banking, corporate, commercial and tax law matters in Switzerland, including international tax planning, fiduciary services, and legal family office services including immigration & relocation or real estate investments. My practice has a particular focus on clients from growth and frontier markets in Greater China, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, and I equally advise clients from Europe and North America. Through an affiliated Swiss trust company, we also take care of the incorporation and ongoing administration of their companies and other structures, including accounting, tax returns and corporate secretarial services, and I serve as a professional director where required. With the support of a network of first-class cooperation partners, I also implement solutions worldwide.

My approach is to act as a trusted advisor who works directly with decision-makers, on an equal footing: I start from what you want to achieve and shape every structure, contract and tax decision around your commercial goals and how it improves your after-tax return. As “lawyers who make it happen”, my team and I stay involved until your company is set up, your structure is in place and your transaction has closed, and we remain available for any follow-on work that may be required. You benefit from bespoke solutions and personal attention, and sound, friendly and practical advice. We are not the lowest-cost provider in the market, nor do we intend to be; our aim is to deliver well-founded, proper solutions and excellent value for money.

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